MINNEAPOLIS-- North Central never trailed after the first minute of the game and ran away from Crown College for a home Upper Midwest Athletic Conference victory on Saturday night. Three players posted 20 points or more and the Rams cruised to a 102-84 win over the Storm.

North Central (4-4, 3-0 UMAC) surrendered a basket to Crown College (St. Bonifacius, Minn.) on their first possession of the game but after NCU answered quickly with a lay-up from freshman Jared High (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) on their opening trip, the Rams would never trail again. Sophomore Joel Cline (Green Bay, Wis./Southwest) gave North Central their first lead around a minute in and after Crown tied it up at 4-4 with 18:59, the Rams scored on their next trip and would lead the rest of the way.

Senior Cody Martin (Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville) would give the Rams their first double-figure advantage around the 12:30 mark with a lay-up that made it 21-11. Crown got back within 26-22 with 9:30 left before the Rams created separation that would prove decisive. A 14-4 run by the Rams created a 48-30 advantage with 3:30 before the break. North Central would lead 55-39 at the half.

Out of the locker room Crown would get within 55-41 with 17 minutes left but that would be as close as the teams would get. Junior Travis Voigt (Green Bay, Wis./N.E.W. Lutheran) nailed a pair of back to back threes and Jared High hit a third three ball for NCU in a 45 second stretch to create a 66-43 Rams lead with 13:54 left. North Central would lead by as many as 28 with five minutes left before both teams began playing their full reserve lists over the last few minutes. 

Joel Cline posted a game high 22 points with 13 rebounds. Jared High scored 21 points while Travis Voigt narrowly missed a double-double of his own with 21 points and 9 assists.

The Rams victory gives them a 3-0 start to their conference schedule and places them among two other teams still unbeaten in UMAC play through the first two weekends. The Rams will now travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the Division III Shootout Classic on December 19-21. On December 19 the Rams take on St. Mary's College of Maryland (St. Mary's City, Mary.) before taking on Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.) on the 21st.