ST. PAUL – North Central University (NCU) took on cross-town rivals, the Eagles of Northwestern. The Eagles came into the contest boasting one of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference's (UMAC) best records and showed their dominance in the contest. The Eagles used a 10-point halftime lead to propel themselves to a huge home victory over the Rams.

Game Recap

NCU came out with a chip on their shoulder, knocking down their first two shots thanks to sharp-shooters Riley Loukinen and Seth Fuqua. After the road team threw the first blow in the first four minutes, the Eagles started to settle in. Northwestern put themselves in the driver's seat with a balanced and methodical scoring approach. Finding themselves in a hole midway through the first half, the Rams pulled themselves within one, but the Eagles closed the half on an 11-2 run to lead the Rams by 10 at the half.

Out of the break, the Rams answered the call to battle for the first 8 minutes. NCU cut the deficit to as little as four, but the size and effort of the Eagles started to take over. Holding a 57-50 lead with just over 12 minutes to play, Northwestern imposed their will to the tune of a 31-5 run in the final 12 minutes of the ball game. The Eagles were bolstered behind their urgency to defend and their effort on the glass, as they dominated the battle on the boards (52:29).

Key Performer(s)

Seth Fuqua - 20 points, 6 rebounds
Micah Filer - 13 points, 7 rebounds
Jalen Dunlap - 10 points, 3 steals

Looking Ahead

The road doesn't get any easier for the Rams as they take on another squad a top of the UMAC standings on Wednesday. Bethany Lutheran College comes to the Clark-Danielson gymnasium streaking as of late, winning their last 10 games.