CHICAGO, Ill. -- North Park men's basketball cruised to a double-digit victory over Hope College on Thursday night, 85-73.
The first half was highly competitive, as both teams exchanged scoring runs throughout. The Dutch got out to a fast start, as a layup from fifth-year guard Clayton Dykhouse gave the team a 15-8 lead eight minutes into the contest. However, the Vikings responded quickly, orchestrating a 12-1 run to take back the lead 20-16. Junior guard Davante Robinson sparked the Viking run with two three-pointers.
Hope battled back, going on a 13-0 run themselves to take a 32-22 lead on the Vikings. Nonetheless, a scoring explosion from forward DJ Wallace flipped the game upside down as the lanky freshman scored 10 points in the final 4 minutes of the half. Wallace began his impressive stretch with a 3-pointer and a transition dunk off of his own steal. A three-pointer by Robinson knotted up the score at 35 apiece, and 5 more points from Wallace down the stretch gave the Vikings a 40-39 lead at the break.
Both teams exchanged baskets throughout the second half. But a Julian Gatewood three-pointer at the 10:00 mark would give the Vikings a 62-60 lead. From this point on, North Park wouldn't trail.
Made baskets from senior Shamar Pumphrey and sophomore Lance Nelson would help the Vikings build up an 11-point lead late in the contest. Clutch free throw shooting in the final minutes from Pumphrey, Wallace, Robinson and senior forward Kenton Lei would ice the game for North Park.
Junior guard Kolden Vanlandingham made a large impact in his return from injury, leading the Vikings in scoring with 18 points. However, Vanlandingham wasn't the only player making noise in the scoring department, as Pumphrey, Nelson, Wallace and Robinson would all secure double-digit scoring nights. The Vikings also shot an impressive 40.3% (14-29) from downtown in the contest.
As for the Dutch, senior forward Tanner Wiegerink scored 25 points while dominating the glass with 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Justice Mims contributed with 13 points and 3 rebounds of his own.
Top Performers:
- Kolden Vanlandingham – 18 PTS, 3 STL
- DJ Wallace – 13 PTS, 3 REB, 2 BLK
- 13pts is a new career high
- Tanner Wiegerink – 25 PTS, 12 REB, 4 BLK
- Justice Mims – 13 PTS, 3 REB
- Davante Robinson – 10 PTS, 4 REB, 2 STL
- Kenton Lei – 8 PTS, 7 REB, 2 BLK
- All of the above are new career highs
What's Next?
The Vikings (4-7, 1-3 CCIW) will play their last games of 2023 in Tennessee as the team prepares for a doubleheader in part of the Music City Classic at Volunteer State Community College. North Park will play Alfred University (4-5) on December 29th, before wrapping up in Nashville with Central College (8-2), December 30th.
