ASHLAND, Wisc. -- Finishing up their Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) weekend play, the North Central University (NCU) men's basketball team traveled to Northland College (NC). The Rams outlasted the Lumberjacks and pulled away in the second half to get the victory 79-59.

Game Recap

It was an intense, physical game from the start as the Lumberjacks got out to an early lead. NCU quickly closed that gap helped by Micah Filer's (Sacramento, CA, Capital Christian School) 13 first half points and the Ram's defense. NCU was able to force multiple turnovers with intense trapping defense disrupting NC's flow on offense. The Rams added to their lead off of their 14 offensive rebounds. Cameron Thomas (Aurora, CO, Grandview High School) had six of these, and was one of the players who helped in scoring 15 second chance points. These extra possessions gave NCU lots of momentum as they went into halftime leading the Lumberjacks 35-29.

The second half was the beginning of the end for the Lumberjacks as the Rams heated up on offense and locked in on defense. Filer continued scoring for NCU and Thomas continued grabbing boards on both ends of the floor. Thomas finished the game with 14 total rebounds. To give the Rams more margin on the scoreboard, Justin Castro (Kissimmee, FL, Gateway High School) took control of the offense dribbling past every NC defender and finishing lots of tough layups. The Lumberjacks had a bit of a run towards the middle of the second half, but NCU shut it down quickly and came out with a big win.

The Rams head home with a new record of 13-10 and 7-5 in the UMAC.

Key Performers

• Micah Filer hit six three pointers, scoring 27 points.
• Justin Castro heated up in the second half with 17 total points and eight assists.

Looking Ahead

The Rams enter into their last two games of the regular season as they play Martin Luther College (MLC) at home this coming Friday at 7:15 pm. NCU beat MLC earlier in the season 79-68. All fans are encouraged to follow officials Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages for updates on the men's basketball team and much more information.