Minneapolis, MN - MLC men's basketball headed down the road from St. Paul to play another UMAC opponent in North Central. The Knights searched for their second win, while the Rams entered the game against MLC without their leading scorer Micah Filer. The Knights gave North Central a battle throughout the first 20 minutes of action, but were unable to keep up with the Rams, losing 89-50.

    The Knights traded blows in the first half and took an 18-17 lead with an Ethan Kjenstad 3-pointer in the corner. The first half saw seven lead changes, with the Rams biggest lead being 14 points. Neither team found their rhythm from outside, with MLC shooting 25 percent on 3-of-12 shooting. The Knights' 13 first half turnovers gave North Central the advantage heading into the break, where they took a 39-27 lead.

    MLC started the second half cold from the floor, scoring only eight points. Meanwhile, North Central capitalized on MLC's offensive struggles and extended their lead to 55-33. The Rams got out and pushed the pace, shooting more efficiently (53 percent) on 17-of-32 from the field and received valuable minutes from their bench. North Central's bench would outscore 49-10, with every player on the team scoring at least a point. The Rams were highlighted by Caden Freetly, who picked up a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. MLC was led by Seth Veers 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

    The Knights will go to (1-13, 0-5) on the season and will regroup with a few days off before hosting Crown on Friday, January 20th at 5:30 pm.