MINNEAPOLIS - North Central University men's basketball (5-9, 3-4 UMAC) defeated The University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets (4-13, 2-6 UMAC) in a Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) matchup on Saturday afternoon, 74-71. North Central led by as much as 20 points in the first half before the Yellowjackets closed the gap bringing the game within one basket for the final seven minutes of the second half. On the last shot of the game, Riley Loukinen (Little Falls, Minn./Little Falls) hit an open three-point shot from CJ Lewis (Minneapolis, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy) to give the Rams the lead with nine seconds left on the clock. Loukinen was 2-for-3 from the floor and perfect from three-point (2-for-2) and free throw (4-for-4) range. Lewis, Jared High (Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo), and AJ McGrew (Maple Valley, Wash./Kennedy) added double-figure points for the Rams in the win.

The Rams opened the game with a 7-2 run over the Yellowjackets before completing another 8-0 run giving the Rams a 25-10 lead. The sharp shooting continued for the Rams in the best offensive half of the season with North Central shooting 17-of-28 (60.7 percent) from the floor and 6-of-10 (60 percent) from three-point range. High led the team with 14 points. Joel Cline (Green Bay, Wis./Southwest) secured seven rebounds and two points in the first twenty minutes of play. Cline's seven points puts him just seven away from 1,000 career points in a Rams uniform.

In the second half, the Yellowjackets shooters stepped up to pull the game within one (60-59) with 8:57 left to play. The Rams and Yellowjackets would trade baskets and fouls resulting in the Rams with the ball and 26 seconds on the clock. Loukinen drained the three-pointer for a 74-71 scoreline and UW-Superior ball with nine second left to score. North Central's defense came through in the last seconds resulting in the clock running out and the Rams third conference win of the season.

The Rams will be back in action on Wednesday January 17 at Bethany Lutheran in a UMAC matchup with the Vikings. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. in Mankato, Minn.