CHICAGO, IL., -- North Park Men's Basketball hosted their home opener Saturday evening against the Foresters of Lake Forest College, giving Vikings fans their first look at the many new faces within the program.
From the outset the Vikings gained control of the game, pushing the pace and finding good shots throughout the first half. Guards Mike Vuckovic and Jerome Smith Jr. picked up right where they left off last season, showing calm and collected control of the North Park offense as they combined for 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in the first half. Vuckovic played 19:34 of the opening 20 minutes, posting 14 points on 4-10 shooting and 6-8 from the free throw line, while Smith Jr. was close behind him with 13 points on 6-8 shooting and logging 2 assists as well. Rasmus Westerlund and Ki'Juan Stricklin-Davis provided sparks off the bench, adding 5 points apiece, both knocking down a three, and combined for 4-6 shooting from the field.
North Park was efficient across the board shooting 16-35 (45.7%) overall, 4-6 (66.7%) from behind the arc, and 10-15 (66.7%) from the free throw line. The Foresters were able to out-rebound the Vikings 31-23, grabbing an impressive 15 offensive rebounds to North Park's 7. However, the Vikings high paced and efficient offense and stout defense that held Lake Forest to 30% shooting from the field allowed them to go into the halftime break with a 46-35 lead.
It was a tale of two halves as the Foresters came out of the break hot on both ends of the floor, outscoring the Vikings 53-33. Lake Forest elected to switch their defense from man-to-man to 3-2 zone, then to a 1-3-1 zone down the stretch that gave the Vikings fits. From the field the Foresters jumped to 53% in the second half and connected on 5 three points to the Vikings' one. In the first half, Lake Forest had three players with at least 7 points and by the end of the game had seven players with at least 7 points, sharing the wealth and finding the open guy on many of their possessions. They held the rebounding advantage that they gained in the first half over the Vikings, finishing with a monstrous 22 offensive rebounds that create plenty of second chance opportunities.
The Foresters got out to a lead that was as much as 12 points, but the Vikings stayed in it. Sophomore forward Marquis Vance went from being 1-3 in the first half with 2 points to finishing the game with 16 points on 8-14, keeping North Park within striking distance despite being in foul trouble. Vuckovic and Smith Jr. cooled off in the second half as much of the Foresters' defense focused on getting the ball out of their hands after their hot starts. Vuckovic finished with a game-high 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, knocking down 2-3 three-point shots and 7-10 from the free throw line.
A back and forth ensued with less than three minutes to go with the Vikings closing the gap to as much as five but they were unable to fully mount the comeback and secure their first home win of the season. Lake Forest walked away with an 88-79 victory moving to 1-0 on the season as the Vikings fall to 0-1.
What's Next?
North Park will have a week to prepare for their next set of games that will take place next weekend at the Gabe Miller Classic, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Their first game of the weekend will be on Friday, November 13th at 4pm and their second game on Saturday, November 14th at 1pm.
Top Performers
Mike Vuckovic - 21 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST, 2-3 3PT, 7-10 FT
Jerome Smith Jr. - 15 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 2-4 3PT
Marquis Vance - 16 PTS, 4 REB, 8-14 FG
