DECATUR, Ill. -- North Park Men's Basketball (12-5, 7-1) looked to extend their win streak to four straight as they faced off against the Millikin University Big Blue (10-7, 4-4) for the second time this season.
North Park got out to a quick 12-6 lead as senior Rico Powell had a fast five points and a quick three from Davante Robinson. The battle remained close the entirety of the first half as the Vikings were only able to get as far ahead as nine points, however Millikin never gained a lead the whole half.
The defense for Vikings caused 13 turnovers scoring 12 points from those, but it was the Big Blue's dominance in the paint that kept them afloat in the first half outscoring the Vikings 24-16 in that respect. Powell ended the half with 12 points and 2 steals, while fellow seniors Robinson and TJ Gardner had 9 and 6 points respectively. Though neither player scored in the half, junior Tristan Arneaud and senior Preston Bax III had 2 steals apiece bolstering the Viking defense. Millikin closed the small gap and tied the game right before halftime at 33-33.
Half number two saw the Big Blue take some control of the game, getting out to a five-point lead of their own. Staying vigilant, the Vikings were able to stay attached to Millikin and tie the game at 41-41 with just over ten minutes to go in the game, then taking the lead again 44-43 after a deep Arneaud three pointer.
The back-and-forth continued down the stretch, with the Vikings regaining their five-point lead with six minutes left to play. As the clock ticked away, North Park was able to extend their lead to ten with 1:15 left behind a clutch lay up from senior Taijon Berry in the middle. After Millikin tried to play the foul game hoping for some Viking misses, the Vikings walked away with a hard-fought victory winning 69-61.
Offensively, the charge was led by Rico Powell, Davante Robinson, TJ Gardner, and Taijon Barry combing for 58 of the North Park 69. The Vikings also forced an impressive 24 turnovers, tying a season high, and won the assist battle with the 10-7 advantage, despite the Big Blue maintaining the points in the paint advantage 38-24.
Top Performers
What's Next?
North Park (13-5, 8-1) will travel to Rock Island, Illinois to face Viking rival Augustana College on Wednesday, January, 29th at 7pm. After that, they will host similarly top-seeded Carthage College on Saturday, February, 1st at 4:15pm.
