Chicago, Il., -- With the holiday break coming to a close, North Park Men's Basketball (8-3, 2-1) hosts local opponent Concordia University (4-6, 3-1) to close out the 2025 calendar year.  Before the break, the Vikings dropped their last game to #20 UW Eau-Claire 70-66 and the Cougars fell to Aurora University in a close 78-73 bout.  

Concordia plays at a fast pace and rely on their defense similar to that of the Vikings, forcing opponents into 17 turnovers a game and scoring roughly 16 points per game in transition.  At the same time, they themselves average 17 turnovers a game while opposing teams are scoring 16 points per game against the Cougars.  The Cougars are led by three double-digit scorers in Darrien Williams, Tallis Lowery, and Vic Garrett who all post at least 10 points a game.  At 2.2 steals a game and just under 1 block a game, Williams has been invaluable for the Cougar defense, with Garrett leading the team in rebounding while posting 1 block and 1 steal a game as well.  Garret and Aaron Brown, a key player off the bench, had a big games in their loss to Aurora; Garrett had a strong performance with 11 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals, with Brown leading all Cougars in scoring with 18 points on 7-11 shooting, 

North Park's hard fought matchup with #20 UW Eau-Claire wasn't a game to be discouraged about, as foul trouble played a role in rotations and getting the offense into a rhythm.  Nonetheless, the Vikings still remained close to a nationally ranked opponent only losing by four points.  Freshman Marquis Vance led the Vikings with 17 points and a career-high 9 rebounds before fouling out with Mike Vuckovic and Julian Campbell combining for 28 points.  Vuckovic played all 40 minutes of the game ending with 15 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals, while Campbell had his usual 13 points and 8 rebounds.  

The Vikings will host the Cougars on Tuesday, December 30th at 4pm.