As the final buzzer sounded on North Dakota’s Valentine’s Day afternoon matchup against the visiting NDSU Bison, the remaining UND faithful filed out of the building. The Hawks’ longstanding rival had just beaten them 83-66 in a dominant second half.
With its win, North Dakota State (21-6, 11-1 conf.) further cemented its spot at the top of the Summit League, holding one game in hand over second-place St. Thomas (21-7, 10-3 conf.). Despite the loss, North Dakota remains in third place (15-14, 9-4 conf.), still well poised for the Summit League tournament at the start of March.
Full Speed in the First
UND jumped out to a flying start, taking a six-point lead three minutes into the game. The Bison would claw back minutes later, proving to be a constant threat and generating 8 lead changes in the first half.
UND shot 37% from the field, having significantly more difficulty than their Fargo-based opponents. The Bison went 46%, taking one less shot than the home side. The Hawks led NDSU in both three-point percentage and free-throw conversions, going 27% and 75%, respectively.
“Offensively, we didn’t shoot great,” said Head Coach Paul Sather after the game. “Our percentages weren’t awesome, but I thought we were really fighting.”
Feeding Frenzy
The second half was nothing short of an unmitigated breakdown for UND. Though the Hawks have been a second-half team all year, the quality of NDSU’s offense shone through, burying the home side as the Bison pulled away.
“Right out of the gate, it was just a real easy, soft finish around the rim,” said Sather. “We’re not putting bodies on to block out. From second-chance points to just easy finishes around the rim, and just having an awareness.”
Sophomore Guard Andy Stefonowicz led North Dakota State, scoring 20 points. The Minnetonka native shot flawlessly from three, sinking five. On the free-throw line, Stefonowicz sank all three of his attempts.
Markhi Strickland (Sr.) and Damari Wheeler-Thomas (Jr.) rounded out the top three for the Bison, both scoring 16 points. Strickland stood out for NDSU, making several runs to the hoop, capped off by dominant dunks from the Miami, Fla. native.
“I don’t know how he dunks it that hard, but that’s my favorite,” said Stefonowicz.
Struggles in the Paint
North Dakota underdelivered in the paint, shooting just above 43% from the field. The Hawks had difficulty getting off the ground, starting the period swamped by a 5-18 run. Greyson Uelmen (Fr.) attempted to turn the tide, scoring 14 points in the second half, but was let down by the rest of the Hawks’ sub-par offense.
Only three UND men recorded double-digit games. Uelman scored 16, Eli King scored 12, and Garrett Anderson—back from a late January injury—scored 11.
“I guess, offensively, the game wasn’t very good,” said Anderson. “We didn’t play well against their hard hedge blitz up top…[we] came out kind of flat. Just didn’t play like how we’re supposed to play, how we usually play.”
The loss was felt by the entire Fighting Hawks team, especially Sather, who cast a dejected figure after the game.
“I just don’t feel that’s been us,” he said. “We got to figure that out a little bit because something seeped in that second half where we just weren’t the same kind of team that we’ve been. We’re going to make mistakes—all those kinds of things—but flying around, being connected and making plays, and being excited for each other, that I didn’t see a lot of in the second half.”
Next Up
Last-place Kansas City (4-22, 1-11 conf.) travels to Grand Forks to take on the Fighting Hawks on Feb. 19. The Roos have lost ten straight, having recorded their last win at the start of January, when they beat Omaha at the Baxter Arena.
The conference matchup is set to tip off at 7 p.m. at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, preceded by Senior Night festivities. A livestream of the game will be available on the Summit League Network, and audio listeners can tune in via the Fighting Hawks Radio Network on the Fighting Hawks website, iHeart Radio, or 96.1 FM locally.
Anthony Dillett is a Dakota Student Sports Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].
