“North Dakota’s Exciting Quest: Denver Awaits for the Summit League Adventure!”

North Dakota at Denver || 1/9 (8 p.m.)
16th encounter, UND leads 9-6
Denver, Colo. (Hamilton Gymnasium)

COMPLETE GAME NOTES ARE AVAILABLE

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – North Dakota readies for its inaugural Summit League competition away from Grand Forks as the yearly Denver-Tulsa trip commences Thursday evening in the Mile High City. Similar to the Hawks, the Pioneers are also seeking their first victory in Summit League action. The opening tip-off from Hamilton Gymnasium is scheduled for 8 p.m. Supporters can catch the live broadcast with UND men’s basketball play-by-play announcer Paul Ralston on KSNR 100.3 FM The Cat or via the iHeart Radio app, with the game available for viewing on the Summit League Network. Live statistics will be accessible at www.FightingHawks.com.

SERIES HISTORY

The Hawks face off against the Pioneers in their 16th clash. Last season, UND achieved a sweep over DU and boasts a 4-3 record when playing on their turf, alongside holding an overall series advantage of 9-6. The initial matchup between the two teams took place in March 1992. In Summit League contests, the Hawks lead the series 7-4.  

1) Denver has the third-best three-point shooting percentage in the Summit League at 36.5%, placing them among the top 65 nationally, while also being a strong perimeter defense team with a top three SL ranking at 31.8%.

2) Nicholas Shogbonyo tops the Summit League with a national top 20 ranking in successful free throws, having made 81, and ranks among the top three in free throw attempts (94) and free throw percentage (86.2%).

3) Josh Lee leads the league with 1.75 steals per game, and his total of 28 steals is the second-highest.

4) Three Pioneers are ranked in the league’s top 15 for points per game, led by Shogbonyo at 15.1, followed by DeAndre Craig (13.0) and Sebastian Akins (12.6).

5) DU is shooting 44.2% from the field and averages just under 76 points per game.

6) The Pioneers rank eighth or ninth in every significant rebounding category in the Summit League: rebound margin (-6.4), defensive rebounds per game (21.53), offensive rebounds per game (8.88), and average rebounds (30.41).

LAST TIME OUT

Sophomore guard Mier Panoam recorded his second consecutive 20-point performance and achieved a career-high twelve rebounds, marking his first career double-double, while three additional North Dakota players contributed 14 points each. However, an early deficit proved too challenging for the Fighting Hawks on Saturday afternoon at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, where visiting St. Thomas secured an 88-80 victory in Summit League play.

 

North Dakota (6-11, 0-2 SL) found itself in an early challenge as St. Thomas (12-5, 2-0 SL) launched an 11-0 run, hitting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc before the media timeout at 16 minutes. The Tommies experienced a brief scoring lull, while the Hawks turned to the sharp shooting of redshirt freshman Zach Kraft, who drained his first two three-pointers as part of an 8-0 UND run, narrowing the gap to 17-10 just under the twelve-minute mark.

 

A steal by junior forward Dariyus Woodson, followed by a cross-court drive to the basket, set up a successful three-point attempt by the Texan moments before junior combination player Eli King executed a powerful shot from the corner. This 7-2 surge brought UND within a possession of the UST lead at 21-19 with just under nine minutes prior to halftime.

 

The Tommies countered with a 15-2 run, which culminated just before the final media timeout, extending their lead to 36-21. Despite committing only seven turnovers throughout the afternoon, four occurred during UST’s second significant run of the opening half, leaving the Tommies with a twelve-point advantage at halftime.

 

UND outscored UST 51-47 in the second half on 44% shooting, but the opponents maintained a high shooting percentage of 56.7% from the field, making seven three-pointers. The Hawks whittled away at the UST lead early in the second half to fall behind by just two possessions and sliced the UST advantage from 19 points down to merely seven in the closing half minute.

PEAK CHASIN’

St. Thomas, Kansas City, and Omaha remained undefeated during the Thursday-Saturday stretch to kick off Summit League play, while South Dakota State achieved victory in their sole contest of the weekend. South Dakota is the only team to split its conference games, whereas North Dakota State, Denver, North Dakota, and Oral Roberts aim for their first league triumphs as the second weekend of competition approaches.

In early October, North Dakota was predicted to finish in sixth place in the Summit League preseason ranking. The Hawks were among six teams receiving a first-place vote and accumulated 283 points in an exceptionally competitive Summit League ranking. North Dakota was just 22 points shy of the anticipated No. 5 Oral Roberts, which garnered two first-place votes. St. Thomas narrowly surpassed the Golden Eagles for fourth place, while Kansas City (17), South Dakota State (12), and North Dakota State (3) occupied the top three slots. The team’s sixth-place prediction, the second highest under Sather, is one position back from last season’s fifth-place designation and aligns with the Hawks’ ranking ahead of the commencement of the 2020-21 season.

The nine-member mid major league compiled a collective non-conference record of 69-64. Four Summit League teams, North Dakota included, entered league play on winning streaks, with North Dakota State’s eight-game streak elevating the Bison to the league’s best 11-4 start. Kansas City secured four consecutive victories, while Omaha shares with UND the honors of winning their previous two games.

THE BIG O

Following his remarkable performance against #6 Alabama and a home victory over South Dakota Mines, junior guard Treysen Eaglestaff was recognized as the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week for the second time this season and the fifth time in his career. 

Moreover, Eaglestaff’s performances were acknowledged on a national level as he was named one of five players to receive the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for the week concluding Sunday, Dec. 22. Joining Eaglestaff were Donovan Dent (New Mexico), Caden Pierce (Princeton), Erik Reynolds (Saint Joseph’s), and Bruce Thornton (Ohio State). He is the first Hawk to earn this honor since the award’s establishment during the 2009-10 season.

DROPPED 40 & PICKED UP 1K

Eaglestaff’s spectacular scoring performance against Alabama culminated with a step-back three-pointer from the corner that not only brought UND within three points of the Crimson Tide’s advantage late in the game, but also secured a scoring record at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, a career-high single-game achievement, and pushed him over the 1,000 career points milestone. He becomes the 39th player in the program’s history to reach this significant landmark and the“`html
12th to accomplish it in UND’s Division I era (2008-09).

LEADING SCORER

Eaglestaff stands as the leading scorer in the Summit League, averaging 19.4 points per game (24th DI) and ranks eighth nationally in total points with 330. He is positioned 12th in the country for field goals (112) and tenth in field goal attempts (252), both of which lead the Summit League.

Additionally, he holds the 18th position nationally in three-point attempts (123) and ranks 38th in three-point conversions (44). His average of 2.59 made three-pointers per game is the second-highest in the league.

Eaglestaff has scored in double digits for all 17 games this season, surpassing the 20-point threshold in seven of them. He concluded his sophomore season with double-digit scoring in the last six games, marking an active streak of 23 games with 10+ points.

CHASE FOR RECORDS

Eaglestaff is aiming for a higher position in the program’s record books as he currently holds the eighth spot in career three-pointers with 181, making him the leader in made three-pointers among players who completed their entire career during UND’s D1 era. The Bismarck native is just 19 made threes away from becoming the fourth player in program history to achieve 200 career made three-pointers. Furthermore, Eaglestaff has surged into third place all-time on the Hawks’ D1 three-point attempt list and ranks sixth on the all-time list. He continues to ascend the scoring charts, sitting at #39 with 1,067 career points, which is just 33 points shy of breaking into the program’s top 35.

KRAFTHREE

Residents of Grand Forks and the surrounding Red River Valley are well-acquainted with the game of redshirt freshman guard Zach Kraft. For those who aren’t aware, it’s time to take notice. The former standout at Red River HS quickly emerged as a vital contributor off the bench for North Dakota throughout December.

Kraft made his collegiate debut in the season opener against Colorado State and scored his first career points against Dickinson State in Bismarck. Over his first nine games with the Fighting Hawks, he played just over 48 minutes, attempted seven shots (six of which were from deep), converted two, and added two rebounds and two assists.

Then came Alabama. Kraft made a significant impact, scoring nine crucial points from beyond the arc in the match against the Crimson Tide. He entered the game with two made three-point attempts in his brief career and proceeded to hit three triples, complemented by a steal during a career-high 18 minutes on the court. His first shot brought the Hawks to a 19-12 lead at the 11:27 mark of the first half; his second three bolstered UND’s lead to four at 32-28 with 4:44 to go before halftime, and his last trifecta narrowed the Hawks’ second-half deficit to five, serving as a critical shot in response to a 14-2 Alabama run.

In the last five games, Kraft has accumulated over 82 minutes (averaging 16.5 mpg) and is shooting at a rate of 42.9% from the field (15-of-35) alongside a 44.1% efficiency (15-of-34) from three-point territory. He has made at least two three-pointers in each of his last five games, including personal bests of four made three-pointers and 12 points in the non-conference finale victory against Waldorf.

1KULJUHOVIC

Senior forward Amar Kuljuhovic achieved a personal landmark at Utah Valley. The Waterloo, Iowa native surpassed the 1,000 career points threshold during his collegiate journey with a 13-point performance against the Wolverines. He accumulated 624 points in two seasons at Lake Land College, and currently has 434 points in 48 games as a Fighting Hawk.

The scoring milestone isn’t the only one approaching for Kuljuhovic; he is 105 rebounds short of 1,000 for his career. He collected 511 at LLC and currently possesses 384 as a Fighting Hawk, including 135 offensive rebounds.

Kuljuhovic’s rebounding efforts through 17 games rank him third in total rebounds among Summit League players with 117. He also ranks third in offensive rebounds per game (3.06) and fourth in rebounding average (6.9). Additionally, Kuljuhovic is fifth in free throw attempts with a team-high 77 and tenth in made free throws with 50.

DARIYUS FROM DEEP

First-year Fighting Hawk Dariyus Woodson, a TJC transfer from Baytown, Texas, boasts a pair of top 10 standings among Summit League three-point shooters as league play begins. Woodson is ranked third in the SL for three-point attempts (104) and eighth for makes (32). His average of 2.00 three-pointers made per game ranks 12th in the SL, while his overall scoring average of 11.5 ppg places him among the top 20 scorers in the league.

AWAY HAWKS

Eight out of North Dakota’s 15 non-conference games were held outside of the state. UND’s encounter with Eastern Washington concluded a five-game stretch away from Grand Forks, during which three of the five matches were true road contests. The Hawks’ west coast showdown with Loyola Marymount marked the first occasion in program history in which UND men’s basketball competed in all four time zones of the continental United States prior to December.

Including the in-state neutral site face-off against Dickinson State in Bismarck, the Hawks traveled nearly 11,000 miles within the first five weeks of the season. The total travel for the Hawks during the first semester surpassed 16,200 miles throughout their non-conference schedule.

BUSY PERIOD

The Hawks navigated a hectic ten-day span before the Christmas break. North Dakota began with a match against UVU in Orem (L, 57-80) and finished the stretch on Friday, December 20 against South Dakota Mines (W, 80-48) in Grand Forks. In between, the Hawks traveled to Texas-San Antonio (Dec. 13; L, 76-80), hosted Texas-San Antonio (Dec. 15; L, 85-95), and engaged #6/7 Alabama right to the end (Dec. 18; L, 90-97) inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

NOW BOARDING

UND has maintained control of the offensive glass in 13 of the squad’s 17 contests, having only been out-rebounded on the offensive boards once.

UND has secured 12+ offensive rebounds in every game except its season opener at Colorado State. Eight Hawks have achieved 10+ offensive boards this season, led by Amar Kuljuhovic with 52. Brian Mathews follows with 37, while Mier Panoam completes the top three with 27.

North Dakota ranks 9th nationally in offensive rebounds per game at 15.00—a statistic that leads the Summit League. The team’s overall rebounding average of 40.29 tops the league and is in the top 35 nationally. Altogether, the Hawks have out-rebounded their opponents eleven times this season.

DOUBLING UP

A Hawk had yet to achieve a double-double of any kind before the Big Sky-Summit Challenge on December 4. However, after a couple of matchups against Big Sky teams, two different Hawks contributed to the double-double count. The subsequent week, two Hawks recorded double-doubles in the road defeat at UTSA, and just two days later, Deng Mayar joined Amar Kuljuhovic as Hawks with two such performances this season.

Amar Kuljuhovic recorded 17 points and 12 rebounds in a road loss at Eastern Washington. He also added two assists and a block in 31 minutes, marking his ninth double-double as a Hawk.

Three nights later, Natsvishvili played 24 minutes and exploded for 12 points and ten rebounds in a standout performance for the sophomore and first-year Hawk. He entered the game having scored just seven points with 11 rebounds across seven games totaling 60 minutes.

Against the Roadrunners,
“`Kuljuhovic achieved his tenth double-double as a Hawk, contributing ten points and 11 rebounds, including nine on the offensive boards. Deng Mayar equaled this performance with ten points and 11 rebounds, of which seven were on the defensive side of the court. Two nights later, Mayar notched a second double-double with 14 points and ten boards.

Most recently, sophomore transfer guard Mier Panoam became the fourth Hawk this season to achieve a double-double, concluding his first such outing with 20 points and 12 rebounds while nearly achieving a triple double by adding six assists. 

FEAR MIER

Panoam has injected significant energy into the Hawks during his first year in Grand Forks, particularly with his capacity to penetrate to the basket. In his initial two Summit League contests, Panoam scored a career-high 24 points with a personal best of eight made field goals, and two nights later, he registered his first career double-double with another twenty-point showing. Panoam ranks second on the team, holding a top 15 scoring average in the Summit League at 12.4 ppg. He features in the top 10 rankings of the league for field goal attempts (171, 9th), rebounds (89, 6th), free throw attempts (74, 7th), and free throw makes (52, 7th), and is accountable for seven of UND’s 18 three-point baskets. His 74 field goals made rank among the top 15 in the Summit League. 

MORE MAYAR

Deng Mayar recorded consecutive double-double performances over a home-and-home series with UTSA. Across two matchups against the Roadrunners, Mayar averaged 27.1 minutes on the court and shot 53.3% (8-of-15) overall, with a 50% (3-of-6) success rate from beyond the arc. He converted 5-of-7 from the charity stripe to average 12.0 points over the two games. Mayar led UND in rebounding, averaging 10.5 boards per contest, including the second-highest number of offensive rebounds with eight. 

THE BOOK OF ELI

Junior Eli King is well-acquainted with navigating a box score. The Caledonia, Minnesota native has been engaged on both ends of the court and has contributed across various aspects for North Dakota in 17 games this season.

King has participated in over 30 minutes of play in ten games this season, achieving a personal-best 37 minutes in the home victory against Weber State. In that triumph, he scored in double digits for the second time this season, racking up a season-high 13 points, accompanied by two rebounds, two steals, and an assist. That double-digit scoring effort marked the 11th of his UND tenure.

In 489 minutes, the second-most among Hawks, King ranks fourth on the squad in offensive rebounds with 24, which includes six against Notre Dame, and holds the third-highest rebounding average at 5.1. His total of 87 rebounds places him ninth in the SL. He has achieved double-digit rebounds in 11 games this season and has recorded three games with three or more steals, including five against Waldorf. He leads the team in steals (24) and is at the forefront for drawing offensive fouls with twelve this season. His steal total ranks third in the Summit League, while his average of 1.41 steals stands fifth. 

UND BY THE NUMBERS

33- The total number of Summit League victories by the Hawks under head coach Paul Sather. The Hawks secured a program-best 10 Summit League victories last season and have achieved seven or more league wins in three seasons under Sather.

9- UND’s national ranking for offensive rebounds per game. The team’s average of 15.00 leads the Summit League. UNT has recorded a dozen or more offensive rebounds in 16 of 17 games this season. The most games with 12+ offensive rebounds under Sather was 17 in the previous season.

5- The number of three-point shots required by junior guard Treysen Eaglestaff to secure fifth place outright on the program’s all-time list. His 181 three-pointers made lead all Hawks who have completed their entire careers at the DI level.

4- The amount of Hawks who have achieved double-doubles this season. Mier Panoam is the latest, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds against St. Thomas, joining Amar Kuljuhovic (2), Deng Mayar (2), and George Natsvishvili.

2- The count of rostered Hawks who have amassed 1,000 collegiate points. Amar Kuljuhovic reached this milestone during his time at Lake Land College over his first two collegiate seasons, achieving the mark at Utah Valley, while Eaglestaff joined him against Alabama.

A UND VICTORY WOULD

» Mark the 10th all-time victory against Denver and the 10th as Summit League rivals

» Enhance UND’s record to 34-53 against Summit League competitors under Sather

» Signify the 21st road victory for the Hawks under Sather

» Represent an improvement over a loss