Rebraca records double-double; UND drops to 7-8 in league play
OMAHA, Neb. (UND Athletics) — North Dakota rallied from a 16-point deficit in the first half to grab an eventual lead, but it was Omaha who had the final push in a 72-62 win over the Fighting Hawks in men’s basketball on Friday night from Baxter Arena in Omaha.
UND (8-16, 7-8 Summit League) couldn’t quite overcome a slow start, as the Mavericks (3-18, 1-10 Summit League) picked up their 13th straight win over North Dakota in the series dating back to 2007.
Filip Rebraca led the way for the Hawks on both sides of the ball, tallying his 19th career double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds. The junior notched his 32nd straight game in double figures and his eighth contest with at least 20 points this season.
Caleb Nero was the spark off the bench that helped launched the comeback in the second half, pouring in 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three, in 20 minutes of action. Ethan Igbanugo was the final Hawk in double figures, scoring 10 points to go along with three rebounds and a block.
Tyree Ihenacho matched his career-high in rebounds for the second straight game with 11 while the freshman scored four points and had four assists to hit his season average in helpers. Mitchell Sueker also grabbed five boards, scored four points, had an assist and a steal in 20 minutes off the bench.
After averaging a .467 clip over the last eight games and a .508 clip from three over the last six, UND struggled in both of those categories on Friday night. The Hawks shot only .358 from the field and hit 8-of-27 from three for a .296 mark. On the other side, Omaha hit at a .426 rate and made its six threes count in 15 attempts.
It was a slow start for North Dakota out of the gate, as Omaha quickly jumped out to a 17-7 lead following a dunk from Matt Pile less than six minutes into the game. Turnovers proved to be the problem for the visitors in the early going, allowing the Mavericks transition opportunities to allow the lead to grow.
The lead hovered around 10 for the Mavs for a majority of the first half, until a 10-4 run by the hosts stretched the advantage to 39-23 with just over three minutes to play in the opening stanza. UND started to rally after that; however, with a quick four by Rebraca and a bucket from Sueker trimmed the lead down to just eight, 41-33, heading to the halftime break.
Momentum stayed with the visitors as the second half began, with a Rebraca jumper, a pair of free throws by Bentiu Panoam and a triple by Igbanugo off a feed from Rebraca sparked a 7-0 run to open the period and cut the lead down to just one, 41-40, less than three minutes in.
After a bucket by Omaha, UND took its first lead of the game when Igbanguo drilled another three and Nero grabbed the ensuing defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast for the bucket to put the Hawks in front, 45-44, with 14:52 remaining.
The lead changed hands a few times over the middle portion of the second half, but Omaha started to pull away. After a Panoam three trimmed the score to 59-58, UND went scoreless for the next seven minutes while Omaha struck for seven straight points to move in front, 66-58, with just under two minutes to go.
Back-to-back jumpers by Rebraca and Igbanugo again brought it back to four, but the Mavs closed out the game with six straight points to hold on for the 10-point win.
North Dakota will close the regular season on Saturday night against Omaha at 7 p.m. from Baxter Arena.
Game Recap: Men’s Basketball | 2/19/2021 11:21:00 PM | Alec Stocker Johnson, FightingHawks.com
