MINNEAPOLIS – Coming off their first win of the season this past weekend, the North Central University (NCU) men's basketball team welcomed the St. Olaf College (SOC) Oles to their home court in a pivotal MIAC-UMAC cross conference matchup. The Rams did everything they could do to capitalize off their win over the weekend, but the Oles proved to be too much in the end. St. Olaf managed to squeak by NCU in the final minutes of action and take the victory by a final score of 70-67.

Game Recap

A promising game filled with highlights from each quarter told the story in this one. In the beginning of the first half, the Rams found themselves struggling to find the bottom of the net, but that didn't stop their exceptional defensive effort against a talented Oles squad. As both teams looked to find synergy on their offensive half court sets, NCU and SOC shot 28% and 38% from the field. A defensive presence shown by both sides led to the low halftime score of 29-20. In the second half, however, both offenses started to find their grove. Both the Rams and Oles' shooting percentages skyrocketed to provide a packed house at Clark-Danielson Gymnasium with a firework display that went down to the final minutes. A few late-game free throws ended up giving the Oles enough to slide by the Rams and take the victory after a back-and-forth battle the entire second half. Although the Blue and Gold now move onto an overall record of 1-5 on the season, they have a lot to be proud of from tonight's performance. Keeping pace and managing to claw their way back after multiple St. Olaf runs shows that this men's basketball program has what it takes to play with the best of what NCAA DIII basketball has to offer.

Key Performer(s)

• Sophomore guard Micah Filer was sensational for the Rams, particularly in the second half. The former UMAC Honorable Mention nominee posted several season highs on the night as he recorded 21 points on an tremendously efficient 5 of 7 threes, and even managed to grab 8 rebounds.
• Justin Castro posted an extremely well-rounded stat line by totaling 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists on the night.

Looking Ahead

NCU now heads into the rest of their November and early December schedule packed with a heavy string of road trips. The Rams will not be back in action on their home floor for over two and a half weeks until the squad gets their first taste of official UMAC action on December 7^th, where they are set to host the University of Wisconsin, Superior Yellowjackets. Looking ahead to their next matchup this week, the Rams will take the short bus trip across the Twin Cities to take on the NCAA DII-affiliate Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears. Tip-off is slated for 7:30p.m.