Pictures from Ed Hall, Jr.
ALLIANCE, Ohio -- The North Park men's basketball team concluded their fantastic 2023-23 season in the Sweet Sixteen against the third-ranked Mount Union Purple Raiders on Friday night, falling to the pod host 102-85.
North Park erased an early 9-3 deficit with a Shamar Pumphrey pull up jumper and a Kolden Vanlandingham three. The Purple Raiders answered back with a three of their own but the Vikings came to play. A free throw by Jordan Boyd, layup by Marquise Jackson, and hook shot by Adam Bulwa gave the Vikings their first lead of the game, 15-13.
The two teams traded single possession leads up to the nine minute mark when Jackson drove for a layup, added a pull up jumper, and a Jordan Boyd steal led to a big-time trey by Vanlandingham. Vanlandingham added a layup in the next possession on an assist from Jalen Boyd, growing the North Park lead to 34-25 with seven minutes to go in the first half. However, Mount Union found its footing with a handful of three and opportunistic defense. In the opening 20 minutes, the Purple Raiders made 8-of-12 from deep (66.7%) and were 18-for-31 (58.1%) from the field, establishing a 56-47 lead at halftime.
Mount Union hit cruise control in the second half, nearly pulling away by 30 points. Mount Union utilized a stalwart defense that manufactured 10 steals and an eye-popping eight blocks to keep North Park at bay. Unable to make up the deficit, the Vikings ended their Cinderella story season in the Sweet Sixteen with a 102-85 loss.
Quick Hits:
- Mount Union's Jeffery Mansfield led all scorers with 24 points, including three from deep
- Teammate Christian Parker followed with 21 points, alongside four blocked shots
- Marquise Jackson led the Vikings with 21 points and Adam Bulwa added a career high 15 off the bench
- Jackson ends the season with 78 steals, tying a school record set by Alex Dimitrijevic during the 1993-94 season
- Shamar Pumphrey (13), Kolden Vanlandingam (10), and Jordan Boyd (10) all reached double-digit scoring totals
- Six boards for Jordan Boyd, alongside a pair of blocks
Post-game Press Conference
This link will take you to the Sweet Sixteen press conference, featuring Coach Sean Smith and graduating senior Jalen Boyd. North Park interviews start at the 18:05 mark.
A Season to Remember:
In his first year as a head coach, Sean Smith and his staff led the Vikings to a 24-win season, CCIW Tournament championship, national top 25 recognition, a run at the CCIW title, and a Sweet Sixteen finish. The CCIW preseason coaches poll picked North Park to finish seventh in the league. The Vikings kept that chip on their shoulder all the way to Alliance, Ohio and into an NCAA Sweet Sixteen game. North Park men's basketball is back.
