Grand Forks ND (University of North Dakota) – The North Dakota men’s basketball team fell in a high-scoring affair on Sunday afternoon to CSUN by a score of 93-85. The Hawks drop to 0-3 on the season while CSUN improves to 2-1.

North Dakota trailed by as many as 15 in the second half but outscored the Matadors 34-28 over the final 13:06 of the game, including getting the deficit down to as little as one on four different occasions, lastly when UND trailed 82-81 with 2:16 to play.

Greyson Uelmen had a career game, totaling 24 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 3-of-4 from behind the arc. The most points by a freshman since Dec. 22, 2021, when Paul Bruns had 27 against North Dakota State.

Three other players scored in double-figures, with Anthony Smith lll recording 15 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals. Eli King had 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals, snatching his 100th carer steal. Zach Kraft remained hot from deep, logging 11 points on 4-of-7 and 3-of-6 from deep.

For the third consecutive game, UND attempted more field goal attempts than its opponent, as the Hawks shot a season best 47.7% from the field (31-of-65), including 17-of-33 in the second half. UND had just eight turnovers compared to 16 from the Matadors.

NoDak came out hot early on, jumping out to a 5-0 lead, all points that Uelmen accounted for, first dishing an assist to Josh Jones and then splashing a three-ball.

UND led by as many as six, clinging to a lead for the first 8:47 of the game where they held a 16-14 advantage with 11:13 to play.

The rest of the half was back and forth, featuring six lead changes from that point. With 2:45 to play in the half, Jones connected on two free throws to tie the game up at 35-35. North Dakota then slumped into the half, conceding a 9-2 run to end the first, as the Matadors controlled a 44-37 lead at the break.

CSUN blitzed the Hawks out of the locker room, opening up the second on a 13-5 run, giving the Matadors their largest lead at 57-42 with 16:24 to play.

Coach Sather rallied the troops, with the Hawks cutting the deficit to 67-57 with 10:39 to play in the game.

NoDak trailed 70-63 with 8:38 to play, but two King steals directly led to five UND points, the first one leading to a Smith lll fastbreak layup and the second one translating to a fastbreak Garrett Anderson three-ball from the right wing, which was assisted by King to make it 70-68 with 8:06 remaining.

Following two made free throws from Uelmen with 2:16 to go, the Hawks trailed just 82-81. CSUN responded as Josiah Davis converted on a layup after being fouled by Jones, putting the Matadors up 84-81 with a chance to make it a two-possession game. Davis missed the free throw, but CSUN corralled the offensive rebound, resulting in Davis scoring a bucket. The Matadors four-point possession gave them an 86-81 lead with 1:51 to play.

That was a tough obstacle for UND to overcome, as North Dakota was unable to cut it to a one-possession game the rest of the way. The Hawks would fall 93-85, despite 48 second half points.

North Dakota will be back in action to conclude its three-game homestand on Tuesday against Mayville State at 7 p.m.

Postgame Notes

  • North Dakota falls to 0-1 all-time against CSUN
  • Uelmen recorded 24 points on 7-of-9 shooting, the most points by a freshman since Dec. 22, 2021 (Paul Bruns)
  • King recorded his 100th career steal, giving him 9 steals through three games
  • The Hawks have recorded 32 steals through their first three games of the season
  • UND won the turnover battle, only having eight compared to 16 from CSUN
  • NoDak is averaging 8.3 more shot attempts than their opponent through three games this season
  • UND shot a season best 47.7% from the field today and connected on eight three-pointers
  • Kraft went 3-for-6 from behind the arc today, he now is 9-for-19 (47.4%) on the year from deep
  • Smith lll followed up Thursdays 17-point performance with 15 points, six assists, four rebounds and two steals
  • Micah Curtis scored his first career collegiate basket
  • Larry Hughes ll went 6-of-7 from deep for CSUN
  • UND outscored CSUN 34-28 over the last 13:06 of the game, totaling 48 points in the second half

How It Happened
1st Half
15:46 UND 7, CSUN 6
11:41 UND 16, CSUN 12
7:38 UND 24, CSUN 22
3:18 UND 33, CSUN 33
Half CSUN 44, UND 37

2nd Half
16:22 CSUN 57, UND 42
11:18 CSUN 67, UND 55
4:15 CSUN 80, UND 77
Final CSUN 93, UND 85