New Ulm, MN — This evening, the North Central University (NCU) Rams took a road trip to New Ulm, MN, to face off with the Martin Luther College (MLC) Knights. With NCU coming off two huge conference wins last weekend and a strong outing the last time these two teams met, the Blue and Gold were heavy favorites in this one as well. This game would also have crucial playoff implications as the Rams are looking to go 2-0 on the weekend to punch their ticket to the UMAC playoffs. Understanding the magnitude of the game, NCU would not flinch a bit, cruising to a 95-52 victory over the MLC Knights.
It didn't take long for NCU to get in a rhythm on the offensive attack, opening up the game with a quick 8-0 run. Fifth-year guard Micah Filer would reach an impressive feat of 2,000 career points with the Rams! He becomes the 3rd player in program history to reach this amazing milestone. Following this hot start, the Rams would get slightly careless with the ball leading to turnovers that allowed the Knights to bring the game to within 1 with 9 minutes to play in the half. However, NCU would gather themselves and begin to pick up their level of play the rest of the half. Tanner Holtman, Jaylen Carrizales, and Cameron Thomas led the scoring surge with a combined 25 points in the half. NCU shot an efficient 51.4 FG% and 44.4 3PT%, leaving them with a comfortable 45-29 lead going into the break.
Entering the second half, NCU would continue their impressive offensive display. Point guard Zach Kjeseth got in a rhythm early going 4-4 from the floor in the first 5 minutes of second half action. The Knights were unable to slow down the onslaught, allowing the Rams to stretch the lead to 31 with 12 minutes to go until NCU started making substitutions. Even with the team going to the bench, there was no shortage of offensive output. Sophomore Hezekiah Swanson had himself a good showing with 8 points, going 2-2 from behind the arc. Coach Becker, going deep into his rotation, was able to play 16 different players tonight. Getting his starters some rest going into tomorrow's huge game against Bethany Luthern College had to of been in coach's plan tonight. After this impressive performance from the Blue and Gold, North Central would walk away with a commanding 95-52 win.
Top Performers:
See stats from tonight's game
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Looking Ahead:
With playoff chances on the line, the men will battle Bethany Luthern College tomorrow in their final regular season game. Join us live at 3:00pm as we cheer the Rams on while they're on the road!
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