Chicago, Il., -- The North Park University men's basketball team showcased incredible resilience on Wednesday night at Carlson Gymnasium, erupting for 55 points in the second half, but ultimately fell to Augustana College (IL) in a 92-87 thriller. North Park, now 10-7 overall and 3-5 in CCIW play found themselves in an early hole as Augustana, now 10-7 and 5-3, posted a 51-point first half to take a 19-point lead into the locker room. However, North Park refused to back down. Led by a relentless offensive attack in the second half, the Vikings outscored the Vikings 55-41 after the break, cutting the lead to as few as five points in the closing seconds.
Kolden Vanlandingham was on fire for the Vikings, leading all scorers with 26 points on a highly efficient 11-16 shooting, finishing with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Lazario Cornish provided a massive double-double performance, his first as a Viking, anchoring the interior with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Mike Vuckovic came alive late after a scoreless first half, finishing with a game-high 5 assists and scoring 12 crucial second half points to help the Vikings get back into the game.
The Vikings of Augustana got out to a scorching start with an 11-0 run, the first half was controlled by Augie from the jump behind Cam Atkinson's 13 points, matching his season average in just under 11 minutes. Forward Jake Willems followed close behind with 8 points knocking down two threes, adding to Augie's blistering 50% shooting from three in the first half (6-12). Augie did a tremendous job of taking care of the basketball in the first half, only turning the ball over 6 times and not allowing North Park to get any steals or easy transition buckets. However, the second half saw North Park's aggression pick up. They dominated the interior, outscoring Augustana 40-32 in the paint and generated 23 points off turnovers with most of those coming in the second half. Both teams had an ample amount of tries from the charity stripe, as North Park's defense was whistled for 29 fouls, leading to 40 made free throws out of 48 attempts; while North Park made 26-35 free throws on the night.
Augustana was led by Andre Klaver who finished with 22 points, including a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. Off the bench, Dom Rhoden added 17 points, with 15 of those coming from his 18 free-throw attempts. Cam Atkinson also reached double figures for Augie with 15 points.
While the result moves the Vikings to 3-5 in conference play, the explosive second-half performance serves as a testament to the team's depth and "never-quit" attitude. North Park will look to channel that momentum as they continue their push through the competitive CCIW schedule. There next matchup is on Saturday, January 24th at Wheaton College.
