St. Bonifacius, Minn. – The Crown College Polars hosted UMAC rival North Central University on Saturday afternoon in a thrilling contest. The Polars took home a hard-fought 88–85 victory to move to 2–1 in conference play.
The game started on a blistering scoring pace for both teams. North Central hit its first three shots, all three-pointers, before missing, while Crown opened the game shooting 6-of-9 from the field. Just six minutes into the game, the Rams held a slim 19–18 advantage. Anthony Knight was unstoppable early, scoring 11 of Crown's first 18 points. North Central eventually pushed its lead to as many as 12, but the Polars kept the game within reach and trailed 52–45 at halftime.
In the first half, the Rams shot an impressive 67.7% from the floor and 61.5% from three-point range on 13 attempts. The Polars were also strong offensively, shooting 51.7% from the field and 50% from three on 12 attempts. Crown also held a significant advantage at the free-throw line, going 9-of-10 compared to North Central's 2-of-3. Knight led all scorers in the half with 16 points, while Donovan Washington added 11 late in the half. Parker Behne contributed eight points, and Colby Deluce knocked down a pair of three-pointers.
The Polars opened the second half on a 12–0 run, sparked by back-to-back midrange jumpers from Colby Deluce. Behne added two buckets, Knight chipped in two points, and Deluce scored again, accounting for six of the 12 points during the surge. The run gave Crown a five-point lead, which it would not surrender for the remainder of the game. North Central kept the contest within reach, as Crown never led by more than eight points in the second half. Key missed free throws by the Rams and clutch conversions by the Polars at the line sealed the win as Crown held on for the 88–85 victory.
Anthony Knight led the Polars with 24 points on 11-of-19 shooting. Washington continued to shine off the bench, finishing with 22 points, three steals, and shooting 7-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three. Deluce returned to early-season form with 20 points on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting night and a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Tyler Smith made his presence felt across the stat sheet, recording four blocks, 13 rebounds, and nine assists.
Crown's 88 points were backed by 56.1% shooting from the field and 9-of-18 (50%) shooting from three. The Polars also went 15-of-19 from the free-throw line, a key factor in the win. Crown outrebounded North Central 33–22, limiting second-chance opportunities for the Rams.
