Menomonie, WI -- Tonight, the North Central University (NCU) men's basketball team would travel to Menomonie, WI for a non-conference matchup with the University of Wisconsin-Stout (UWS) Blue Devils. In hopes of picking up their first road win of the year, North Central would look to carry momentum from a two-game win streak into this one. After an evenly fought first quarter, NCu would find themselves trailing by as much as 13 points late in the second half. The Rams would mount a late comeback, but wind up falling just short to the Blue Devils by a score of 78-75.
The Blue Devils would start the first half off hot as they would score six straight points to open it up. The Rams would get on the board to make it 6-3 off a 3-pointer by Nik Feller. With just over 4 minutes played, Feller would covert in the paint to give NCU its first lead of the game at 10-9. The Rams would stay out in front through most of the first half thanks to strong offensive contributions from Cameron Thomas (16) and Nik Feller (12). Those two combined for all 6 of the Rams 3-point makes in the first half. Eventually Stout would tie the game at 34-34 and then go up by one. In the final seconds of the game, Carrington McNeal would attack the basket for a layup to take back the lead. Going into the break, NCU would lead Stout by a score of 36-35.
Looking to retake the lead, Stout would score right away in the second to make it 37-36 in their favor. Another 3 by the hot hand Nik Feller, a layup by Carrington McNeal, and a 3 by Cameron Thomas would allow the Rams to retake the lead at 44-39. However, the Blue Devils would fight back and retake the lead at 47-46 and then record back-to-back dunks to electrify the home crowd and force NCU into taking a timeout. From there, UW-Stout would not look back staying in front of the Rams through the rest of the half. With 3:32 left, North Central would mount a late comeback with buckets coming from all three levels. With 44 seconds to play, Carrington McNeal would intercept the Blue Devils' pass and feed it ahead to senior Tanner Holtman who would pump fake, take two dribbles, and bury the mid-range jumper to cut the deficit to just one at 76-75 with 30 seconds remaining. After a Rams foul, the Blue Devils would go 1-1 at the line making it a two-point game. Out of the NCU timeout, the Rams would have a chance to tie it with 13 seconds left but would miss the contested runner and be forced to foul yet again. UWS would again go 1-1 at the line, still leaving a sliver of hope for the Rams. However, a last second heave from the volleyball line would not go for the Rams and NCU would be handed the 78-75 loss.
Top Performers:
Looking Ahead:
The men will be back at home this Friday as they host Maranatha Baptist University. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 pm!
All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages for updates on men's basketball and all things NCU Athletics.
