CHICAGO, Ill. -- In their home opener, and second counted game of the season, the North Park Men's Basketball Team took on the Sabres from Marian University on Sunday afternoon, earning and 85-68 win. The Vikings came out firing on both sides of the ball while bringing their intensity on defense, causing eight turnovers in the first half that led to easy layups and open looks. North Park's 24 assists in Sunday's game are good for eighth-highest in program history.
Junior guard Kolden Vanlandingham was hot throughout the first half, shooting 8-for-10 from the field, knocking down one 3-pointer for a total of 17 points. As a team, the shooting numbers for the Vikings were solid, shooting 56% (22-for-39) from the field and 55% (5-for-9) from three-point land. North Park's first half lead was as big as big as 22, and the Vikings went into halftime up, 51-31.
Marian cut the lead down to as little 14 in the second half, but the Vikings continued to score in bunches, as they racked up another 6 steals as a team in the second half. Vanlandingham continued his offensive assault scoring another 15 points in the second half at an efficient clip, shooting 70% from the field. North Park's half-court offense looked like a well-oiled machine today as senior point guard Shamar Pumphrey dished out 11 assists, getting everyone involved. Pumphrey and junior center Phil Holmes, Jr. contributed 10 points each and junior guard Davante Robinson added 8 points off the bench.
The Vikings defensive performance was impressive as they totaled 14 steals and 7 blocks as a team. Shamar Pumphrey led the team with 5 steals and Phil Holmes, Jr. and freshman forward Trevon Roots both had 2 blocks. As a team, North Park shot over 52.2% from the field and 44% from three, which has been their highest through their first exhibition and counted games.
Top Performers
Kolden Vanlandingham – 32 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL
Shamar Pumphrey – 10 PTS, 11 AST, 5 REB, 5 STL (AST & STL #'s tie career high)
Phil Holmes, Jr. – 10 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK
What's Next?
North Park (2-0) will have five days to prepare for the Illinois College Tournament starting November 17th, where they will take on No. 16 Wabash College first, then play Coe College or Illinois College based on game 1 results. Tipoff against Wabash in Jacksonville is set for 5:30 PM CT.
A Deeper Dive into NPU Men's Basketball
For a more in-depth, personalized look into the 2023-24 North Park men's basketball team, professional sportswriter Gordon Edes has a Substack available here.
