The Muskingum men's basketball team knocked down North Park on Saturday evening, 81-80.

The Basics
• Records: Muskingum (1-1), North Park (0-5)
• Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Inside the Numbers
• Junior Marcus Dempsey led the team with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists.
• Senior Jayson Peoples notched 13 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the field.
• Senior Jalen Paige added 10 points and two assists.
• Sophomore Mitch Clark grabbed three rebounds and put up eight points.
• As a team, the Muskies went 29-for-57 (50.9%) from the field and 14-for-27 from the arc (51.9%).
• Matt Szuba led the North Park offense with 23 points, while Kindrel Morris tallied 18 points and Vegard Tangen managed 14 points.
• North Park made 46.0% of their shots (29-for-63), went 12-for-25 from the arc (48.0%), and ended the contest going 10-for-13 from the free-throw line (76.9%).

Game Highlights
Peoples hit a three-pointer at the start of the game which ignited an 11-0 run to give the Muskies an early lead with 17:09 left in the first half. North Park retaliated with a 14-1 run to give them an 18-15 lead with 10:53 remaining. Paige knocked down a three-pointer to end North Park's run. At the 5:14 mark, freshman MJ Smith notched a three-point shot, putting Muskingum ahead 32-28. Muskingum used this momentum to establish a 39-34 lead at the break.

In the second half, North Park managed a 48-42 lead after a 14-3 run with 16:30 left to play. Dempsey made a layup to slow down North Park and keep Muskingum in the game. With 8:35 left, senior Devon Peart stole the ball, rushed down the court, and tallied a layup to give Muskingum the lead, 62-61. Tangen hit a three-pointer for North Park with 2:49 to go, giving them a 78-73 advantage. Dempsey went to the line with 1:04 remaining and knocked down two free throws to bring Muskingum within one point, 80-79. With 11 seconds left in the game, Paige was fouled and earned two free throws. The pressure of the game did not disturb the Muskingum captain, and he drained both shots to give the Muskies an 81-80 victory over North Park.

Up Next
Muskingum next competes against Mount St. Joseph on day two of the tournament, November 25. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.