CHICAGO, Ill. -- North Park Women's Basketball dropped their home opener to the Manchester Spartans on Sunday afternoon, falling 68-57. Senior guard Kathryn Keehn enjoyed a career day with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 2-for-3 from deep.
North Park (0-3) came out firing and dominated the opening quarter, building a double-digit lead behind sharp shooting and quick cuts inside the spread out Manchester defense. After Manchester (2-1) scored first on a Hannah Holmes layup, the Vikings answered quickly. Junior forward Caroline Long hit a jumper in the paint, and junior guard Teresa Morrissey drilled a three pointer to tie the game at five. Next, Keehn connected from deep, giving North Park its first lead at 8-5 three minutes into the game.
The Vikings' best stretch came midway through the first quarter. Morrissey hit another three in transition, assisted by Long, pushing the margin to 12-5. Keehn followed with a fast-break three-pointer at 4:24, and by the 3:30 mark, freshman forward Layla Murry sank two free throws to cap a 10-0 run. North Park led 19-7 and extended its advantage to 23-12 after Long converted two free throws with 28 seconds left in the opening quarter. The Vikings finished the quarter shooting 53.8% from the field and 66.7% from three and led, 23-15.
Manchester began chipping away in the second quarter. Abigail Rosenkrans scored early, and although sophomore guard Aliesha Peterson answered with a layup for the Blue & Gold, turnovers started to hurt the Vikings. Manchester capitalized with free throws from Rosenkrans and a three-pointer by Sam Redinger at 1:58, cutting the deficit to 31-28. Holmes added a layup, and Kayla Gibbs scored on a second-chance basket at the buzzer, pulling the Spartans within one at halftime, 33-32.
The third quarter saw the momentum swing. Holmes scored inside to give Manchester its first lead since the opening minutes, but Keehn responded with a layup and Morrissey added a free throw for a brief 36-34 edge. From there, Manchester surged ahead. Hailee Kline hit a three-pointer at 7:36, and Gibbs later buried one from deep at 3:22. Despite a late three by Hershberger and a jumper from Bowen, North Park trailed 48-47 entering the final quarter.
In the final 10, Manchester took control. Morrissey opened with a three-pointer for North Park, but the Spartans answered with plenty of help at the line and down low. Gibbs' layup at 6:34 put Manchester ahead 54-51, and Holmes followed with two key baskets to stretch the lead. Klinger's three-pointer at 2:01 made it 63-55, and Manchester closed the game on an 11-2 run. The Spartans outscored North Park 20-10 in the fourth, sealing a 68-57 victory.
Top Performers
North Park
Manchester
- Kayla Gibbs: 16 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl
- Hannah Holmes: 15 pts, 7 reb
- Hailee Kline: 11 pts, 8-8 FT
What's Next?
North Park (0-3) makes the short drive for an away game at Illinois Tech (0-3) on Thursday, November 20. Tipoff at the Keating Sports Center in Chicago is set for 6:00 PM CT.
