The three-headed monster of Treysen Eaglestaff (So.), Tyree Ihenacho (Sr.), and BJ Omot (So.) combined for 76 points against the Omaha Mavericks this past Thursday, lifting UND over Omaha with a score of 99-78.
UND entered the battle on a six-game winning streak, with their last loss being to Omaha on Jan. 11. In that six-game stretch, the Hawks won by double-digits in five of them. That trend would continue on Thursday.
After trading scores in the first two minutes, Paul Sather’s squad set the tone for the rest of the game, going on a 9-0 run led by seven points from Ihenacho.
Fast forward to halfway through the first 20, and the Hawks led the Mavericks 27-9.
Omaha found its rhythm eventually, but the damage had been done. With a minute left to play in the half, Eaglestaff found Omot with a lob for a powerful slam to put the finishing touches on a dominant first 20 minutes of play.
UND held a 51-31 lead at the half. 51 points is the most that UND has scored in the first half all season.
The two sides would trade runs in the second half, with neither team making significant changes to the point differential. 10 minutes into the second half, UND led by 19.
The Hawks defeated the Mavericks with a score of 99-78. This was UND’s highest scoring game all season, keeping the momentum rolling and keeping pace with rival SDSU in Summit League standings.
Eaglestaff led UND in scoring with 28 points, 12 of which came from beyond the arc.
Omot had his 11th game scoring above 20, notching 26 for the Hawks and hitting on three treys.
Ihenacho scored 22 points and led UND in assists with four. Ihenacho added three triples of his own, as well.
Amar Kuljuhovic (Jr.), following his late-game heroics against NDSU, continued to dominate the glass, grabbing 13 rebounds against the Mavericks.
Eli King continued to shine off the bench, scoring eight points and snagging two steals.
UND made 13 three-pointers against Omaha, shooting an astronomical 50% from deep.
The following Saturday, UND fell at home to the Kansas City Roos by a score of 65-47. After the loss, the Hawks sit at second place in the Summit League.
UND will begin a three-game road trip, starting Thursday, Feb. 15 against the Denver Pioneers. The Hawks defeated the Pioneers 92-78 in their first meeting.
UND’s next home game will be against Summit League leader South Dakota State on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. SDSU beat UND by 19 earlier in the season. Tickets are free to UND students in their Green and White account.
Garrett Webber is a Dakota Student Section Editor. He can be reached at [email protected].
