Dubuque, IA -- This Saturday, the
North Central University (NCU) men's basketball squad returned to action with a matchup with the Central College (CC) Dutch at the Loras Holiday Classic Tournament held by Loras College in Iowa. These teams have only faced off once before, as the Dutch were victorious back in 2016. Today, the Rams showed no rust after the Christmas break as they appeared to be firing on all cylinders on both ends of the floor. Brothers,
Carrington McNeal and
Carmello McNeal led North Central with a combined 39 points and 6 steals as the Rams trailed through most of the contest. A late-game push led NCU to a 90-81 victory over Central College.
To start things off,
Carrington McNeal turned defense into offense as he scored the opening bucket off a steal and fastbreak layup. The Dutch quickly answered with a pair of three-pointers to establish their first lead of the game. After a five-minute scoring drought, the Rams found themselves trailing 17-9. North Central fought their way back by way of the three-ball.
Tanner Holtman led the charge with three made threes, as well as
Carmello McNeal,
Elijah Smith, and
Nik Feller all connecting on the deep ball late in the first half. The lead traded hands as the teams went back and forth. A last-second jumper by the Dutch knotted things at 39-39 heading into the break.
Central College opened the second half on a 5-0 run to gain momentum. They eventually grew their lead to 8 points with a fastbreak dunk to electrify the Dutch faithful. However,
Carrington McNeal silenced the crowd with an and-one fastbreak finish followed by a pair of
Nik Feller three-pointers to give the Rams the lead at 52-51. NCU's backcourt made up of the McNeal twins and
Malik Siggers continued to propel the Rams with aggressive attacks to the rim. Rolling offensively, captain
Cameron Thomas also got in the action with 7 points and 4 rebounds in the second half to anchor the Rams down low. With a win in sight, North Central put their foot on the gas in the last 8 minutes of the game, scoring 16 points in the paint. NCU shot an efficient 55.9% (33-59) from the field, 44% (11-25) from three-point range, and 86.7% (13-15) from the free-throw line. North Central walked away with a 90-81 win over Central College when the clock hit zero.
Top Performers:
Looking Ahead:
The Rams return to Lillis Court to take on the tournament host, Loras College, on day two of the Loras Holiday Classic. Tip-off is set for 4:00 PM.
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