Denver
With the game coming down to the last minute, North Dakota State could not end up on top against Denver last Thursday falling by the score of 78-70.
NDSU senior Boden Skunberg contributed 15 points and six rebounds, Jacari White ended with 14 points and two steals, and Damari Wheeler-Thomas had 12 points and four assists.
The first half concluded with a score of 37-34 with the Pioneers on top. Five minutes into the second half, a shot by White gave NDSU the lead. After that, the two teams traded the lead 11 more times in the second half. With four minutes remaining in the game, White sunk a three to give the Bison the lead at 64-60. Following that, Denver scored seven straight points. Although the Bison had defeated the Pioneers 11 times in a row before Thursday night, they could not maintain it after Denver’s Tommy Bruner made a three-pointer with just one minute left making the Pioneers keep their advantage till the end.
Overall, NDSU struggled at the three-point line making 5-24 (21 percent) and shooting 44 percent from the field. Denver shot 54 percent from the field and 30 percent from three.
Oral Roberts
After suffering a tough loss against Denver, the Bison took the dub two days later against Oral Roberts 72-67 on Saturday, January 20.
Boden Skunberg led the Bison against the Golden Eagles by earning a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Andrew Morgan earned 14 points, 13 rebounds, and a team-high of four assists. Noah Fedderson also contributed to the win by matching his season-high of 18 points and shooting 7 for 11 (3-4 from three-point range).
In a game that consisted of multiple lead changes and plenty of aggression in the first half, Morgan made a free throw with four seconds left giving NDSU a four-point advantage at halftime with a score of 33-29. With the Golden Eagles up by two with 1:30 left, the Bison responded on the next possession with a made three by Skunberg. Following that, Morgan made a free throw and layup with Tajavis Miller and Skunberg both going two for two at the free throw line to seal the win. NDSU led for over 25 minutes in the game that featured eight ties and 11 lead changes.
The Bison shot 40 percent from the field goal and 45 percent from the three-point range. NDSU is now 9-11 overall and 2-3 in the Summit League.
The Bison will head into the cities on Thursday, January 25 to match up against St. Thomas at Schoenecker Arena.