Wheaton, Ill. -- Despite suffering consecutive defeats on the road against strong opponents in the last week, the Wheaton men's basketball team returned to King Arena on Saturday night knowing that a victory over the North Park Vikings would see them earn the #6 seed in the upcoming CCIW Tournament. But the visitors spoiled the party this evening, using a dominant first half display to secure a road win and avoid the season sweep at the hands of the Thunder. Saturday was Senior Night in King Arena, and six Wheaton players were honored before tip-off in recognition of their contributions to the program during their time in Orange and Blue. Wheaton's season ends with an overall record of 6-19 and a CCIW mark of 5-11.

The visiting Vikings began the contest with energy and determination despite already having been eliminated from postseason competition, and North Park jumped out to a 6-0 lead before Wheaton got on the scoreboard. The Windy City guests then stunned the sizable Wheaton crowd by mounting a 14-0 run to build a healthy 20-1 advantage and were aided by poor shooting from the Thunder. The hosts missed their first nine shot attempts and did not make a field goal until the 12:15 mark of the first half when leading scorer Nick Schiavello dropped in a three-pointer to stem the Vikings' run. But North Park kept its feet on the gas and refused to allow its host to turn the tables, playing an up-tempo, high-press style that made life uncomfortable for Wheaton. Trailing 35-13 with just under five minutes to play in the half, the Thunder put together their first offensive run of the game and scored the next 11 points to halve the deficit. But the Vikings were able to reestablish control with a 9-3 closing stretch to earn an unexpected 44-27 halftime advantage.

Wheaton finally settled in on the offensive end after the break and outscored its opponent, 43-39, in the second period. But North Park had the luxury of a sizable lead to fall back on and was able to make enough baskets and foul shots to remain in front without a serious scare. Down 61-45 with 11:30 left to play, Wheaton got the crowd back on its feet with a 6-0 spurt to make it a ten-point ball game. But the Vikings scored the next four points, and this exchange was emblematic of North Park's game management by not allowing the Thunder to get within arm's reach. A three-ball from Connor Braun and two Schiavello free throws brought Wheaton back within nine points with eight minutes remaining, its smallest deficit of the second half. But another four-point response by the visitors halted any hopes of a dramatic comeback, and North Park was able to keep the lead in double-digits for the remainder of the game.

The Vikings posted a 38.6% field goal mark on the night and held Wheaton to a shooting percentage of 34%, but the first-half disparity of 41-27% is where the contest was decided. Wheaton knocked down ten triples this evening to confirm its place as the top three-point shooting team in the conference, although North Park earned a slightly superior percentage from beyond the arc. The visitors also missed just five of their 27 free throw attempts and only one in the second half, which served them well in holding the lead amid Wheaton's comeback effort. The hosts were a perfect 13-13 from the line after halftime. The rebounding effort was virtually even between the two sides on Saturday, but North Park forced 13 more turnovers and scored 18 more points off of the takeaways than the Thunder managed. The Vikings also earned significant advantages in points in the paint and fast break points.

Schiavello led the way for Wheaton on his Senior Night finale, matching his career-high of 23 points to lead all scorers and draining a game-best four three-pointers. The All-Conference honoree shot over 50% from the floor, gathered in eight rebounds, dished out a pair of assists, and blocked a game-high two shots. Daniel Garza picked the special occasion to earn his first collegiate double-double, going for ten points and a contest-best 12 boards while knocking down all four of his free throws and two three-point attempts. Connor Braun signed off with 18 points and five rebounds in an efficient offensive performance, making all six foul shots and five of his seven field goal attempts. Seniors Luke Bitters, Stone Sinek, and Nate Sock all saw time on the court this evening in their final appearance for the Thunder.