MINNEAPOLIS – The North Central University (NCU) men's basketball team hosted the MCCC-affiliated Emmaus Bible College (EBC) Eagles on Saturday afternoon in Clark-Danielson Gymnasium. In matchup of two teams battling to find their ways into the win columns for the first time of their respective seasons, the Rams profoundly came out on top against the Eagles by a score of 127-70. 

Game Recap

From the opening tip, NCU dictated the pace of the game on both ends of the floor. The Blue and Gold had their way against the Eagles for a number of reasons, highlighted by the incredible size mismatches in the post and speed of the Rams' backcourt that resulted in a vast amount of fast break opportunities. Through four quarters of action, NCU managed to pace EBC in all major statistical categories; including total rebounds, assists, steals, field goals, bench points, fast break points, etc. In the second half, the Rams found no trouble closing out the game, which gave them an opportunity to dig deep into the bench and work on their rotation. The players who saw the floor took the opportunity and capitalized on it, as it led to the entire NCU roster scoring on the afternoon and 6 Rams posting individual double-digit point totals. To cap off the dominating performance, men's basketball head coach Dan DeWitt achieved a major milestone in his coaching career and notched his first win as a Ram. 

Key Performer(s)

• Sophomore forward Allen Ardley Jr.  was fundamental for the Rams in multiple ways on the afternoon. The Bloomington Kennedy High School product had his way in the post against the Eagles by dropping a career high in both points with 20 on 10-11 shooting, and rebounds with 6.
• Dolan Tierney stuffed the stat sheet as well for NCU. The senior guard recorded 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in 15 minutes of action.
• Two true freshmen were able to see extended minutes in the contest and record the first points of their collegiate careers. Erik Lange out of Ellsworth High School managed 9 points while Barnabas Preble out of Concordia Academy chipped in 4 points of his own.

Looking Ahead

As the Blue and Gold now move onto an overall record of 1-4 on the season, they will head into next week looking to capitalize on their well-earned momentum. The Rams will continue to enjoy battling teams on their home floor, as they are set to host the MIAC-affiliated St. Olaf College Oles in their next matchup this coming Tuesday at 7:30p.m. Fans are encouraged to stay posted across all social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook) for all coverage regarding NCU men's basketball.