Ellendale, ND -- The #2 seeded North Central University (NCU) men's basketball team took on the #3 seeded Trinity Bible College (TBC) Lions in the semifinal matchup of this year's NCCAA North Regional Tournament. The Rams trailed through 28 minutes of this one as Trinity Bible led by as much as 17 points at one point in the second half. Playing a crucial role in the second-half comeback was sophomore Carrington McNeal who posted a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double with 4 steals to go along. The Rams offensive heated up late as North Central secured the 90-72 comeback victory.
Trinity Bible took the early lead in this one. It wasn't until five minutes had gone by that a Carrington McNeal three-pointer gave NCU its first lead of the game. Turns out this would be very short-lived as the Lions regained the lead and held it through the rest of the first half. Any time it seemed as though the Rams would get something going offensively, TBC always had an answer. Trinity Bible was hot from three-point range in the first as they connected on 9 threes in the first 20 minutes. The Lions shot a very efficient 15-32 (46.9%) from the field and 9-19 (47.4%) from deep. On the other hand, NCU struggled from deep, shooting just 3-17 (17.6%). Tanner Holtman and Carrington McNeal led the way for NCU in the first with 10 and 9 points, respectively. North Central trailed 46-34.
Half number two did not start the way the Rams had hoped as the Lions scored 4 straight to start. Another TBC three-pointer gave the Lions a 17-point lead with 18:02 to go. Then began the comeback, as Remy Wedgeworth-Brown scored 5 straight on his own. Ja'Shon Simpson and Carrington McNeal both connected on turn around jumpers to cut into the lead. Eventually, a Nik Feller three ball gave NCU its first lead since 14:25 in the first half. McNeal and Simpson continued their aggressive play offensively to start growing their lead. With 7:21 to go, Trinity cut it the NCU lead to two points at 68-66. The Rams then went on a 13-0 run to pull away. Strong play from Simpson, Holtman, and Wedgeworth-Brown down the stretch kept the Rams with a manageable advantage. After a scary first half, North Central battled back to complete the 90-76 comeback win over Trinity Bible College.
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Looking Ahead:
Men's Basketball advances to take on the #1 ranked Crown College Polars in this year's North Region Championship on Saturday, March 9th at 4:00 pm!
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