Minneapolis, MN -- The North Central University (NCU) men's basketball team took on the University of Northwestern (UNW) Eagles in a big rival matchup at home. Both squads battled hard all game, which came down to the final shot. UNW stole the win on the road beating the Rams 81-79. 

Right out the gates, both teams could not miss, trading buckets back and forth. It was the Eagles that were able to get a little separation first, going on 5-0 run to take the 16-11 lead just five minutes into the game. NCU would try their best to fight back, but continued to trail by just a few possessions for the remainder of the half. The Rams would find themselves in foul trouble, leading to multiple line-up changes and different sets defensively. As the buzzer sounded, UNW had the lead at 48-41. Micah Filer led the way in the first half for the Rams with 18 points on 7 of 9 shooting.

Coming out in the second half, it was clear the Rams were continuing to go to Filer who was on fire all night long. NCU started on the 12-4 run to take the lead 53-52. The Blue and Gold found themselves in foul trouble once again in the second half, as the Eagles got to the line 14 times in the second half alone. Even with the foul trouble, the Big Horn Sheep would not go away. All the defensive focus for UNW was focused on Filer, which led to some good looks for Caden Freetly and Jaylen Carrizales who were able to capitalize and keep the game a battle. With two minutes remaining in the game, the score was tied at 75 a piece. UNW was able to break the tie with two big buckets to go up five with just over a minute remaining. As Filer continued to close in on 40 for the game, the Rams continued to rely on the hot sharpshooter. He was able to hit a tough mid-range jump shot to bring the score back within 3. After one free throw make from the Eagles, Jonathan Thompson was able to come up with a huge offensive rebound and was fouled to go to the line for two shots. With ice in his veins, Thompson was able to sink both free throws. NCU then was able to follow up with a steal from their strong full-court pressure. Trailing by two and coming out of the timeout, NCU had the ball with 9 seconds left. The Rams drew up a play for Filer to get the final shot. The play gave Filer the one-on-one contested three to win the game, but the shot hit the back of the rim and bounced out, leading to a Eagles win, 79-81. 

Top Performers:

Micah Filer - 39 points and 5 rebounds
Caden Freetly - 11 points and 3 rebounds
Jonathan Thompson - 4 points and 9 rebounds

Looking Ahead:

The Rams will head on the road next Friday (2/3) to play Crown College at 5:30 PM.

All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages for all your up-to-date basketball information and news. 

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