CHICAGO, Ill. -- North Park University Women's Basketball returns to Carlson Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon to open College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play against Millikin University. Saturday's game marks the first CCIW meeting of the season for North Park, which will look to defend its home court and snap a three-game skid.

The Vikings (1-5) enter the contest following a non-conference loss at Lake Forest on Wednesday, where they fell 62-55 despite a strong second-half push. Junior guard Aliyah Hershberger led North Park with 18 points, while senior guard Kathryn Keehn added 10 points and junior guard Teresa Morrissey contributed six points and three steals. North Park shot 35.8% from the field and 31.6% from three-point range in the game, while forcing 21 Lake Forest turnovers, an important part of their game this season.

Through six games, North Park is averaging 55.6 points per game, shooting 35.3% from the field and 30.6% from beyond the arc. The Vikings have been strong at the free-throw line, converting 73.9% of their attempts, the third-best mark in the CCIW. Hershberger leads the team in scoring at 12.5 points per game, followed by junior forward Caroline Long (12.2 ppg), who also leads the team in rebounding with 8.4 boards per game, and Keehn (10.7 ppg).

Millikin (2-4) comes into the matchup after a narrow 64-60 loss at Elmhurst in its CCIW opener. The Big Blue built an 11-point halftime lead before Elmhurst rallied late. Nikkel Johnson paced Millikin with 25 points and 14 rebounds, while Bella Dudley added 17 points and seven boards. Millikin shot 42.9% from the field in the contest.

For the season, Millikin is averaging 65.8 points per game and shooting 41.8% from the floor, including 32.8% from three-point range. Johnson leads the Big Blue with 17.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, while Dudley contributes 14.0 points per game.

Tipoff in Carlson Gym on Saturday, December 6, is set for 2:00 PM CT.