ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The North Park Women's Basketball team fell to the Grove City College Wolverines, 61-50, at St. Pete High School on Thursday afternoon.

The Vikings whittled down a double-digit Grove City lead after halftime thanks to an aggressive press, leading to fastbreak chances. The Wolverines were able to respond to most scoring chances for the Vikings with layups of their own, but North Park allowed just seven points in the third quarter. A fastbreak jumper by sophomore forward Caroline Long right before the third quarter buzzer closed the gap to 44-37 as the Vikings had work to do in the final 10 minutes.

North Park scored five of its 11 fastbreak points in the fourth quarter, continuing to focus on swarming the ball and denying passing lanes. However, the Wolverines kept their distance en route to the 61-50 win.

Three Vikings scored in double figures in the loss: Long led all scorers with 16 while sophomore guard Aliyah Hershberger had 15 and fifth-year guard Evelyn Abundes had 12, nearing a double-double with nine rebounds.

For the Wolverines, 10 different players scored but none reached the double-digit mark. Both Mara Polczynski and Clara Hanna had eight points and five rebounds each while Reese Hasley led Grove City with nine points.

What's Next?

North Park (3-8) will face Berry College (7-3), who lost on a buzzer beater earlier to UW-Stout (7-2), on Friday, Dec. 20. Tipoff at St. Pete HS is set for 1:00 PM ET.