The Millikin Men’s and Women’s basketball teams went to Chicago last weekend to take on CCIW opponent North Park University.
The women’s team started strong and played a close-knit game in the first quarter. They had an outstanding performance in the second quarter, giving them a huge lead.
With the Big Blue’s game plan in full effect, they took the win 69-58.
“We did well: we executed our game plan compared to the last game against Elmhurst,” Nikkel Johnson said. “I think we played harder.”
Johnson excelled with 21 points and nine rebounds, becoming the main centerpiece of the offense, which allowed others to succeed when Johnson was covered.
“It’s awesome from freshman year to sophomore year; [Johnson] elevated her game,” Coach Kirsten Hammer said. “We knew they didn’t have a ton of size. Even if we can get it in there, we knew we were going to open it up for our guards. She’s definitely a huge asset to our team.”
Millikin also applied a high-level defense with a single man-to-man press from Nylaia Carter, who was tasked with guarding their main ball handler. Carter was also very effective on the offensive side, recording 12 points, four assists, and seven rebounds.
Millikin played a 10-woman rotation throughout the game, allowing players to rest or avoid foul trouble. They saw success from all lineups.
“It’s awesome to have a rotation, to have six guards and four posts that can play,” Hammer said. “It’s huge. We don’t have to panic if we get in foul trouble or someone has a rough night. We talk about it a lot, next player up.”
Millikin also excelled at the free-throw line, shooting 19-26, which was a key factor in the Big Blue victory.
“We’ve worked a lot on it,” Hammer said. “In the scrimmages, we learned that [free throws weren’t] one of our best attributes, so we had to get better. We work on it daily and have to make shots when it counts and close out games.”
Millikin understands how important a win this is but is still focused on moving forward as the season continues.
“I mean, a road win is hard in the CCIW, but you’ve got to find a way to win,” Hammer said. “Don’t get comfortable. We have a lot to learn from this win.”
The Men’s Basketball team didn’t find as much success, falling to North Park after a tough matchup, 65-78.
They had an unusual night, shooting 4-21 from 3-point range and 9-18 from the free throw line, but were generally missing the offense we were accustomed to seeing.
“We didn’t play well,” Coach Kramer Soderberg said. “I thought offensively we missed a lot of shots we normally make.”
Millikin faced a very fast and physical North Park team, which made players on both sides of the ball struggle. But this is something the team will see moving forward and will be aiming to address.
“Our next two games are going to be similar, pressing, fast pace run and jump type stuff,” Soderberg said. “So we just have to be a little bit better at taking care of the ball, seeing the opportunity when [it’s] there and taking [it], and when the opportunities aren’t there, being disciplined to run our stuff.”
The Big Blue identified some questionable referee calls and possible miscalls. They were given a technical foul, which affected the players’ attitudes and their performances.
”My approach with them is: you play basketball, and I handle the refs,” Soderberg said. “I don’t think we did a good job with that. We let little circumstances that weren’t going our way affect everything else. The problem wasn’t the refs; it was the way we responded to the refs.”
But the game wasn’t all negative, as we saw players excel on occasion. Lane Thomann had 18 points and 13 rebounds on the night, while Ian Winkler scored 16 points.
However, the scoring ability couldn’t keep pace, and Millikin slowly lost momentum as the game neared its end, ultimately leading to the Big Blue’s first loss.
Looking ahead, the team plans to address the challenges they faced in practice, taking advantage of a long break before facing Augustana.
“Going into practice next week, we’re just going to refocus on what we do,” Soderberg said. “[We have to] get back to playing elite-level defense, elite-level intensity, elite-level passion, and focus. We just have to tighten up those things, and we’ll be alright.”
The players declined to comment after the game.
Millikin’s Women’s Basketball looks to take on Knox College on Tuesday, December 9th, at 5:30 p.m., while the Men’s team looks to take on Augustana next Saturday at 4:15 p.m., which will feature another CCIW doubleheader from the boys and girls.
