DECATUR, Ill. -- North Park women's basketball dropped a 65-52 road decision to Millikin on Wednesday night at the Griswold Center. Sophomore guard Naomi Kaskavitch put up a season high 16 points to lead all scorers in the contest.
Millikin used a blistering start to build separation, taking a 22-8 lead after the first quarter and carrying a 39-26 advantage into halftime. The Vikings fought to the finish, outscoring Millikin 17-9 in the fourth and piecing together their best run of eight straight points late in the final period.
Kaskavitch sparked multiple scoring stretches throughout the night. She drilled her first triple at 4:18 of the first quarter and added another at 1:27 to help halt Millikin's early momentum. She opened the second with a corner three at 9:21 off a junior forward Caroline Long feed, and later strung together back-to-back jumpers at 5:32 and 4:41 of the third, before splashing her fourth three at 8:35 of the fourth as North Park surged down the stretch.
Kaskavitch turned in a team-best 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three, and added five rebounds in 37:27 to pace North Park. Alongside Kaskavitch, junior guard Aliyah Hershberger finished with 15 points, two steals, and played the full 40:00, while Long posted 7 points and 7 rebounds. Sophomore guard Aliesha Peterson anchored the glass with 8 rebounds and a team-high 3 assists. North Park connected on 10 three-pointers and posted 10 assists on 19 field goals.
Millikin countered with efficiency down low, shooting 49.0 percent from the field and owning a 32-12 edge in points in the paint. The Big Blue led wire-to-wire and matched North Park with 18 points off turnovers, while winning the glass 37-28.
What's Next?
North Park (5-19, 1-14 CCIW) concludes its season this coming Saturday on the road at Elmhurst University. Tipoff in R.A. Faganel Hall is set for 2:00 PM CT.