Minneapolis, MN — Entering the first round of the NCCAA National Tournament, the North Central University (NCU) men's basketball team headed back to their home gymnasium for a matchup versus #4 Champion Christian (CC) Tigers. After dominating the regional tournament, the Rams looked to start their long road to grabbing back-to-back NCCAA National titles, this time in front of a familiar home crowd.

North Central wasted no time setting the tone early, forcing turnovers on the opening possessions before senior guard Carmello McNeal knocked down a three-pointer to open the scoring. Moments later, junior forward Jax Effertz buried a triple of his own to push the Rams out to an early 6–0 advantage. While the opposition briefly battled back to tie the game at 20–20 midway through the half, North Central responded with a decisive scoring run sparked by their depth and ball movement. Senior guard Carrington McNeal converted a layup to regain the lead before senior guard Jaquan Adams added a pair of paint finishes to stretch the margin. The Rams' offense began to heat up from beyond the arc as Effertz drilled another three while Carmello McNeal added his second and third triples of the half. North Central's interior presence also began to show, with senior forward Josh Hoffman converting inside and senior forward Elijah Smith attacking the rim. Late in the half, North Central continued to create separation. Smith finished a layup in the paint, junior guard Jayden Livingston added a strong interior bucket, and Carmello McNeal capped the run with a fast-break three-point play. Adams added a final layup in the closing seconds to send the Rams into halftime with momentum and a nine-point cushion.

North Central quickly reasserted control coming out of the break. Senior guard Remy Wedgeworth-Brown opened the half with a layup before Effertz attacked the paint and followed with a three-pointer to extend the lead into double digits. Carrington McNeal then sparked the next surge for the Rams, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers that stretched the advantage to 16 points. Moments later, Smith energized the home crowd with a fast-break dunk following a steal to push the lead even further. North Central's defense began to clamp down as the half progressed, forcing turnovers and converting them into transition opportunities. Adams continued to thrive around the rim with a pair of fast-break finishes, while Hoffman added consecutive layups inside to push the Rams' lead beyond 20 points. The Rams' bench continued the offensive pressure late in the contest. Junior forward Jacob Becher scored multiple baskets in the paint, freshman guard Breven Anderson added a pair of transition layups, and freshman guard Jalen Dourisseau closed the scoring with a three-pointer in the final minute. North Central never relinquished control, pulling away for a dominant opening-round victory on their home floor.

Top Performers: 

Jax Effertz: 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4-of-8 from three-point range

Carrington McNeal: 15 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists

Carmello McNeal: 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3-of-3 from three-point range

Jaquan Adams: 10 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists

Looking Ahead:

Up next, the Rams wil continue NCCAA National tomorrow March 13th, where they are set to take on #1 Spurgeon College at the Clark-Danielson Gymnasium in Minneapolis, MN. Tip-off is set for 6:00 PM. 

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