GAME STATS PICTURED ABOVE: Nate Haynes was 10-for-11 from the field in a 23-point, 11-rebound performance and Mike Kvam turned in 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc.

Chicago, Ill.- The #20-ranked Wheaton men's basketball used a hot shooting performance to earn an 82-70 victory at North Park University on Wednesday night.  Nathan Haynes scored 23 points on 10-for-11 shooting from the field and he also grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Thunder.  Michael Kvam was 7-for-11 from the three-point line in turning in a 22-point performance.  Both point totals were one off of each players career highs set earlier this season. Wheaton improves to 16-4 on the season and 6-3 in the CCIW while North Park falls to 6-14 and 1-8 in conference play.

Wheaton shot 60% (17-28) from the field in the first half and was 5-for-10 from the three-point line in finishing 57.7% (30-52) from the field and 57.1% (8-14) from beyond the arc for the game.  Wheaton was 14-for-22 (63.6%) from the free throw line.  The Vikings also shot well in the first half, shooting 57.7% (15-26) and 41.7% (5-12) from the three-point line but struggled from the charity stripe, going 0-for-4.  North Park shot 44.8% (26-58) from the field, 38.1% (8-21) from downtown and 10-of-18 from the free throw line.

The opening minutes of the game were a back-and-forth affair with the lead changing hands three times before the Thunder methodically pulled away to a comfortable advantage. Consecutive three-pointers by Kvam in a twenty-second span gave Wheaton its biggest lead of the half at 41-28 with 2:50 to play.  A Chris Benjamin jumper for North Park at the buzzer would close the halftime gap down to 43-35.  Wheaton used its size and depth to an advantage as the guests out-scored the Vikings 22-8 in the paint and 17-2 off the bench.

The Vikings would get no closer than six points in the second half as Wheaton opened up a double-digit advantage in the opening minutes of the second half and the lead would stay above the 10-point threshold for the remainder of the contest.  A pair of Tyler Peters (PICTURED LEFT) free throws with 2:44 remaining gave Wheaton its biggest lead of the night at 18 points and the Thunder coasted to an 82-70 victory.

Peters finished the game with eight points but tied a career high with 10 assists, while also recording five rebounds and five steals. Brayden Teuscher (PICTURED RIGHT) scored 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field.

Benjamin and Zach Cassita each scored 17 points for North Park and Mark Holmes recorded a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Wheaton will continue its road trip on Saturday when the Thunder travels to the Shirk Center for a 7 PM tipoff against the  #12-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University Titans.