ALMA, Mich. -- North Park Men's Basketball enjoyed a thrilling second-half turnaround on Wednesday night against the Alma College Scots, overcoming a 16-point deficit to defeat Alma College 82-77. The monumental second-half comeback pushes the Vikings' season record to 2-0.
Alma (0-3) came out firing, taking a commanding 47-34 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Scots extended their lead early in the second half, reaching their biggest advantage of 16 points, 54-38, with 18:10 remaining. However, North Park (2-0) responded with a gutty effort on defense and executing on the other end, winning the second period by an 18-point margin, 48-30, to secure their second victory of the season. A major factor in the victory was the Vikings' ability to score close to the basket, racking up 42 points in the paint compared to Alma's 32.
The Scots played a great first half, largely due to their proficiency from beyond the arc, sinking 9-of-21 three-pointers in the first 20 minutes. They were led by three double-digit scorers, Josh Elliott being Alma's leading scorer with 23 points, connecting on 7-14 from three-point range. Guard Raine Rodich had a strong all-around performance with 16 points (8-14 FG) with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Donovan Collins also reached double figures, contributing 14 points (5-12 FG), thanks to 4-11 shooting from three-point land. Forwards Korbin Heitzman and Logan St. Martin patrolled the paint effectively for the Scots, finishing with 9 points (4-6 FG) and 7 rebounds for Heitzman, and 6 points (3-3 FG) and 6 rebounds for St. Martin. However, Alma's strong three-point shooting cooled off significantly in the second half (3-14), allowing North Park's unrelenting attack to take over.
The Vikings' resurgence was spearheaded by a career performance from junior guard Mike Vuckovic, who poured in a career high 38-points. This is the highest individual point total by a Viking since teammate Kolden Vanlandingam turned in the same total in January of 2024 against Carthage.
Vuckovic was incredibly efficient, shooting 14-24 from the field and an impressive 8-9 from the free-throw line, while also collecting 8 rebound and dishing out 2 assists. Vanlandingham provided critical support leading North Park in rebounding with 11 boards (9 defensive, 2 offensive), while adding 5 assists, 1 steal, and 7 points (2-8 FG, 2-7 3P). Fellow guard Jahki Gray was dangerous from deep, sinking 3-9 three-pointers on his way to 12 points and securing a perfect 3-3 from the charity stripe. Additional scoring came from Marquis Vance, who contributed 8 points (2-7 FG, 4-6 FT) and 4 rebounds off the bench.
What's Next?
North Park, now off to a 2-0 start, looks forward to their home opener against the #7-ranked University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (2-0) on Saturday, November 15th. Tipoff inside Carlson Gym is set for 6:00 PM CT.
