BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The Semifinals of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin playoff took place this Friday evening at the Shirk Center in Bloomington, Illinois, the home of the number one seeded and 12th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan Titans.  Carthage fell to Elmhurst 82-80 in this evening's first matchup of the final four teams and is now set to play Illinois Wesleyan in tomorrow night's CCIW Championship, following the Vikings' 80-70 loss.

North Park entered tonight game without All-CCIW 1^st Team member Mike Vuckovic, calling on guard Jerome Smith Jr. to fill the starting role.  The Vikings got off to a great start behind an aggressive Kolden Vanlandingham and Lazario Cornish, posting 9 and 7 points, respectively.  Vanlandingham and Cornish combined for four of North Park's five first half steals, leading the defensive effort as well.  The Vikings led 19-11 through nine minutes of play but the Titans found their footing around the halfway mark.  For Wesleyan, they too were without their All-CCIW 1^st Team leading scorer in Noah Cleveland.  The Titans wouldn't blink however, leaning on Casen Lawrence and All-CCIW 2^nd team member Karlo Colak to carry the load early on.  Lawrence led all scorers with 12 points and knocking down 3-5 three pointers, while Colak had a 7-point half with 2 rebounds and 2 assists.  With a 14-8 points in the paint advantage and an 11-7 bench point differential, the Titans were able to close the gap and take a lead of their own to set up a 35-29 halftime lead.

Out of the break the momentum never seemed to leave the Titan's grasp as the Vikings remained within six points for a majority of the second half.  Wesleyan would extend their lead to as much as 12 behind the trio of Colak (26), Lawrence (15), and Mason Funk (13) who came alive in the second half after just a 2-point first.  North Park stayed vigilant, closing the twelve-point deficit down to five with just over two minutes left in the game.  Kolden Vanlandingham was everywhere tonight for North Park, finishing with 30 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 9-10 from the charity stripe, and a career-high 6 steals.  Lazario Cornish (13) and William Bates (14) had efficient games shooting a combined 8-12 from the field and 6-7 from behind the arc, with Cornish adding 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block.  The Titans were able to hold off the Vikings' late surge – knocking down timely free throws and keeping their composure against the North Park full court press to come away with the 80-70 semifinal victory. 

North Park Men's Basketball finishes a successful season with an 16-11 overall record, improving on their 14-12 record from last season and appeared in their second straight CCIW playoff.