CHICAGO, Ill. -- The Vikings looked to get their first home win against a conference foe this season. No better game to get that crucial win than against Millikin's Big Blue, who came into tonight's game last in the CCIW (6-12, 2-7 CCIW). North Park came out hot in the first half shooting an impressive 63.3% from the field and made six of their nine threes. The Vikings led the Big Blue in rebounding and points off turnovers fifteen to nine and thirteen to three, respectively.
Senior guard Shamar Pumphrey led the way with 10 points and 4 assists and added a steal in there as well and junior guard Kolden Vanlandingham pitched in 7 points and freshman forward DJ Wallace was active on the defensive end with 2 blocks and had the highest +/- of any player in the game with a +23. North Park had a lead that was as much as 17 points, however they went into halftime leading Millikin 47-32.
In what was a tale of two halves, Millikin outscored North Park 39-29 in the second half, completely flipping the switch coming out of halftime. Millikin increased their shooting percentages in every category in the second half, shooting 54.2% from the field, 66.7% from 3PT land, and 75% from the free throw line. With four players scoring in double figures, Millikin cut a lead that was at one point an 18-point spread, down to just one point when they were down 70-69 late in the second half.
However, the Vikings kept their composure. Making free throws, something that has been a question mark for this team throughout the season, proved to be a saving grace in tonight's game. The Vikings went 12-15 from the line tonight, and 9-11 in the second half when Millikin was in scramble mode to foul late so they could get the ball back to try and pull off a miracle 18-point comeback.
Senior guard Shamar Pumphrey led the charge with 18 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals, accompanied by junior guard Kolden Vanlandingham's 10 points. Vanlandingham would go on to foul out of the game roughly halfway through the second half, so coach Sean Smith relied on his bench to pull off tonight's win. There were five players who scored 7 or more points for North Park and the team capitalized on fast break points and second chance points scoring 20 and 8, respectively. The Vikings defeated Millikin 76-71.
Top Performers
Shamar Pumphrey – 18 PTS, 5 AST, 4 STL
Kolden Vanlandingham – 10 PTS
Lance Nelson – 9 PTS, 7 REB, 1 STL, 3-4 3PT
DJ Wallace – 7 PTS, 2 BLK, 1 STL
TJ Gardner – 8 PTS, 6-6 FT
Julian Gatewood – 8 PTS, 3 AST, 1 STL, 2-4 3PT
Kyren Gardner – 7 PTS, 3-3 FG
What's Next?
The Vikings (9-10, 4-6 CCIW) will host conference foe North Central College (7-12, 5-5 CCIW) on Saturday, January 27th at 4:15pm, a team they have already got the best of just three games ago. This will be their second-to-last home game this season before having three straight away games against four strong conference opponents.
