Women’s basketball: Comets lose to North Park, 58-45, in season-opener

CHICAGO, Ill. – The Olivet College women's basketball team opened the 2014-15 season with a 58-45 loss to North Park (Ill.) University today at the Helwig Recreation Center in Chicago.

North Park led by four points, 6-2, at the 17:47 mark. Olivet came back with six straight points -- four by junior Shauni Hankins and two by senior Stefanie Lang – to take its first lead of the game. The teams traded baskets for the next seven points, with neither side leading by more than three points.

The score was tied at 16-16 with 7:34 left in the opening half. The Vikings closed the first half with a 9-2 run to take a 25-18 lead into the locker rooms.

North Park stretched its lead to 15 points twice in the first seven minutes of the second half, with the last time being 45-30. Over the next five minutes and eight seconds, the Comets went on a 13-0 scoring spurt to trail by two points, 45-43, with 7:48 left in the game.  The Vikings closed the game with a 13-2 run for the final 13-point margin.

For the game, Olivet shot slightly better from the floor – 38.6 percent (22-of-57) to 34.5 percent (20-of-58) for North Park. The difference in the game was the Comets missed their only two free throw attempts, while the Vikings made 14 of their 23 tries from the charity stripe.

Lang picked-up where she left off last year with another double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds. Hankins was the only other Olivet player in double figures with 10 points.

Liz Rehberger led all scorers with 20 points to lead North Park. Annie Shain contributed 10 points. Three Vikings pulled down six rebounds apiece.

The Comets will stay in Chicago tonight and will play at Illinois Institute of Technology tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. EST.