CHICAGO, Ill. -- The North Park women's basketball team faced off with conference foe Carthage on Wednesday evening in a battle for the CCIW's 6th spot—an important indicator of the playoff picture. With possible postseason implications on the line, the Vikings ultimately fell to the Firebirds by a score of 42-56.
Both sides struggled to get the lid off the rim in the first twenty minutes, but the Vikings jumped ahead early and held control for over 75% of the 1st half—at one point carrying an 8-point lead early in the 2nd quarter. A full-court press from the Firebirds posed problems for North Park's ball handlers though, helping them establish momentum and gain a one-point lead to enter halftime.
The Carthage defense continued to stifle the Vikings in the 2nd half, but the Vikings were not able to reciprocate as they had in the 1st and fell to a 17-point hole early in the 4th quarter. North Park shifted their gameplan, adopting the same full-court defense deployed by the Firebirds, and they managed to claw their way back to single-digits with 4 minutes remaining. However, the Vikings' late push was thwarted shortly thereafter as the offense stalled out to end the game.
What's Next?
North Park now sits at 3-5 in conference play following the loss to Carthage, putting them in 7th place of the CCIW. The Vikings will look to rebound next Saturday when they host the North Central Cardinals, with tip-off set for 2:00 P.M.
