Chicago, Ill. (1/13) - The Wheaton Thunder men's basketball team, ranked 21st in the most recent D3Hoops.com Top 25 poll, was a 73-60 victor at North Park University (10-5/2-2) on Saturday night. Tonight's victory was Wheaton's seventh consecutive win against the Vikings, dating back to the 2003-04 season. With the win Wheaton improves to 9-5 overall and 1-2 in the CCIW.

Wheaton never trailed in the game as the guests scored the first six points, en route to a 15-4 Thunder lead with 12:00 remaining in the first half. The Thunder shot 56% (14-25) from the field in the first half, as the 'Orange and Blue' led 34-23 at halftime. Wheaton remained in control during the second half, leading by as many as 19 points with a 61-42 advantage with 7:15 left in the game.

Junior All-American Kent Raymond shot 8-for-13 from the field, with 28 points, five rebounds and three assists. Senior Michael Fiddler had a strong game with 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Freshman Ben Panner scored 10 points, with 4-for-5 effort from the field. Center Andy Wiele scored nine points with four rebounds and senior Johnnie Standard scored eight points, with six rebounds.
A trio of players led North Park in scoring as Jason Gordon, Anthony Lenoir and Jay Alexander each scored a team-high 12 points. Lenoir grabbed a team-high five rebounds, while Joe Capalbo and Alexander each dished out three assists.

Wheaton shot a 56% (28-50) field goal percentage, with 40% (2-50) from three-point range and 88.2% (15-17) at the free throw line. North Park shot 43.1% (22-51) from the field, with 40% (6-15) from three-point range and 55.6% (10-18) at the charity stripe. Wheaton out-rebounded North Park 29-25, however, the Vikings held a 10-5 advantage in offensive rebounding.