WAUKESHA, Wis. -- Entering Saturday's contest fresh off a win over Wheaton, the Vikings men's basketball team extended their winning streak to five with a 73-54 victory over the Carroll Pioneers. North Park now sits at 9-2 in conference, tied for the top spot alongside the aforementioned Thunder. 

The Pioneers jumped out to a 27-10 lead through ten minutes, but the Vikings bounced back to close the half on a 15-4 run over the next ten to work a manageable 25-31 deficit entering halftime. Defensive adjustments proved key for North Park, whose offense struggled to an 8-29 performance with 4-16 shooting from deep. 

The Vikings carried all of that momentum into the second half as defensive pressure was further utilized to spearhead a much stronger offensive output. Rather than settling for the three-point shot, North Park played downhill in transition, forcing 15 turnovers out of Carroll in the second half and producing 28 points off of them. In comparison, NPU forced 14 turnovers in the first half but only turned that into five points. The Vikings' defense continued to execute when unable to secure the ball, holding Carroll to 7-of-24 shooting. North Park cruised to victory down the stretch on the back of that sharp defensive effort.

The Vikings featured four double-digit scorers, led by Shamar Pumphrey who put up 13 with a team-leading five assists. Alongside him in double figures were Jalen Boyd, Marquise Jackson, and Jordan Boyd. Jackson added team-highs with seven rebounds and four steals, the latter of which was matched by Quillin Dixon. 

What's Next?

North Park's next chance to possibly separate themselves on the CCIW leaderboard comes against Millikin on Wednesday, February 1. The Vikings will be the hosts to the Big Blue, tipping off at 7:00 P.M. CST.