ASHLAND, Wisc. -- North Central University (NCU) men's basketball hit the road on Thursday night to take on the Northland College (NC) Lumberjacks in their second Upper Midwest Athletic Conference matchup on the 2020-21 campaign. In a contest that saw two freshmen Rams explode on the scene with their first big nights at the collegiate level, Tanner Holtman (Aurora, CO, Grandview High School) and Cameron Thomas (Aurora, CO, Grandview High School) combined for 45 of NCU's 100 points to propel the team to a landslide victory by a final score of 100-72.

Game Recap

It was a firework display of highly efficient shooting that stole the storyline in this one, highlighted by North Central jumping out to an early start and never looking back throughout all 40 minutes of the game. Early on it was Thomas who got the team going by putting up 10 of the team's first 16 points, fueled by a couple of triples. By the time the clock had five minutes left in the first half, the Rams managed to put a lot of distance between themselves and the Lumberjacks by improving to a 17-point lead. The massive lead was made possible by North Central shooting a season-high 10-of-15 from beyond the arc in the first half alone.

The highly efficient shooting night did not stop in the latter 20 minutes of action as more freshmen Rams started to get in on the action including Jonathan Thompson (Kansas City, MO, Park Hill South High School) and Konnor Jusczak (Pine City, MN, Pine City High School). NCU came out and picked up right where they left off by extending their lead to a a game-high 30 points at the 6:14 mark in the second half. The Rams bested Northland in all shooting split figures (47% FG, 44% 3PT, and 87.5% FT), allowing them to cruise to a win in the final minutes and pick up their back-to-back conference wins.

Key Performer(s)

The Rams were led by a pair of sharpshooting freshmen who made a prolific impact in North Central's route over Northland.

• Tanner Holtman put up a career-best 24 points on an incredible 5-of-6 shooting from three while also coming away with a team-high 5 steals on the night.
• Cameron Thomas also had the hot-hand in this one by putting up 21 points on a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc. The freshman forward also came down with seven rebounds.

Looking Ahead

Now sitting just shy of an overall .500 record (2-0 UMAC), North Central men's basketball will have a quick turnaround in their next contest. Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m., the Rams will clash with the University of Minnesota Morris Cougars in what should serve as an exciting matchup in the Clark-Danielson Gymnasium. With no fan attendance allowed due to institutional COVID-19 protocols, fans are encouraged to stay posted to NCU Rams social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) for updates and information on the upcoming game. Also, tune into ncurams.com/watch to enjoy a free live video broadcast and statistics of the game.