CHICAGO, Ill. -- The Vikings men's basketball team honored the careers of six seniors—Adam Bulwa, Karl Polk Jr., Jacob Williams, Jalen Boyd, Jordan Boyd, and Marquise Jackson—before tipping off against the Illinois Wesleyan Titans for Wednesday night CCIW action.
Sean Smith opted for an all-senior starting five, and the experience proved valuable as the group got NPU out to a strong 10-4 start through the unit's four-and-a-half minutes on the court. Adam Bulwa in particular helped to energize the North Park crowd, slamming down a fastbreak put-back jam off a missed layup from Marquise Jackson following a steal.
The Vikings remained in control for the majority of the half, though struggles with efficiency in the halfcourt limited the extent of their leads. Illinois Wesleyan similarly shot the ball poorly, but their aggressive drives to the basket netted them opportunities from the line which they executed to the tune of an 8-10 clip. Those looks helped the Titans to even things up by the halftime break at a score of 29-29.
As is often the case, North Park's defensive intensity turned up a notch in the second half and helped them create easy offensive looks. With the Vikings leading 44-43, a loose ball save from Karl Polk Jr. turned into a smooth fastbreak feed from Shamar Pumphrey to the slashing Jalen Boyd. A Titans timeout ensued, and immediately in its aftermath, another Polk steal led to a Marquise Jackson layup. Those two plays would kickstart a 9-1 Vikings run, earning them their largest lead of the night at 53-44.
IWU responded with a run of their own to get back to a score of 57-55 with just over one minute to play, but Jackson came through for NPU with a driving bucket to make it a two-possession game. The Vikings proceeded to force a miss on the following possession, grabbed by Jordan Boyd, and Boyd followed that up with another clutch rebound on the opposite end of the floor to effectively seal the game. After the late free throws, the score went final at 63-57 to move NPU to 12-3 in conference play, and 19-5 overall.
North Park operated a balanced offense in this low scoring affair which saw five different Vikings score 8 or more points, led by Kolden Vanlandingham's 13. On the boards, Jordan Boyd led NPU with 7 rebounds, including the two late efforts to ensure victory. Defensively, the Vikings lived up to their calling card by forcing 18 turnovers from the Titans. Marquise Jackson picked up a team-best 5 steals with Shamar Pumphrey right behind him with 4.
What's Next?
North Park (19-5, 12-3 CCIW) rounds out its regular season on the road this coming Saturday, February 18, at Augustana College. Tipoff at the Carver Center is set for 7:15 PM CST. If North Park wins and Wheaton loses its 4:15 PM game against Elmhurst, the Vikings earn a CCIW title and the top seed in the 2023 CCIW Tournament.
