Hawks Fall Short in Thrilling Finish Against Oral Roberts

TULSA, Okla. – North Dakota’s men’s basketball team was unable to secure a victory against Oral Roberts on Saturday evening at the Mabee Center in a Summit League match that witnessed ten ties and seven lead changes, ultimately falling short as a late three-point shot by Issac McBride, merely the fourth by the hosts all night, extended ORU’s lead in the dying seconds, concluding with the hosts winning 83-79.
 
Sophomore Mier Panoam scored in the paint to bring UND within one at 78-77, and then blocked a driving attempt by McBride two possessions later with 58 seconds remaining, yet the latter would hit a crucial three-pointer after an empty series for the Hawks.
 
Three-pointers by senior Deng Mayar and a couple from junior Dariyus Woodson helped the Hawks seize a 53-50 advantage as the second half clock approached the 15-minute mark, but the Golden Eagles excelled in the paint with 50 total points and missed just twice within the final eight minutes of play after leveling the score at 65.
 
North Dakota had a lead as large as nine points in the first half, marked by the Hawks hitting four early three-pointers that began with a far wing trifecta from Amar Kuljuhovic, who led UND with twelve points in the first twenty minutes. After a few successful three-pointers, the Hawks faced difficulty, going 1-for-8 the remainder of the first half. ORU dominated the paint with two dozen points that contributed to the Golden Eagles’ impressive 59.3% shooting percentage on 27 attempts from the field in the opening half.
 
The Hawks were in front for more than 18 minutes in the first half, but a scoreless stretch in the final 2:11 of the half and a 9-2 ORU run over the last 3:12 sent the hosts into the intermission with the lead.
 

North Dakota is gearing up for a Thursday evening clash in Brookings against South Dakota State before hosting Kansas City on Saturday. The Hawks and the Jackrabbits are set to tip off at 7 p.m. on January 16 inside the First Bank & Trust Arena. The action can be viewed on Midco Sports and the Summit League Network. Fans can follow the live play-by-play with Fighting Hawks men’s basketball radio voice Paul Ralston on KSNR 100.3 FM The Cat or through the iHeart Radio app. Live statistics for the game will be available at www.FightingHawks.com.
 
Postgame Insights

• Kuljuhovic topped UND with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting, along with six rebounds and two assists
• Treysen Eaglestaff trailed with 15 points, while Panoam contributed 13
• Eaglestaff led with five assists, and Panoam matched Kuljuhovic’s rebounding with six
• UND’s 15 offensive rebounds mark the 18^th straight game with 12+ such rebounds
• UND’s 14 defensive rebounds represent a season low
• The Hawks recorded only eight turnovers, committing less than ten in five of their last six games
• UND concluded with a +12 advantage in points from turnovers
• North Dakota could not contain 28 points from McBride and 26 points from JoJo Moore
• ORU registered an opponent-best 60.8% shooting percentage
• The Eagles established season lows for opponents in three-pointers (4) and steals (3)

 
How It Unfolded
 
First Half
14:13 – UND 12, ORU 10 (ORU +8 paint, 0-of-4 3PT FG)
11:53 – UND 20, ORU 16 (UND 3-of-7 3PT FG)
7:24 – UND 31, ORU 24 (UND 4-of-last-5 FG, UND +4 TOs)
3:49 – UND 37, ORU 34
HALF – ORU 43, UND 42
 
Second Half
15:42 – UND 51, ORU 50
10:39 – UND 61, ORU 60
6:40 – UND 67, ORU 67
5:28 – UND 71, ORU 69
3:55 – ORU 75, UND 73
FINAL – ORU 83, UND 79
 
For additional details on North Dakota men’s basketball, visit FightingHawks.com or connect on social media @UNDmbasketball.

— UND —