UND’s Troy Huff dribbles the ball earlier this season. File photo.

One game at a time — that mentality has been the cornerstone of what has been a very successful weekend for the UND men’s basketball team.

The Green and White took down Portland State on Thursday before Troy Huff’s last minute shot put the team over Eastern Washington on Saturday.

“I think we’re playing good basketball right now,” Huff said, “I think that it’s just that we need to keep our mentality and take this into the conference tournament.”

On Thursday, UND showcased its defense as it forced Portland State to turn the ball over 16 times en route to an 83-73 victory.

“Our guys battled, and that’s what they’ve done all year,” UND coach Brian Jones said.

While Thursday was a big win that moved UND into second place, the team knew that a hot Eastern Washington was just on the horizon.

“The urgency needed to be there,” Jones said, “Everybody is still in a log jam for the conference race.”

Saturday was a battle for 39 minutes, with no team able to pull away. A missed free throw would have given UND a four point lead, and the Eagles stormed down the court as Tyler Harvey, who had scored only eight points until then, proved why he is one of the best players in the conference and downed the clutch three to tie the game.

After trying to run a play designed for Troy Huff, Jamal Webb got a good look at a 3-pointer. The ball hit off the front iron and fell into the hands of the man who was supposed to have the ball. With .04 seconds left, Huff threw the ball up from the free throw line and answered the prayers of the 1,700 fans at the Betty.

“I don’t even remember where I was,” Huff said smiling after the game. “I just got the rebound and just looked at the rim and threw it up.”

Game over. UND 69, Eastern Washington 67.

The Senior Day game allowed UND to show an even more impressive trait than its ability to play defense — the ability to rise up when the chips are down.

“It’s just heart, confidence, toughness,” Webb said. “All that — it definitely matters.”

But even in victory, the focus for these players stays the same.

“I know it sounds corny, but it definitely is one game at a time.” Huff said. “The way this conference has been, it’s crazy this year. The next game is our most important game.”

The next game doesn’t get any easier for the Green and White. It will host Northern Colorado today at 7 p.m. at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

“We got another game here against Northern Colorado who we saw earlier in the season.” Webb said. “That was a tough loss for us, I mean they really punked us. We got blown out, so that one is a big one for us.”

UND sits second in the Big Sky Conference at 11-7 in conference play, while Northern Colorado is right behind it at 10-8. The winner of the game likely will get the second seed, and not have to face conference leading Weber State until the championship game.

After the grudge match at the Betty, UND will fly to Southern Utah two days later to play the

Thunderbirds, who have not won a conference game this season.

This team knows it can make history. But in order to do that, it has to have the right mentality to win it all.

“The biggest game is your next game,” Webb said. “Like today, this is a nice win, but it is over now, and now we are looking forward to Northern Colorado.”

Alex Stadnik is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].