Minneapolis, MN -- This afternoon, the men's basketball team from North Central University (NCU) hosted an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) matchup at home against the reigning champions, Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) Vikings. In the previous meeting between these two teams, the Rams fell to the Vikings, 110-86, as they wrapped up the end of the 23-24 season. Today, the Rams would fall to the Vikings once again by a final score of 104-92. Junior guard Malik Siggers led the Rams with a career-high 27 points. 

North Central started strong, trading buckets back and forth with Bethany Lutheran. However, despite strong individual efforts, particularly from Carrington McNeal and Malik Siggers, the Rams struggled to consistently defend and rebound as the first half went on. McNeal was active on offense, contributing 9 points and working his way to the free-throw line often. Siggers continued to dominate offensively throughout the remainder of the first half, totaling 10 points to lead all Rams. Stellar blocks from Josh Hoffman and Blue Smaller would electrify NCU and keep them within striking distance. However, as the first half wrapped up, the Rams found themselves trailing by 12 points, 56-44.

Out of the halftime break, North Central attempted to gain momentum offensively, with a big-time three-pointer from Cameron Thomas to start things off. Threes by Malik Siggers and strong takes to the rim by Blue Smaller would keep North Central in it as the half went on. Second chance points would allow the Vikings to hold a strong edge over NCU. North Central was able to battle their way back, mainly by way of the charity stripe, shooting 22-28 (78.6 %) from the line in the second half. Despite the Rams' efforts, they struggled to keep BLC out of the paint and they were able to keep pouring on the points. Although NCU continued to fight and push until the end, Bethany ended up pulling out the win today, finalizing the score at 104-92.

Top Performers:

• Malik Siggers: 27 points and 3 rebounds
• Blue Smaller: 18 points and 2 blocks
• Carrington McNeal: 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks

Looking Ahead:

Coming up, the men will travel to New Ulm, Minnesota to face off with the Martin Luther College (MLC) Knights. The game is set for Wednesday, January 29th 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.