MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Coming into this matchup, North Central University (NCU) men's basketball sat 2-0 in the conference, tied atop of the standings with the 2-0 Bethany Lutheran College Vikings. Fueled by an explosive offensive showing the first half (shooting 50 percent from three) and sound defense that forced 15 total turnovers, North Central managed to take down the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM) Cougars by a final score of 104-85 on Saturday afternoon. This has fueled the Rams to an overall record of 5-5 and 3-0 in UMAC play.

Recap

UMM pulled away with the lead early in the first half, going up 7-4 in the first 3 minutes of action. It was not until Micah Filer (Sacramento, CA, Capital Christian High School) found the hot-hand halfway through the first period that gave the Rams the spark they needed to take that lead from the Cougars and never give it up. Scoring 8 in the first half, Filer built the initial momentum that the Rams needed to pull away with this game. It was not until shortly after that Seth Fuqua (Colorado Springs, CO, The Vanguard School) shifted into overdrive, going an impressive run of knocking down multiple triples to end the first period with 20 points himself. In just the first half alone, NCU went 50 percent from beyond the arc. Inside, Jonathan Thompson (Kansas City, MO, Park Hill South High School) made several plays of his own, recording 12 points in the paint and securing the rebound 6 times for the Rams.

Going into the second half, the Cougars started firing back, cutting the Rams lead down to 76-69 with 10 minutes remaining. In the second half, Tanner Holtman (Aurora, CO, Grandview High School) added to his contributions, ending the game with 15 points and 9 rebounds. His inside presence along with Thompson proved difficult for the Cougars. The duo managed to come down with a combined 17 rebounds on the afternoon. Justin Castro (Kissimmee, FL, Gateway High School) also had a phenomenal showing, nearly ending with a triple-double. Ending with a final score of 104-85, NCU successfully defended their undefeated home record in an all-around performance by the men in blue and gold.
 
Key Performers

• Fuqua put up a season-high 29 points on 50% shooting from beyond the arc to go along with 7 assists, and 3 steals. The sophomore continues to dominate, be one of the focal points in Dan DeWitt's offense, and lead NCU to triple-digit scoring affairs.
• Castro stuffed the stat sheets with an all-around statline, finishing with 13 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds.
• Thompson has already made prolific impact this year. The true freshman chipped in 17 points and 8 rebounds for the Rams.
• Tanner Holtman came up just shy of a double-double, ending with 15 points 9 rebounds.

 
Looking Ahead

NCU men's basketball's next matchup will be against the Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) Vikings in another conference showdown this coming Thursday. The Rams will get a shot at beating out the Vikings for the UMAC first place spot. As a reminder, there will be no fan attendance allowed in the Clark-Danielson Gymnasium due to institutional COVID-19 protocols. Make sure to stay posted to NCU Rams social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) for updates, information, live video broadcast, and live statistics regarding the UMAC matchup.