Minneapolis, MN -- Tonight, the North Central University (NCU) men's basketball team returned to Clark Danielson Gymnasium to square off with the University of Wisconsin Superior (UWS) Yellowjackets in their first meeting of the season. North Central came into this one feeling good after their win over Northland College last night. As did Wisconsin Superior after their two-point win over Northwestern last night. Tonight's contest would be an absolute battle that came down to a foul and go-ahead free throw for UWS in the final seconds. Superior would squeak out the 68-67 over the Rams.
The game would not start out the way NCU had hoped, as Superior would open the game with an 8-0 lead. However, a layup by Ja'Shon Simpson would spark a 10-0 run for the Rams to give them their first lead of the game at 10-8 with 14:22 on the clock. That lead would be short-lived as UWS would take it back within the minute. Sophomores Tyler VanEtten and Remy Wedgeworth-Brown would covert from the charity stripe to eventually tie the game at 13-13. Nik Feller then cashed in on a jumper to give the Rams the lead once more with 7:14 to play. The Yellowjackets quickly regained the lead and held it until the final ten seconds of the first half, when guard Carrington McNeal finished at the rim to knot things up at 22-22 heading into the half. Neither team shot very well from the field with the Rams shooting just 27.59% and the Yellowjackets only 24.14%.
Wisconsin Superior started the second half by scoring 6 unanswered. However, Nik Feller would stay hot offensively to keep the Rams within striking distance. Two free throws by Feller would then tie things up at 36-36 with 14:21 remaining. Carrington McNeal would finish the emphatic and-one to give the Rams their first lead of the second half at 41-38. His twin brother, Carmello McNeal, would then find him in the paint for another bucket to give North Central a 4-point lead, their biggest of the night. However, the Rams would give up the lead after struggling to guard the UWS big man on multiple possessions. With the score 47-46 in favor of NCU, Superior would score a 9-0 run to lead by 8 with just over 7 minutes to go. The Rams refused to back down, as three pointers from Nik Feller and Tanner Holtman would get the Rams fans on their feet as they regained the lead at 60-59 with 3:58 to play. Turnovers and fouls would plague NCU late in this one, as they committed 17 turnovers and 18 personal fouls in the contest. A clutch jumper by Carrington McNeal with 44 seconds left would tie the game at 67-67. The Rams then came up with a huge defensive stop as Ja'Shon Simpson got the steal, allowing head coach Jeremy Becker to call a timeout and draw up a potential game-winning play with 22 seconds remaining. Out of the timeout, NCU would miss their last-second attempt and commit a shooting foul with 1.2 seconds on the clock. UWS went 1-2 from the line and held a one point lead with one last chance for the Rams. A last-second heave would miss the mark and UW Superior would get the 68-67 win.
Top Performers:
Looking Ahead:
Up next, the men are away as they travel to Morris to take on the University of Minnesota Morris Cougars on Friday, January 19th at 7:15 p.m.
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