MINNEAPOLIS- Men's Basketball clawed its way back into a lopsided game against the University of Northwestern but the rally came up short in an 83-72 loss to the Eagles. In a game that ended up feeling much closer than the final score, bench scoring proved the difference for the visitors on Saturday.

Northwestern spent the first 25 minutes of the game building a 25 point advantage before North Central turned the tide. Throughout much of the first half, the teams were separated by two possessions but UNW finished out the final three minutes on a 14-6 run that gave them a 45-35 lead at halftime.

Out of the break, North Central struggled offensively, being outscored 16-1 over the first five minutes. From there the Rams would begin to chisel away at the Eagles lead, eventually getting within seven after a lay-up from sophomore C.J. Lewis (Minneapolis, Minn./) made it 76-69 with 2:55 to play.

North Central looked to have made a pair of defensive stops but each time an offensive rebound kept the Eagles alive and they eventually finished off their victory.

C.J. Lewis equaled a game-high 18 points with 3 assists and just one turnover. Junior Joel Cline (Gren Bay, Wis./Southwest) added 16 points and a team-high 6 rebounds. Senior Isaiah Rustad (Hudson, Iowa/Hudson) and sophomore Jared High (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo) scored 15 and 11 points respectively.

The stats were close across the board with the Eagles claiming a narrow advantage in rebounds (+4), steals (+1) and field goal percentage (+3%). But scoring from the UNW reserves proved to be a deciding factor. Despite the Rams starters outscoring the UNW starting five 68-58, the Eagles bench provided a 25-4 lift that changed the game's outcome.

North Central will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, Minn.) for a 7 p.m. start. They then finish the semester with a road doubleheader next weekend that closes out the 2016 portion of their schedule. Friday NCU will play at Northland College (Ashland, Wis.) in a 7:30 p.m. UMAC game. Saturday the Rams are at Finlandia University (Hancock, Mich.) for a 5 p.m. non-conference match-up.