WHEATON, Ill. -- North Park Men's Basketball captured their fifth win in a row and moved their conference record to a perfect 3-0 with a 78-75 road win over Wheaton on Saturday evening. North Park and the Carthage Firebirds (7-2, 2-0) are the only remaining CCIW teams without a loss.
 

North Park found success from the wings early in the first half, as senior guards Preston Bax III and Rico Powell each made a three pointer in the first 2:30 of the game. However, the Thunder found success driving through the lane and with a pair of short jumpers, holding an 11-8 lead.

Junior guard Lance Nelson gave the Vikings their first lead since the first score of the game when he dropped in a pair of threes, as the two teams began trading single possession leads through the first ten minutes of the half. 

North Park worked to get to a 30-24 lead after senior forward Taijon Barry began to take control of the game. An and-one layup for him and a long-distance three for senior guard Davante Robinson put North Park up, 30-24.

Through the rest of the half, Barry continued to find success at the free throw line and driving to the rim, tying a career in points through just one half of play with 13.

While it appeared North Park would cruise to a lead at the halftime break, the Thunder would match the Vikings' controlled chaos through the final minutes of the game. The Vikings were finding their usual success intercepting the long passes and poking the ball away on unfocused dribbling. Wheaton duplicated this success, forcing nine turnovers by the Vikings that led to eight fastbreak points.

Wheaton moved to the locker room at half time with the slim advantage, 44-43. North Park had 21 points from its bench in the first half while the Thunder utilized 28 points in the paint.

The Thunder scored first in the second half on short hooks and layups by Soren Richardson and Devin Martin, extending their halftime lead to 50-43. 

Sophomore forward DJ Wallace provided a spark for the Vikings, making a pair of free throws and getting a putback layup on offense to close the gap to 52-47. A three and pair of free throws by Powell made it a one-possession game at 54-52 and a driving layup by senior guard TJ Gardner, set up on a steal by Powell, tied everything up at 54.

The second half featured five ties and as many lead changes, all the way down to a 76-72 lead for North Park with 22 second left in the game. That two-possession lead was gained thanks to a jumper by Robinson, following a timeout by Coach Ed McGhee.

The Thunder knocked in a desperation corner three by Richardson with seven seconds left, closing the NPU lead to 76-75, and an untimely turnover by the Vikings on the inbound pass gave Wheaton one more chance. However, a rushed Wheaton shot and quality defending by the Vikings gave North Park control. Powell would knock down both free throws, following a foul to keep the game alive, and a heave by Wheaton glanced off the backboard and onto the floor of King Arena as North Park left victorious, 78-75.

Quick Hits:

• Career high 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 field goals made for Barry
• Nelson made five threes, establishing a career high
  • Nelson finished in double figures with 15
• Powell (12) and Gardner (10) also with double-digit scoring totals
• North Park shoots 13-15 from free-throw line, led by a 6-6 showing for Powell
• Three steals each for Powell and senior guard Tristan Arneaud
• Wheaton's Richardson led all scorers with 22
• Wheaton's Noah Hedrick with a near double-double: 13 points and 9 rebounds

What's Next?

North Park (6-3, 3-0 CCIW) has one more home game in 2024; a non-conference contest on Dec. 18 against Lawrence University. Tipoff in Chicago will be 7:00 PM CT.