Minneapolis, MN -- This evening, North Central University (NCU) men's basketball played host to the visiting Martin Luther College (MLC) Knights for their second matchup of the year. The last time they met, North Central beat the Knights in New Ulm by a final score of 93-72. Tonight, 13 different Rams would get in the scorer's column as NCU sailed to the 99-63 blowout win.
This one was a back-and-forth affair early with both teams jumping out to a hot start. Martin Luther led 9-8 after the first 3 minutes gone. NCU would then go on a 9-0 run capped off by an electrifying and-one dunk by sophomore Ja'Shon Simpson off the feed from Carrington McNeal. A three-pointer from Nik Feller and a jumper by Jack Courneya gave the Rams their biggest lead of the game at 24-13 with 13:22 left in the first. MLC then went on a 6-1 run to cut the lead to just 6. However, back-to-back buckets from transfer Jack Courneya gave North Central back the double-digit lead. The Knights scored 7 unanswered to pull within 4 points of NCU. The teams traded baskets once more, with both squads connecting from mid-range and three-point land. However, North Central scored the last 6 points of the half to give themselves the 47-35 advantage heading into the locker room. Ja'Shon Simpson led the way for the Rams with 12 points and 2 and-one finishes in the first half. Nik Feller was not far behind with 11 points and 2 made threes
Jack Courneya kicked off the second half with a 3-pointer that sparked a 10-point run for NCU to go up 57-35 on the Knights. Nik Feller and Courneya would each continue their hot night from beyond the arc with a three-pointer each. These came as a part of a 12-point run fueled by buckets from Carrington McNeal and Ja'Shon Simpson as well. With just over 9 minutes to play, Remy Wedgeworth-Brown got in on the scoring fun with a crafty move in the lane to put the Rams up 32 points over MLC. With 8:09 to play, NCU Head Coach Jeremy Becker wisely turned to his reserves in order to rest his starts for a big matchup coming tomorrow. Freshman guard Kenyon Davis would have himself a nice game off the bench, posting 9 points on 4-7 shooting in just 6 minutes of action. Another NCU freshman, Leyton Barr, connected on a pair of three-pointers in the final minutes to get the NCU bench and stands on their feet. North Central did a great job sharing the rock in this one, totaling 22 assists and just 12 turnovers on the night. With the 99-63 win over Martin Luther, NCU moves to 10-12 overall and 7-4 in conference play.
Top Performers:
- Ja'Shon Simpson: 18 points and 4 rebounds
- Nik Feller: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals
- Jack Courneya: 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals
- Carrington McNeal: 10 points, 9 steals, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists
Looking Ahead:
Up next, the men will have a quick turnaround as they host the Bethany Lutheran College Vikings tomorrow for their first ever Homecoming Gameday! That one is set to tip-off at 4:45 PM at Clark Danielson Gymnasium.
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.
