JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The No. 21-ranked North Park men’s basketball suffered their first countable loss on Friday night at Illinois College’s Tournament, falling to No. 16 Wabash College, 70-63.
Wabash largely found scoring opportunities with the swing pass, looking for the open man on the perimeter, while North Park stayed true to form with fastbreak chances in their fast-paced style of play. Junior guard Kolden Vanlandingham and senior guard Shamar Pumphrey scored the first dozen for North Park, including a pair of threes by Vanlandingham through the first seven minutes of play. On the other side of the Floor, the Little Giants managed a three pointer from Gavin Schippert while gaining six points in the paint to showcase a 12-9 score.
Jumping ahead to 17-11 lead for North Park, following a jumper by junior guard TJ Gardner and three by sophomore guard Lance Nelson, Wabash stole the lead away on 10 unanswered points from three North Park turnovers. However, this 21-17 lead slipped away from Wabash in the next two possessions as a layup from junior forward Nabil Kone and 3-pointer from Pumphrey reestablished the NPU lead, 25-21. The two teams would trade buckets before the Vikings pulled ahead by six (33-27) with two minutes to go when Pumphrey forced a turnover and found Vanlandingham for a three, followed by TJ Gardner’s layup. This two-possession lead would hold at halftime, as North Park led 35-31.
In the first 20, Vanlandingham and Pumphrey reached double digits with 14 and 10 points, respectively while Vanlandingham was also NPU’s lead rebounder with four. The Little Giants’ Sam Comer had eight points while Ahmoni Jones pulled down five rebounds.
Unfortunately, disaster would strike in the second half for North Park. Wabash, the taller of the two teams, would pressure North Park on the perimeter while winning many second-chance opportunities down low. The Vikings managed just one second-half deep ball, shooting 1-for-9 from beyond the arc and only 25% (8-for-32) from the field. Wabash took the lead five minutes into the second half and never gave it back, scoring 12 points off turnovers, 16 in the paint, and 17 off the bench to hand the Vikings their first loss, 70-63.
Quick Hits:
- 21 points for Vanlandingham, 14 for Pumphrey
- Taijon Barry led the Vikings with seven rebounds
- North Park manufactures only three steals
- Four Little Giants reach double-digit scoring totals: Comer (16), Redmond (13), Kelley (13), and Brooks (12)
What’s Next?
North Park (2-1) awaits the loser of Coe College and host Illinois College for a 1:00 PM game back in Jacksonville, Illinois tomorrow, Nov. 18.