CHICAGO, Ill. – The North Park men's basketball team dominated the paint on the way to a 79-75 victory on their home court against Elmhurst on Saturday night. Kolden Vandlandingham led the Vikings with 19 points, nearly reaching a double-double with nine boards. Elmhurst's Ocean Johnson and Wesley Hooker led all scorers with 21 and 20, respectively.
The bulk of the first half minutes showcased a handful of lead changes before free throws by Vanlandingham, an and-one layup by Adam Bulwa, and layup by Jalen Boyd established a 20-10 NPU lead. The Vikings kept this lead for a few more possessions before Elmhurst's Wesley Hooker and Tagen Pearson buried threes and Ocean Johnson streaked in for a layup. Next, a free throw by Jaiden Malichi put the Bluejays down by one point with four-and-a-half minutes to go, 25-24. That distance would be maintained through the next four minutes of the half, as the Vikings kept a 37-35 lead at halftime.
In the second half, North Park earned the win by doing the dirty work on the boards. The Vikings pulled down 25 rebounds while surrendering only 13. This assisted an idling 3-point game, as North Park was just 4-of-19 beyond the arc.
However, the Vikings outscored the Bluejays, 44-26, in the paint and utilized 19 second-chance points to earn the important conference win.
FINAL: North Park 79, Elmhurst 75
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What's Next?
North Park (11-3, 4-1 CCIW) hosts Carthage (11-2, 4-1 CCIW) this upcoming Wednesday, January 11. Carthage is coming off a 69-48 win over Illinois Wesleyan and remains one of three teams (Wheaton, North Park) with just one CCIW loss.
