CHICAGO, Ill. -- North Park men's basketball went toe-to-toe with nationally seventh-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse for much of Saturday night before the Eagles' second-half three-point barrage sealed an 80-67 decision at Carlson Gymnasium. Senior guard William Bates was the top Viking player, setting a career high with 19 points.
After falling behind early, North Park answered with a fast-break three from senior guard Kolden Vanlandingham at 17:25 to make it 4-3. Moments later, junior guard Mike Vuckovic drilled a second-chance triple at 15:10 to tie the game at 6-6. Bates added a layup at 14:38, and his three-pointer at 10:47 gave North Park its largest lead of the night at 16-12. A big moment for the Vikings in the first half was junior forward Lazario Cornish going up and over an Eagle defender for the poster slam, tying the game at 23 all.
Wisconsin-La Crosse responded with a 7-0 run late in the half, fueled by JJ Paider's inside scoring and Jacob Butler's layup at 1:03. Despite that surge, North Park stayed within striking distance thanks to Vanlandingham's free throws at :43, trimming the deficit to 35-30. A Sam Grieger layup in the final seconds pushed the Eagles ahead 37-30 at the break.
The second half began with North Park cutting the margin to five on junior center Julian Campbell's layup at 18:26 and junior forward Tyvin Garrison's free throws at 17:08 (34-39).
Bates and K. Vanlandingham continued to attack, and a Cornish put-back at 15:29 made it 40-43. But from there, the Eagles' perimeter game took over.
Devon Fielding hit a three at 15:04, followed by Dustin Derousseau's triple at 13:49. Jack Crowley added two more from deep at 7:19 and 5:11, and Fielding connected again at 5:50. In a span of roughly 11 minutes, Wisconsin-La Crosse went 7-for-15 from beyond the arc after shooting just 1-for-14 in the first half. That stretch ballooned the lead to 68-51 with five minutes remaining.
North Park fought back with Garrison's three at 3:38 and Bates' dunk at 1:01, but the Eagles maintained control, closing with free throws from Grieger and Derousseau. The Vikings outscored La Crosse 26-12 in the paint after halftime and shot 53.3% in the second half, yet the visitors' 46.7% three-point mark after intermission proved too much.
Top Performers
Wisconsin-La Crosse
- JJ Paider:Â 21 pts, 9 reb, 6-9 FG, 9-16 FT
- Dustin Derousseau:Â 20 pts, 6 ast, 6 reb, 6-15 FG
- Sam Grieger:Â 19 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast, 5-12 FG
North Park
What's Next?
North Park (2-1) hits the road next Saturday, November 22, for a game at Anderson University (0-3). Tipoff at O.C. Lewis Gym in Anderson, Indiana is set for 5:00 PM ET.
