Chicago, Il., -- The Wheaton College Thunder (9-9, 4-5) stopped by for a matchup against North Park (3-15, 0-9), the Vikings are hungry for a win to snap their 11-game losing streak.
The first quarter saw 16 total points scored in the first quarter as the Thunder and Vikings were tied 8-8. Both teams found a rhythm in the second quarter, staying in close contention with each other in scoring, assists, fast break points and free throws. The Vikings dominated the paint in the first half, winning the rebounding advantage 19-12 as well as the points in the paint scoring at 12-6. Wheaton forced North Park into 11 turnovers, something North Park has been trying to cut down on. Sophomore Caroline Long and senior Evelyn Abundes lead the Vikings with 6 points each in the first half while junior Kathryn Keehn added 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals doing the dirty work for North Park. Wheaton went into halftime with a one-point lead over the Vikings 26-25.
Both teams traded baskets the entire second half as neither team could really pull away. Despite the Thunder gaining a six-point lead early in the fourth quarter, the Vikings hung around thanks to a spark from sophomore Jocelyn Chammas. Chammas came in the game and immediately made an impact making a three-pointer followed by an and-1 layup to tie the game up.Â
Long and Keehn were the high scorers for North Park, posting 15 and 8 respectively. While Keehn lead all players with 3 steals, Long led all Vikings in points, rebounds, and assists, helping her case for an All-Conference nod.
Wheaton would gain another six-point lead late in the fourth which was cut down to three in the final minute, but the Vikings weren't able to tie the game back up. After North Park tried the fouling game, hoping for some Thunder misses from the stripe, Wheaton snuck by with a 56-50 victory.Â
Top Performers
Caroline Long – 15 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL
Kathryn Keehn – 8 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL
Evelyn Abundes – 6 PTS, 5 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK
Jocelyn Chammas – 6 PTS, 3 REB
The Vikings next matchup is Saturday, February 1st at 2pm when they host the Firebirds from Carthage College. After that they will travel out to Rock Island, Illinois to face Vikings rival Augustana College on Wednesday, February 5th at 7pm.
