Box Score Minneapolis, Minn. - Riding high after a UMAC opening win over Martin Luther on Tuesday, the Bethany men's basketball team seemed poised for their second straight conference victory. When they started the game on an 8-0 run, they looked to be on their way to a road victory. The Vikings then had difficulty making shots and the Rams of North Central University were making shots with ease. The Rams reached the triple digit mark and topped the Vikings 103-94 Friday night in UMAC play.

North Central made 15 of 20 first half shots (75 percent) while Bethany made just 27 percent of theirs (10-for-37) en route to a 47-30 halftime lead for the Rams.

NCU's Nathan Roeder could not be stopped. He scored 34 points on the evening while going 11-for-17 from the field including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Luke Chafin came off the bench to contribute 25 points.

The Vikings scored 64 points in the second half in an effort to get back in the game and got to within six points five minutes into the half, but weren't able to get any closer than that the rest of the way.

Senior Derek Peterson recorded a double-double by scoring 20 points and collecting 13 rebounds. Fellow senior Gavin Kroehler added 16 points and grabbed 11 boards. Garrett Benson scored 17 points off the bench and Deon Wright and Alex Weldon each totaled 14 points.

Bethany drops to 1-1 in the UMAC and 3-8 overall. They head back to the court Saturday night for another road contest at Northwestern for a 5 p.m. start.