CHICAGO, Ill. -- The North Park women's basketball team returned home from their winter break trip to face off against the Benedictine Eagles. The Vikings picked up the win, 66-64, off the back of senior guard Victoria Perry and her new career high 33 points, beating her previous of 32 set earlier this year against Beloit on November 21.
The first half featured a back-and-forth effort from the two squads. North Park was able to take the lead in the last seconds of the first quarter thanks to a free throw from Caroline Long to put the Vikings up 16-14.
The Eagles stole the lead for a split second off back-to-back three-pointers and forced shots from the North Park offense. However, the Vikings did not let this last long and ended the half in the lead, 29-28.
The second half opened up with sophomore guard Kathryn Keehn's jumper before the Vikings fed the unstoppable Perry, who was pouring on the points, scoring 17 of her 33 points. Perry was 4-for-5 beyond the arc in the third quarter alone.
The Eagles took the lead two different times in the fourth before North Park had enough and took back the lead thanks to successful stints at the free-throw line for Perry. Benedictine, down 66-64, went for a setup wing three at the buzzer, but couldn't sink it. North Park earned the last win of 2023, 66-64.
Quick Hits:
- Victoria Perry sets new career high with 33 points, tying a career mark with 6 threes
- Caroline Long with 7 rebounds
- Vikings shot 73.7% (14-19) from the free throw line
- NPU held Benedictine to a 28.6 shooting percentage from the field
What's Next?
The Vikings (3-9, 0-3 CCIW) will resume their league play in Kenosha, Wisconsin against the Carthage Firebirds (9-4, 2-2 CCIW) this Wednesday, January 3 at 7:00 pm.
