Chicago, Ill. -- The Wheaton women's basketball team looked to extend its recent momentum in weekend action this afternoon, carrying a two-game winning streak into Chicago for a matchup with the North Park Vikings. The Thunder secured a 52-39 victory on Saturday behind an impressive second-half rally and a strong scoring performance from
Jenna Hunter.
Today's win moves Wheaton to 10-13 overall and 6-8 in CCIW play, while North Park falls to 5-18 and 1-13 in conference. The Thunder are now in sole possession of sixth place in
the CCIW standings heading into the final week of the regular season, leaving the squad on the right side of the cut line for the upcoming conference tournament.
North Park jumped out to an early lead before the Thunder defense clamped down, holding the Vikings scoreless for nearly five minutes. Wheaton tied the game at seven before a free throw and a three-pointer from North Park pushed the Vikings ahead by four late in the first quarter.
The home side used a five-minute 13-3 run to build a 12-point lead midway through the second quarter. Both teams traded baskets down the stretch, with Wheaton finding success at the free throw line, shooting 5 of 6 in the quarter.
Kate Oliver converted all three of her attempts in the half. The Thunder defense closed the half strong, holding North Park scoreless for the final 2:41 and trimming the deficit to seven heading into the break.
Wheaton continued its comeback effort in the third quarter, keeping its Windy City opponent off the board for four minutes and limiting the Vikings to just two field goals in the first eight minutes. Hunter sparked the Thunder offense during this stretch with eight points in the quarter, knocking down three of her four attempts.
Erasing a nine-point deficit following four foul shots by Hunter and
Chloe Kostka and a steal and two free throws from
Grace Kizer, Wheaton grabbed its first lead of the game, 36-35, with under a minute to play in the third period.
Lily Caddow (
pictured left) capped the quarter with a defensive rebound and a fadeaway jumper just inside the paint, extending the Thunder's lead to three entering the final frame.
The visitors' third quarter surge carried into the fourth. Wheaton erupted on a 16-0 run between the two periods, fueled largely by Hunter, who was nearly automatic in the second half.
The Thunder established a 46-35 lead thanks to this wave of momentum, and that advantage would prove insurmountable for the hosts. Wheaton held North Park to just 3 of 23 shooting from the field in the second half. The Vikings scored only 13 points after halftime compared to Wheaton's 33, sealing the double-digit comeback victory.
The 39 points allowed by the Thunder on Saturday matches their season low from the first meeting between these sides this year, when Wheaton earned a 55-39 victory in King Arena. It also marks the fewest amount of points the team has given up in a single outing since a 58-36 win at Concordia Wisconsin in November of 2024.
As a team, the Thunder shot 17 of 48 from the field, good for 35.4 percent, and 16 of 21 from the free throw line, a 76.2 percent clip. Wheaton was narrowly outrebounded 37 to 35 and trailed in assists 11 to 6, but the team's physicality and ability to get to the free throw line proved significant, as North Park only earned nine points at the stripe from ten fewer attempts.
After shooting 40% from the field in the first half, the Vikings' offense was shut down in the second, settling for a meager 11.5 percent field goal mark and a 1-12 tally from three-point range. Wheaton comfortably won the turnover battle, 20-13 and grabbed 11 steals on the day. The Thunder also enjoyed meaningful advantages in interior scoring, points off of turnovers, fast break points, and bench production.
Hunter led all scorers with 19 points on 7 of 13 shooting and a perfect 5 of 5 mark from the free throw line while bringing down six rebounds. Caddow contributed 11 points off the bench and led the team with eight rebounds while adding two steals. Oliver finished with nine points on a 3 of 5 shooting performance and filled the stat sheet with joint game-best counts of four assists and three blocks, as well as collecting four boards and two takeaways. Kizer added three steals to lead the team, along with four rebounds.
After picking up its third-consecutive victory, Wheaton will travel to Bloomington to face 18th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday at 7:00 PM in its final regular season road game.
