On Dec. 29, 2023, the UND men’s basketball team hosted the St. Thomas Tommies and found themselves trailing by a score of 41-14 at halftime. Nearly a month later, the Fighting Hawks showed they were true Summit League contenders against the same opponent.
Determined to avoid a similar fate, the Hawks started strong on Saturday. Iowa State transfer, Eli King (So.), broke through early by scoring seven of the Hawks first 16 points. King was a much-anticipated transfer for UND this season, and the Minnesota native showed fans exactly what they were excited to see coming into the year.
After 10 minutes of play, the Hawks led the Tommies with a score of 16-11.
UND and St. Thomas traded blows for a while until the Hawks went on a nine-point run capped off by BJ Omot (So.) finding Brady Danielson (5th) in the corner for a three to make the score 31-22.
The Hawks would not let off the gas for the last few minutes of the half and found themselves with a 38-27 lead going into the break. That 11-point lead made for a 38-point difference from halftime of December’s slaughtering.
St. Thomas would not go down without a fight, pulling the game to a three-point difference with an 8-0 run halfway through the final 20 minutes.
After the St. Thomas onslaught, UND’s bench added some much-needed contribution, with Danielson banging another shot from beyond the arc, followed by Eli King hammering down a breakaway slam to swing momentum back in the Hawks’ favor.
The Hawks would keep it from becoming a one possession game for the rest of the half with the help of Tyree Ihenacho (Sr.), who buried a pair of threes late in the game.
UND defeated St. Thomas 74-64. The win moved the Hawks all the way up to second place in the Summit League standings. Only two weeks ago, UND was in last place in the Summit, and the only team without a conference win.
BJ Omot led UND in scoring with 22 points on the night.
Eli King contributed 17 points off the bench, adding four steals for UND.
Tyree Ihenacho was the only other Hawk in double figures, with 12 points. Ihenacho led UND in assists, notching five on the night.
UND controlled the glass, with big men Amar Kuljuhovic and Tsotne Tsartsidze grabbing 17 rebounds between the two of them.
The Fighting Hawks will continue conference play and travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Feb. 1 to play the USD Coyotes (9-13). UND’s next home game will be on Feb. 3 at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center against in-state rival, North Dakota State University (9-12).
Tickets are free for UND students in their Green and White account.
Garrett Webber is a Dakota Student Section Editor. He can be reached at [email protected].
