MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Battling for the number one spot in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) standings, the 5-0 College of St. Scholastica (CSS) Saints and 5-0 North Central University (NCU) Rams hit the hardwood in Clark-Danielson Gymnasium on Thursday night. As one of their final games of the season, NCU honored their one and only senior, Jalen Dunlap (Houston, TX, Hightower High School), for his time spent in a Rams uniform. Dunlap put up 10 points along with five rebounds and three steals for the blue and gold. In a game that showcased a fast-paced 40 minutes of action, the Rams were narrowly edged out by the Saints down the final stretch by a final score of 84-78.
 
Game Recap

Tonight's competition was fast-paced and physical. After a scoreless first two minutes, Scholastica was the first to put numbers on the board. The lead was traded several times back-and-forth in the opening minutes of action. North Central shot 48.1% from the field while Scholastica managed a 53.3% shooting clip in the first half. The Saints pulled ahead with the first big run of the game after an 8-2 stint with 12 minutes left in the first half. North Central responded well and clawed their way back to a two-point game with six minutes to go in the half. As the minutes winded down the Saints found a spark on the offensive end and managed to head into the half with a 41-31 lead over NCU.
 
Fighting their way back in the second half, the Rams slowly started to chip away at the Saints' lead. Micah Filer (Sacramento, CA, Capital Christian High School) came away with several clutch buckets to limit any run the Saints went on. The Saints' strong inside presence unleashed when Cameron Thomas (Aurora, CO, Grandview High School) picked up a third foul early that forced him to sit for a large part of the second half. By the end of the night, CSS racked up a total of 27 free throws compared to NCU's total of seven. With multiple Rams in foul trouble late in the game, Scholastica added in several second-chance opportunities via offensive rebounds. A few crucial stops and Saints' success from the free-throw line in the final minutes of the game ultimately allowed them to come out on top in tonight's performance.
 
 Key Performer(s)

•  Micah Filer led the way with 15 points, going 3-5 from three, along with a block and steal.
•  Seth Fuqua (Colorado Springs, CO, The Vanguard School) had 14 points, all from within the arc, in addition to two rebounds, one assist, a block, and three steals.
•  Jonathan Thompson (Kansas City, MO, Park Hill South High School) contributed 14 points and four rebounds.
• Cameron Thomas finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and an assist.
• Senior, Jalen Dunlap, had 10 points along with five rebounds and three steals. 

 
 Looking Ahead
 
As the Rams have now fallen to a 5-1 UMAC record, men's basketball will be in search of a bounce-back victory this upcoming Saturday when they travel to St. Paul to take on the University of Northwestern for another conference showdown. The upcoming matchup will be critical for the Rams and their UMAC playoff positioning for the postseason tournament starting late next week. Stay tuned to all of our communication channels to receive the latest news on UMAC post-season (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) as well as ncurams.com.