Wheaton, Ill. -- It may not have been the most straightforward result or performance of the season, but the Wheaton men's basketball team did enough to hold off their determined opponents on Wednesday night inside King Arena. The Thunder defeated North Park by a score of 77-67, and by doing so, inched closer to securing the number two seed for next week's conference tournament and the accompanying first round bye. After Elmhurst's loss to Millikin, Wheaton now sits alone in second place in the standings with a conference record of 11-4. Nyameye Adom led all scorers with 24 points in the scrappy contest, and Cade Alioth earned his 16th double-double of the campaign with 15 points and 17 rebounds.

Right from the opening tip, North Park made their intentions clear. The Vikings knew that they needed to win tonight's game to have a chance of earning a postseason berth, and they played like a group that was determined to claim it. The teams traded baskets in the opening minutes, and a Collin Uveges layup gave the Thunder a 7-6 edge. But four fruitless possessions followed for the home side, and North Park mounted an 8-0 run to earn their biggest lead of the night. Nick Schiavello came off the bench to provide a boost, and it was his steal that led to a jumper in the lane from Tyson Cruickshank to end Wheaton's scoreless stretch. The sophomore followed this basket up with a three-pointer to cut the Vikings' advantage down to two. Just shy of the halfway point in the first period, North Park earned a 20-15 lead off of a jumper of their own, but a clutch three-point play the old fashioned way from Andrew Williams got the Thunder back on track. After trailing for a majority of the half, Wheaton finally tied the game at 26 apiece with 5:25 to go via a Cruickshank bucket from range. Thirty seconds later, a Luke Anthony rejection led to a fastbreak basket for Adom, and the hosts picked up their first lead since the opening exchanges. But just as it seemed as though Wheaton would begin to create separation on the scoreboard, North Park regrouped and rattled off another 8-2 run to retake the advantage. Down four points entering the final minute of the period, a pair of big plays from Wheaton's senior backcourt combo helped the Thunder snatch a halftime lead. Cruickshank fed Adom for a three-ball, before the former blocked a North Park shot attempt on their next possession. Cruickshank then completed his series by exploding past the Viking defense to drop in a layup in the lane as time expired. Seemingly out of nowhere, Wheaton held a 35-34 edge at the break.

Just as they did in the first, North Park began the second half in impressive fashion. A second 8-2 run of the contest saw the Vikings build a 42-37 lead three minutes into the period. But Wheaton immediately countered with their most impressive stretch of the night, pouring in triples on three straight possessions to charge back in front, 48-42. This 11-0 sequence proved to be decisive, as the visiting team failed to hold the lead again. However, this did not mean that the remainder of the matchup was uncompetitive. The Vikings twice reduced Wheaton's lead to two points in the following minutes, and it was not until back-to-back threes from Adom pushed Wheaton's advantage to 13 with three minutes remaining that the final result became a formality. The visitors clearly relished the opportunity to test their national Top 15-ranked opponents, and Wheaton once again relied on in-game experience and free-throw line solidity to help them see the job through. 

North Park may have lost the game, but they still managed to put up a respectable 49.2% shooting effort from the floor. Wheaton only produced a 41.3% mark, but they out-shot their guests by a considerable margin from beyond the arc, limiting the Vikings to just two three-pointers in the entire game. The Thunder had another strong night from the charity stripe, posting a 78% effort, while North Park was 7-10 from the line. The away team edged the rebounding battle, 37-36, in a physical matchup that saw no lack of size from either squad. One point of pride for Wheaton in their win tonight will no doubt be their lack of turnovers, committing only five and forcing ten off of their opponents. North Park held the advantage in second chance points and points in the paint thanks to their frontcourt-heavy approach, but Wheaton led in the points off of turnovers and fast break points statistical categories. The Thunder also saw more production from the bench, earning 18 points via the back-ups to North Park's eight.

Nyameye Adom, fresh off of a Small College Basketball Bevo Francis Top 50 Watch List recognition, dished out three assists to go with his game-high point total and finished an impressive 5-8 from behind the three-point line. Tyson Cruickshank contributed 16 points, three rebounds, a block, one steal, and a team-leading five assists in another versatile showing. Cade Alioth paired three rejections and two assists with his double-double headline stats. Collin Uveges put up four points and as many rebounds, along with one steal and one assist. But his standout moment of the night may have come with a second-half block that saw him leap into the stratosphere to prevent his North Park counterpart from scoring. Luke Anthony and Andrew Williams each posted three points and a board as substitutes. Nick Schiavello played a significant role in Wheaton's victory, scoring 12 points off the bench while also gathering three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. 

Even beyond conference tournament seeding, there is plenty at stake for the Thunder going into their final regular season game on Saturday. When Wheaton hosts Millikin in King Arena, they will attempt to send the graduating seniors out on a high note, earn a quality win to boost their strength of record, and secure their 20th victory of the campaign. A win over the Big Blue would give the Thunder their most victories in a regular season since 2012-13, when Wheaton also held a 20-5 record heading into the postseason.