MINNEAPOLIS – Looking to bounce back after a tough loss this past weekend, the North Central University (NCU) men's basketball team hosted the Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) Vikings on Wednesday evening. Unable to keep pace with one of the hottest shooting teams in the conference, the Rams dropped this one to the Vikings by a final score of 97-62.
 
Game Recap
 
North Central found tough sledding against one of the most competitive squads they will face all season. BLC came out and dictated the flow of the game by using their size to dominate the paint. The Vikings managed to knock down 4 of their first 6 shot attempts from the floor in the opening minutes of action, which then sparked them for the remainder of the game. Junior guard Justin Castro (Kissimmee, FL, Gateway High School) attacked his way to the free-throw line a handful of times and led the Rams with 7 first-half points. The Vikings held the lead for all 20 minutes of the first half and headed into halftime up by a score of 45-26.
 
Bethany Lutheran came out in the second half continuing to hold the advantage with offensive efficiency. A combination of hot shooting and holding the Rams to 46% shooting in the second half was vital to their success. In addition to that, the Vikings forced the Rams to turn the ball over 21 times over the course of the game. On the offensive side for NCU, sophomore forward Micah Filer (Sacramento, CA, Capital Christian) started to find his shot with a three-pointer at the 17:31 mark and a pull up jump shot on the following possession. BLC managed to hold the Rams in their half-court sets down the stretch, which resulted in the Vikings building up their lead with multiple converted three-pointers from four different Vikings. BLC shot an impressive 54% from the field, with just under half of their attempts coming from behind the arc. The hard-fought battle by the Rams resulted in NCU not being able to stir up a comeback down the final stretch of the game.
 
Key Performer(s)

• Micah Filer knocked down 8 of 13 shots to lead the Rams with 19 total points.
• Justin Castro tallied 15 points along with 4 rebounds on the night.

Looking Ahead
The Rams now find themselves in the final stretch of their season. This coming Saturday afternoon, NCU will travel to the University of Wisconsin, Superior and take on the Yellowjackets in another UMAC matchup. Tip-off is slated for 3:00pm.