It was a packed crowd inside the SHAC for an in-state rivalry between (8-14) UND and (15-6) NDSU. Don’t be fooled by the record; UND is a dangerous team. It was a 91% full crowd of 5,198 people to watch this battle, a back-and-forth duel as the Bison led 32-30 with 3:56 left in the first half thanks to three 3-pointers from Jacari White in that span. The Bison had a lead of up to eight with momentum heading into the second half before Treysen Eaglestaff was fouled on a 3-pointer and drained it. He made the free throw for a shock on the Bison side heading into half as their lead was down to 41-37. The second half got off to a hot start as Jacari White made a pair of free throws followed by a 3-pointer and then a jumper for seven straight points to make it a 51-45 lead with 16:25 left. The Bison were hot from the 3-point line all game long, and Masen Miller, Jackson Moni, and Tajavis Miller all resulted in a 64-52 lead, which looked like the Bison would pull away.
Like UND did all game, they kept pushing for a comeback. UND went on a 13-4 run to cut it down to a one-point lead for the Bison, 68-67. Noah Fedderson got himself a pair of free throws, followed by the hot-handed Masen Miller draining a three-pointer to get the lead to five. Each team would trade off seven points to make it 79-74 with 3:37 left. UND would follow that with a layup, and then an offensive lull as no points were scored for nearly two minutes. Each team would get layups to trade off points. UND would make a pair of free throws followed by a Jackson Moni layup when UND took a timeout with 0:25 left in the game, and it was 81-78 Bison. Moni would hit two very crucial free throws when the Bison had an 83-78 lead, and UND needed a desperation shot, and they got it. Dariyus Woodson nailed a long three to cut it to a two-point lead. Masen Miller and Jackson Moni would both get to the free throw line in the final 20 seconds to put the dagger in the Fighting Hawks to get the Bison to 16-6 and 5-2 in conference play. NDSU is now tied with the Jackrabbits for third place.
The Bison will take on SDSU on Thursday at 7 p.m. to take a commanding lead of 3rd place in the conference. This will be an absolute battle and should be a near sellout, much like the UND game being rivals. Following that game, the Bison will travel to St. Thomas, Kansas City, and Omaha. St. Thomas and Omaha are the only two teams ahead of them, and it will be a crucial opportunity for them to gain games in the Summit League. The remaining schedule after that will be at home with Oral Roberts and Denver, then on the road to rival SDSU and UND, and then the regular season finale with South Dakota at the SHAC. If you’re planning on going to a Men’s Basketball game anytime soon, this Thursday will be the perfect opportunity, as the Men’s team won’t be back home for two weeks when they take on Oral Roberts on Feb. 13th.
The Summit League standings now stand as: Omaha (7-0), St Thomas (6-1), NDSU (5-2), SDSU (5-2), USD (3-4), Kansas City (2-5), UND (2-6), Denver (1-6), Oral Roberts (1-6). If the season ended today, the Bison would be taking on Kansas City in the first round. Lots of season to go as the Bison can move up or down.