ASHLAND, Wis.-- North Central traveled north on Friday for their first weekend double-header in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play. After leading by double-figures for much of the first half the Rams had to overcome a mid-second half deficit to defeat Northland College, 78-62, in Ashland.

North Central (5-7, 1-1 UMAC) charged out of the gate on Friday to take an 11-0 lead on the host Lumberjills and eventually led by as many as 17 in the first 15 minutes. The Rams shot an even .500 from the floor and a took a 39-30 advantage to the locker room. 

The teams traded shots over the first two minutes of the second half before the Jills used a 13-0 run to take their first lead of the game at 14:01. Northland would hold the lead for a few minutes but never led by more than four before a steal by junior Jamie High (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) and an old fashioned three point play from freshman Lizzy Swanson (Askov, Minn./East Central) put the Rams back in front for good with just more than 7 minutes remaining.

North Central surged to the victory by closing the game on a 19-6 run. Four Rams starters reached double figures in the win. Jamie High led all scorers with 23 points on 9-18 from the floor and 5-5 from the free throw line along with 15 boards and 3 steals.

Lizzy Swanson posted 20 points and 6 rebounds, marking the fifth time in her first 12 games in an NCU uniform the rookie as scored 20 or more points. Freshman Marissa Kari (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) posted a career high 19 points with 8 rebounds. Senior Shelby Norman (Winsted, Minn./Watertown-Mayer) added 10 points and 5 assists.

North Central will be back in action on Saturday when they take on The College of St. Scholastica (Duluth, Minn.). The Rams and Saints are scheduled for a 3 p.m. tip-off in Duluth.