Omaha’s Fiery Offense Overwhelms Hawks in League Debut

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Sophomore guard Mier Panoam achieved a career-high 24 points on a career-best eight successful shots, yet Omaha never fell behind on Thursday night within the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center as the Mavericks utilized hot shooting in the first half and a 50% performance from three-point territory for the matchup to defeat North Dakota 95-85 in the Summit League opener for both squads.
 
Omaha (7-9, 1-0 SL) commenced the game on a 7-0 surge as the Hawks committed three turnovers which placed them in an early deficit, but UND bounced back and made their following five shots to narrow the gap to 12-11 at the under-16 media break with 14:09 left before halftime. The Mavericks’ lead was merely four points at the under-12 timeout, but by the under-8 break, the margin had expanded to twelve as UNO stood at 30-18.
 
The final media timeout of the period found the Mavericks ahead 38-28 with a shooting percentage of 70% from the floor, while the Hawks had only managed to convert two of their 13 attempts from long distance. In the last four minutes, UNO brought a 45-34 edge into halftime shooting 30% better than the Hawks during the first twenty minutes.
 
The Hawks responded in the second half, launching a 6-0 run in under 90 seconds to cut the lead to five, 49-44, at the 16:11 mark. That push was ignited by Panoam who netted eight points; all derived from hard, contact-driven drives to the basket. UND completed the latter twenty minutes with a 51.6% efficiency from the field.
 
Two free throws from junior guard Treysen Eaglestaff narrowed the gap for UND to a possession at 49-46 with 15:43 remaining, but that was as near as the Hawks would come to the UNO advantage. The Mavericks netted several counter attempts from three in the remaining 15 minutes of gameplay along with converting 8-of-12 from the free-throw line in the last 2:30 of play to fend off any potential UND rally.
 
North Dakota resumes action on Saturday with an early afternoon matchup against St. Thomas as Summit League competition continues. The Hawks host the Tommies for the 19^th encounter historically in a sequence that commenced in January 1923. The teams shared last season’s regular season series, with each visiting team securing a win. UND holds the series advantage at 10-8, while it’s locked at 3-3 since both became league adversaries beginning with the 2021-22 season, which marked their first contest since 1962. The Hawks stand at 6-3 against UST in Grand Forks.
 
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. from inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center and will be broadcasted on Midco Sports and the Summit League Network. Supporters can follow the live action with Fighting Hawks men’s basketball radio announcer Paul Ralston on KSNR 100.3 FM The Cat or via the iHeart Radio application. Live statistics for the game will be available at www.FightingHawks.com.
 
Postgame Insights

• North Dakota established a season high in free throws made with 22 and equaled its season-high with 30 attempts
• This marked the third game this season with 20 or more shots made from the free-throw line
• Eaglestaff and Panoam each converted eight free throws: the highest by any Hawk in a single game this season
• Panoam recorded a career-high 24 points on a personal best of eight successful shots
• UND’s 14 offensive rebounds signify the 15^th consecutive game with 12 or more boards, and the Hawks have now surpassed an opponent in rebounding ten times this season
• UND’s 15 assists stood as the second-highest total in a game this season
• Panoam contributed seven rebounds and five assists
• Senior forward Amar Kuljuhovic netted a dozen points and ended with eight rebounds, one assist, and a steal
• Junior forward Dariyus Woodson scored ten points, rounding up the four double-figure scorers from the Hawks
• Junior guard Eli King added seven rebounds, four assists, and a steal
• Eaglestaff’s 15 points enhances his ongoing double-figure scoring streak to 22 games
• With his single successful three-pointer, Eaglestaff now leads in made trifectas among Hawks that completed their entire careers at the DI level
• Kraft recorded his fourth game with three or more made three-pointers, finishing with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from long range
• North Dakota was unable to contain Marquel Sutton’s 27-point performance and Tony Osburn’s 20-point outing
• The defeat brings UND’s record in Summit League openers to 3-5
• UND’s tally against Summit League competitors under Sather moves to 33-52

 
How It Unfolded
 
First Half
14:09 – UNO 12, UND 11 (UND 5-of-last-5 FGs; UNO 7-0 start, 3 UND TOs)
10:25 – UNO 20, UND 16 (UNO 6-of-last-8 FGs, UNO +6 paint)
7:30 – UNO 30, UND 18 (UNO 5-of-last-6 FGs; UND 1-of-last-8 FGs, no FGs last 3:20)
3:55 – UNO 38, UND 28 (UNO 70% FG; UND 2-of-13 3PT)
HALF – UNO 45, UND 34
 
Second Half
16:11 – UNO 49, UND 44 (UND 6-0 run over 1:23)
11:18 – UNO 61, UND 53 (UND 5-of-last 7 FGs)
6:47 – UNO 77, UND 64
4:16 – UNO 82, UND 69 (UND no FGs last 3:11)
FINAL – UNO 95, UND 85
 
For additional information regarding North Dakota men’s basketball, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDmbasketball.

— UND —