MINNEAPOLIS – The North Central University (NCU) men's basketball team was back in action on their home floor on Saturday afternoon. The boys in Blue and Gold took on the Crown College (CC) Storm in their first UMAC game since Dec. 14 of 2019. In a grueling back-and-forth game that saw 28 total lead changes, NCU came up just short by a final score of 72-78.

Game Recap
 
As expected, the Storm and Rams traded punches for the entirety of the game. The conference matchup saw a total of 14 lead changes by each team that were fueled by run-and-go styles of play. Early on, it was Micah Filer who managed to give the Rams the offensive boost they needed after hitting a couple crossover jump shots in the Rams' half-court sets. Halfway through the first half, NCU took control of the lead from the 8-minute mark and built their biggest lead of the game with a 6-0 run that was fueled by two Riley Loukinen threes assisted by Allen Ardley Jr.  As the half winded down, the Storm battled their way back with bonus free throws, but the Rams still held the advantage and headed into halftime up by one, 36-35.
 
The second half saw a massive increase in the amount of shots each side took, as well as total assists recorded. Early on, NCU and CC traded leads eight total times in the span of only four minutes. At the 10:30 mark, Crown managed to let the constant back-and-forth of leads stop, as the held tightly onto the lead for the remainder of the game. A few critical shots by Jalen Dunlap in the last five minutes helped the Rams stay within reach of the Storm, but they were unable to come out ahead again. CC ended the contest by hitting the last 3 of their 4 shots from the field in the last two minutes of play, that eventually guided them to sealing the game and taking the win.
 
Key Performer(s)

• Junior guard Jalen Dunlap was fundamental to the Rams' offensive attacks in both fast breaks and half-court sets. The Hightower High School product recorded a season-high 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting from the field in addition to 7 rebounds and 4 steals.
• Justin Castro managed to shoot a strong 6 of 10 from the field to tally 17 points on the afternoon while also pulling down 7 boards.

Looking Ahead
As the squad looks ahead to their next opponent, they will hit the road to Mankato, Minn. And clash with the Vikings of Bethany Lutheran College in another UMAC contest. The Rams currently sit at 3-10 overall (1-4 UMAC) and will look for the second conference win of the season against a talented Vikings basketball team.