St. Paul, MN -- This afternoon, the men's basketball team from North Central University (NCU) faced the University of Northwestern (UNW) Eagles at the Ericksen Center Gymnasium in St. Paul, Minnesota. In the previous meeting between these two teams last season, the Rams fell to the Eagles 93-89. Today, the teams put on a good show once again as Northwestern defeated North Central with a final score of 87-82.

The Eagles took charge early to open up the first half. Despite offensive efforts from the Rams, the Eagles built a 13-point lead midway through the first half. However, North Central responded with a series of fast-break points and crucial shooting. Malik Siggers carried the Rams to a 13-2 run, pulling their team within 2 points with around 8 minutes to go. The teams continued to trade baskets, with Tanner Holtman, Carmello McNeal, and Nik Feller all hitting three-pointers down the stretch. North Central shot an effective 6-12 (50%) from deep in the half. As the first half came to a close, the Rams found themselves trailing by three as they went into halftime with a score of 44-41.

Returning from halftime, NCU was determined to take the lead as Carmello McNeal opened the second half scoring. The game remained close throughout, with the Rams narrowing the gap in the final minutes. A Nik Feller three-pointer with just under 5 minutes to play would tie the game at 71-71. Yet, UNW held a slim lead as the minutes winded down. Despite the Rams' best efforts, including late three-pointers from Nik Feller and Tanner Holtman to keep things interesting, the game was decided by free throws in the final seconds. Ultimately, the Rams fell to the Eagles with a final score of 87-82.

Top Performers:

• Malik Siggers: 25 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals
• Carmello McNeal: 18 points and 5 rebounds
• Nik Feller: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 5 made threes

Looking Ahead:

The Rams will return home next week to face the University of Minnesota-Morris (UMM) Cougars on Wednesday, January 15th. The game is set to begin at 5:30 PM.

All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X) pages for updates on men's basketball and all things NCU Athletics.