SUPERIOR, Wis. – A 3-pointer at the buzzer from North Central's Micah Filer hit the back iron as the UW-Superior men's basketball team hung on for a 76-75 victory against the Rams at Mertz Mortorelli Gym Saturday.
The Rams gabbed a 73-71 lead on a Jalen Dunlap layup with 3:08 to play, before
Eli Vogel (Appleton, Wis./Appleton West) responded with a 3-pointer for a 74-73 UWS lead.
Allen Anderson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Osseo) fouled Justin Castro on the next trip and Castro knocked down both to help North Central regain the lead, then with 29 seconds remaining, Anderson was fouled beyond the arc. He drained 2-of-3 to give the lead back to the Yellowjackets.
Seth Fuqua missed a free-throw line jumper with 13 seconds remaining and
Joe Kramer (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) was fouled on the rebound. He missed the front end of the 1-and-1, giving NCU one final chance for the winner, but Filer's attempt was off.
The win for the 'Jackets is their fourth consecutive, moving UWS to 14-7 overall and 11-1 in the UMAC. The Rams fell to 5-17 overall and 2-10 in the league.
Superior placed four starters in double figures, led by freshman
Mason Ackley (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) with a career- and game-high 26 points on 11-for-14 shooting. Senior
Vid Milenkovic (Zurich, Switzerland/DSB Belgrade (Serbia)) added 20 points and seven rebounds, while Vogel chipped in with 15 and Anderson 10.
The 'Jackets led by as many as seven in the second half before North Central found its way back. Filer hit a 3-pointer for a 69-67 NCU lead with 6:44 to play, but Superior limited the Rams to 2-for-9 from the floor the rest of the game.
Neither team had a lead of larger than three points in the first half until Milenkovic took a pass from
Mac Reykdal (Washburn, Wis./Washburn) and laid it in for a 36-32 lead with 3:44 remaining. Milenkovic then hit a jumper with 10 seconds left for a 47-42 halftime score.
The 'Jackets shot 50 percent from the floor, hitting 27-of-54 shots on the day, to 43 percent for the Rams. NCU held a slim 34-31 rebounding edge.
UWS returns to the court at St. Scholastic Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
