ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. – In its 2016-17 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference opener, North Central University men's basketball struggled to find a first-half rhythm, losing to the College of St. Scholastica by a final of 59-74. The Rams hosted the Saints Friday night at Wild Athletic Center on the campus of Crown College.

St. Scholastica (2-3) dominated NCU in the first half, outscoring the Rams 34-19 on 50 percent shooting from the field. In that same frame, North Central shot just 20.7% percent, including 14.3 percent (1/7) from beyond the arc. That solo three-pointer came from Travis Voigt (Green Bay, Wis./Northeastern Lutheran) and gave the Rams their first and only lead of the game, 7-4, just six minutes into the half. CSS then went on a 10-2 run to stretch out their lead and continued to widen that margin heading into the locker room.

The first few minutes of the second half were again controlled by St. Scholastica, as the Saints went on an 11-5 run in the first few minutes after the break to open up a 21-point lead, their largest lead of the night. NCU fought back throughout the remainder of the game, managing to match the Saints' 40-point performance in the second half despite shooting 39.3 percent from the field compared to CSS' 60 percent. However, the Rams forced St. Scholastica into foul trouble and capitalized from the free-throw line, making 16 of 18 charity shots, 12 of which came in the last eight minutes of the game.

Three Rams scored in double-figures, led by Joel Cline (Green Bay, Wis./Southwest) with 13 points and seven rebounds. Jared High pitched in 11 points and six rebounds, and CJ Lewis added 10 points and two steals.

North Central (1-4) will return to Minneapolis Saturday night to host the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m.