The Fighting Hawks Men’s basketball continued Summit League play against the UNO Mavericks this past weekend in Omaha, NB. North Dakota standout, Filip Rebraca, recorded two straight double-doubles in the series while the Fighting Hawks went 1-1 against Omaha overall.  

UND struggled in the opening minutes of the first game. The Mavericks jumped out to an early lead, scoring the first 6 points. Omaha continued to pull ahead, leading by as much as 16 with 3:38 left in the first frame. The Hawks erased some of their deficit, finishing the first half down 8, 41-33.  

  North Dakota bounced back in the second period, overcoming their deficit to take a 45-44 lead on a Caleb Nero layup 5 minutes into the half. This wouldn’t last long, however, as the Mavericks quickly retook the lead and didn’t relinquish it again. UNO would go on to win 72-62 and pick up their first Summit League victory of the season.  

Despite the loss, Rebraca had a good performance, putting up 22 points and nabbing 13 rebounds. Caleb Nero provided strong support from the bench, scoring 13. This put UND at 8-16 overall and 7-8 in Summit League play. 

The Fighting Hawks had a better start in their second game of the weekend, taking a 15-4 lead in the opening minutes. UNO responded quickly, erasing their deficit in under 5 minutes to take a 20-19 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the first period. Omaha continued to maintain a slight edge over the Hawks for the rest of the half. The Mavericks finished the half leading by 6, 44-38. 

The Fighting Hawks began the second frame strong, scoring 5 unanswered points in the first 2 minutes. UND was able to tie the game at 49-49 on a Seybian Sims layup and took their first lead since the first half on a dunk from Ethan Igbanugo 56-54. North Dakota continued to build their lead, being ahead by as many as 14. The Hawks finished the game up 12, 81-69, putting them 9-16 overall and 8-8 in Summit League Play.  

North Dakota had a good shooting night, going 38% from three and 51% from the field, outperforming Omaha who went 33% beyond the arc and 40% from the paint. The Hawks dominated the boards as well, nabbing 42 rebounds to the Mavericks’ 24, and even shined from the charity stripe, going 12-15. 

UND’s top scorer was Bentiu Panoam, racking up 19 points on 50% shooting and nabbing 5 rebounds. Filip Rebraca put up 17 points and 13 rebounds, notching his second straight double-double and 20th overall. Ethan Igbanugo had a productive evening, tallying 16 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 rebounds. Tyree Ihenacho had another standout performance, scoring 9 with a career-high 12 rebounds.  

This game concluded regular season play for UND. The Fighting Hawks next game will be March 6 in the Summit League Conference Tournament in Sioux Falls, SD. Live Coverage can be found on MidCo Sports Network and ESPN +.  

Alex Mailes is a Dakota Student Sports Writer. He can be reached at [email protected]