Box Score

Wheaton, Ill. - Efficient offense was the key as the Wheaton College men's basketball team had its best shooting night in almost two months in a 67-48 win over North Park University on Saturday.

The Thunder improved to 14-7 overall and 6-4 in the CCIW. The Vikings fell to 10-11 overall and 4-6 in conference play.

"We approached this game like it was a playoff game," Wheaton head coach Mike Schauer said. "We knew that the winner of this game would have the inside track in getting into the CCIW Tournament. Now we control our own destiny, which wouldn't have been true if we lost."

It took awhile for the hosts to warm up, however, as North Park led 13-11 through the first 10 minutes of the game. But a three-pointer by Ben Panner jump started a run as the Thunder scored 18 of the next 22 points to grab a 29-17 lead. North Park then recovered to bring the game back within reach at halftime down 30-24.

The second half saw Wheaton get rolling on offense as the hosts shot 17 of 25 (68 percent) from the field the rest of the way. Two minutes into the half, the Thunder got up by 10 points and never led by less than double digits the rest of the way.

Panner and Tim McCrary were the catalysts for the offensive surge as Wheaton's two leading scorers combined to shoot 17-for-23 from the field (74 percent). Panner scored a game-high 22 points while McCrary tallied 19 points, five assists and four rebounds.

"North Park more than anyone we've played this year sagged to take shots away from Tim," Schauer said. "Tim was very patient, took what they gave him and he allowed other guys to make plays. And Ben was fantastic, just like he has been all four years here."

For the game, Wheaton shot 26 of 46 (56 percent) from the field - its highest shooting percentage in a game since playing Grinnell College on Dec. 12 (69 percent). The Thunder also shot 6 of 14 from three-point range (43 percent) and 9 of 11 from the free-throw line (82 percent). Andrew Jahns added seven points and Jake Carwell totaled seven rebounds.

North Park was held to 19 of 46 shooting from the field (41 percent), including 1 of 11 from three-point range (9 percent) and 9 of 18 from the free-throw line (50 percent). Nick Williams led the Vikings with 14 points while Jorge Gonzalez scored nine points with 10 rebounds.

The Thunder will travel to Rock Island on Wednesday for a 7:30 PM game against Augustana College.