After a disappointing loss to Weber State last Thursday to begin its homestand, the UND men’s basketball team returned with a 80-69 victory over Idaho State on Saturday at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

Unlike North Dakota’s last homestand in January when it lost three times, last weekend proved the team’s ability to excel in its determination to end the series differently.

“Our guys played with tremendous effort,” UND coach Brian Jones said. “We made the extra pass in the first half and knocked down some open shots. We worked hard prepping for their zone, and it was good to see us execute the game plan.”

Quinton Hooker registered 15 points, nine rebounds and matched his career-high 10 assists to guide his team to a win. Junior Estan Tyler also tallied a game-high 19 points while Terrel de Rouen scored 15 points and Jaron Nash tallied 14.

“Q did a great job of controlling the game,” Jones said. “His numbers were impressive, but what might get overlooked is the job he did defensively on the perimeter. We held Chris Hansen to seven points and one field goal. Last season, he came in here and made six 3-pointers and scored 24 points.”

North Dakota claimed a 37-26 lead at halftime and continued to press its lead as Jaron Nash came out strong to post 14 points and five rebounds.

With its best shooting effort in the Big Sky, UND took down 54 percent of its shots from the field, while Idaho State only shot 36 percent.

The Green and White will resume Big Sky play at 8 p.m. this Thursday on the road against Southern Utah.

Staff report