Men’s Basketball goes 1-1 at Omaha

Picture+by+Caitlin+Collins

Caitlin Collins

Picture by Caitlin Collins

Alex Mailes, Sports Writer

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 frameThe 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, 81-69putting 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’ 24and 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 1points, 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 UNDThe 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]