MINNEAPOLIS – In a packed house in Clark-Danielson Gymnasium, the North Central University (NCU) men's basketball team took on Twin City-foe, University of Northwestern (UNW) Eagles in another
UMAC contest. The Saturday afternoon conference action was high-paced for all 40 minutes, and both sides showed tremendous shooting in a 75-85 game that was eventually taken by UNW after a strong NCU comeback in the second half.
Game Recap
Right out of the gate, it was
Justin Castro providing the Rams with an offensive spark. In the first 8 minutes of play in the first half, the junior guard lead all scorers with 8 points on four of five shooting, highlighted by a massive three at the 14:24 mark. The Eagles managed to hold the lead for the entire duration of the first half, with a 38-25 lead halfway through showcased as the largest margin of the lead. In the final 6 minutes of play, the Rams chipped away at the Eagles lead to get within 3 at the 1:48 mark, powered by a couple
Jalen Dunlap steals on the defensive end that led to fast-break opportunities. As the first 20 minutes came to a close, the Eagles headed into halftime with a 48-40 lead. Both North Central and Northwestern put on a firework display with tremendous shooting, as the Rams recorded 47% and the Eagles tallied 52%.
In the second half of
UMAC action, the Eagles managed to pull away from the Rams at the beginning with tremendous shooting on all areas of the floor. UNW's 64-49 lead did not last long, however. At the 13:30 mark, senior guard
Riley Loukinen knocked down a three that resulted in the Rams' resurgence after a slow start offensively. In the next 10 minutes of play, the Blue and Gold showed high ball movement that led to the Eagles' lead being cut down to 2 with 5:23 left in the half.
Micah Filer and
Castro were a dynamic scoring duo during NCU's comeback, where they ended up shooting a combined 19 of 29 from the floor during the contest. Once the Eagles found success breaking the press in the final minutes, they were able to grow a slight lead back on the Rams and come away with the 10-point victory.
Key Performer(s)
Looking Ahead
With the loss, the Rams move onto 3-12 for the season and 1-6 in the
UMAC. As North Central now finds themselves in the bulk of their conference schedule, they will look forward to continuing their homestand. The Blue and Gold will take on the Northland College Lumberjacks in another vital
UMAC matchup 5:30pm next Wednesday.
