MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Coming up on the end of their season, the North Central University (NCU) men's basketball team took on Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) opponent, Martin Luther College (MLC). The Rams lead in the first half proves enough for the Knights come back taking the win 78-75.

Game Recap

The Rams grabbed an early lead in the opening minutes and maintained it throughout the first 20 minutes. NCU used their size through Konrad Bueckers (Pine River, MN), and Kayden Sund (Golden, CO) to control the key and utilized the speed of their guards as they scored 24 points in the paint. Justin Castro (Kissimmee, FL, Gateway High School) and Micah Filer (Sacramento, CA, Capital Christian School) found themselves at the rim multiple times to add points to the board. The Rams were up by ten points with five minutes to go. The Knights managed to go on a run but NCU still went into halftime up 38-32. 

Cameron Thomas (Aurora, CO, Grandview High School) opened with a three and the Rams pulled away yet again to build as much as 17 point lead in the second half. The duo of Castro and Filer on the offensive end got many buckets for NCU and Thomas cleaned it up on the defensive end with 14 total rebounds. However, slowly MLC got back in the game and made it much more exciting than NCU would have liked. The Knights got within three points in the final minute but Castro and Bueckers put away some free throws to seal the deal and get the victory 78-75.

NCU moves to 14-10 on the season and 8-5 in the conference

Key Performers

• Micah Filer hit four three pointers as he scored 23 points and grabbed eight boards.
• Following behind was Justin Castro with 22 points and five assists.
• Cameron Thomas was all over the boards securing 14 rebounds.

Looking Ahead

The Rams host their final regular season game tomorrow at 4:45 pm against Bethany Lutheran College (BLC). NCU beat BLC earlier in the season in a three-point overtime thriller. Tomorrow the Rams will also honor their three seniors for senior night. All fans are encouraged to tune into official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages for updates on the men's basketball team and more important information.