Ellendale, ND -- This afternoon, the North Central University (NCU) men's basketball squad geared up for a matchup with the Crown College (CC) Polars in the NCCAA North Region Championship. These teams met twice in the regular season, with the Rams coming out on top in both meetings. However, the Polars came into this game seeking revenge as they looked to steal this year's region title from NCU. Crown was able to do just that as they came out on top with the 74-22 win.
Crown got in the scoring column first as they connected on a three-pointer on their first possession. NCU answered right back with a three of their own from junior Nik Feller. the Rams took their first lead of the game as Feller cashed in on a mid-range jumper to go up 7-5. Then the Rams offense went cold and CC was able to go on a 23-4 run to go up 28-13 with 5:46 to play. NCU finally was able to get something to go in as the Rams rattled off 6 straight points to cut into the deficit. The Rams shot a disappointing 8-32 (25%) from the field and just 1-16 (6.3%) from three-point range. The Polars took a 30-19 lead into the locker room.
The Polars were able to keep their momentum rolling by opening the second half on a 12-0 that crushed the spirits of the Rams. They then grew their lead to 27 points as North Central could seemingly not get the lid of the basket. NCU shot just 2-12 in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Guards Remy Wedgeworth-Brown and Carmello McNeal were able to get a little something going by drawing fouls on CC and cashing in from the free-throw line. Wedgeworth Brown was the only Ram that could score in the back half of this game as the sophomore finished with 11 points all in the second half. With about 5 minutes to go and this one comfortably in the hands of the Polars, both coaches would turn to their benches. Led by Tyler VanEtten and Jace Hernandez, the NCU reserves were able to improve play offensively as they outscored Crown 15-7 in the final minutes. Crown won this one by a final score of 76-52.
Top Performers:
Looking Ahead:
Men's Basketball's season continues as they play host to the NCCAA DII National Championship Tournament next week on March 14-16th. North Central holds the #3 seed and will play the #6 seeded Grace Christian University on Thursday, March 14th at 7:00 PM!
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.
