Trey Eaglestaff UND Athletics/Susan Knutson

Fighting Hawks Roll to 99-78 Win Over Mavericks

Game Recap: Men’s Basketball | 2/8/2024 9:51:00 PM | Josh McSwain, FightingHawks.com

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – For the first time since the 1994-95 season, the North Dakota men’s basketball team has won seven straight games in conference play. Not only did tonight’s win over Omaha give the green and white its first seven game conference winning streak of the Division I era, but its first seven game winning streak as a DI team overall as the last seven game winning streak came in the 2007-08 season—the final season playing in Division II.

For the first time since 2020, three Fighting Hawks scored 20+ points. Treysen Eaglestaff led the team with 28, followed by B.J. Omot with 26 and Tyree Ihenacho with 22. Amar Kuljuhovic grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the way on the glass, the fourth time in the last five games that he has posted 10+ rebounds. Ihenacho led with four assists while Eaglestaff led with three steals.

Early in the first half the score was tied at 4-4, but Ihenacho made the next basket that started a 9-0 run for NoDak and the Fighting Hawks never looked back. Ihenacho scored ten of the first 16 points for UND and ten of the first 22 overall, and from there the hosts never let Omaha get back into the game and took a 20-point lead into intermission at 51-31.

In the second half the lead for UND went up to as many as 30 as the game never reached single digits. Eaglestaff got a fitting curtain call as he hit a three pointer to close out his night before making way for the substitutes, who saw out the 21 point win.

The Fighting Hawks will close out a three game homestand on Saturday afternoon, hosting Kansas City at 1 p.m.

Postgame Notes 

• Eaglestaff tied his career high with 28 points, making four threes to run his streak to 21 games with at least one made shot from beyond the arc.
• The 51 points scored in the first half is the third half in which the Fighting Hawks scored at least 50 this season and the most of any first half this season.
• Eli King made two three pointers—his fourth game of the season with multiple hits from downtown.
• Eaglestaff tied his career high with three steals.
• Brady Danielson scored five points and Tstone Tsartsidze scored three. Tsartsidze grabbed seven boards.
• Elijah Brooks got on the scoresheet with two points, his first points since Kansas City on January 13, Mambourou Mara also saw the floor for the first time since January 11 at Omaha and scored two points.
• Brian Mathews picked up a rebound, assist and blocked shot in seven minutes of action.

How It Happened 

First Half

14:42 – UND 13, Omaha 4

11:29 – UND 21, Omaha 9

7:35 – UND 29, Omaha 15

3:34 – UND 40, Omaha 26

Half – UND 51, Omaha 31

Second Half

14:11 – UND 58, Omaha 37

11:28 – UND 64, Omaha 48

6:54 – UND 77, Omaha 58

3:57 – UND 90, Omaha 65

Final – UND 99, Omaha 78

North Dakota holds on to 83-81 win at Omaha

Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | 2/8/2024 10:12:00 PM | Ethan Erdman, FightingHawks.com

OMAHA, Neb. – The North Dakota women’s basketball team earned its third road victory of the season Thursday night, 83-81 over Omaha at Baxter Arena.

After Omaha opened up the second quarter with an 11-0 run, forcing a UND timeout, the Hawks roared back by outscoring the Mavericks 27-11 over the final eight minutes of the first half. North Dakota closed the half on a 19-3 run and received points from five different players during the stretch to carry a  49-38 lead into the locker room. Kiera Pemberton was a catalyst for the UND offense during the run, scoring eight of the 19 UND points. The Hawks were nearly perfect inside the arc, connecting on 12-of-13 two-point attempts in the frame, and went 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. All three of UND’s free throws were and-one conversions with two courtesy of Pemberton and one from Fatima Ibrahim.

UND Athletics/Mark Kuhlmann

Five straight points from Mikayla Aumer to start the fourth quarter, started a 9-2 run as UND pulled ahead 67-66 after the first two minutes. The lead flipped hands twice in the ensuing possessions, and after an Omaha and-one, they would hold the lead until the two-minute mark when a Kiyah Hurst jumper gave NoDak an 81-80 edge. A pair of clutch free throws from Beal with 1:34 left in the game would prove to be the difference, as Omaha’s game tying shot was off the mark and UND held on to the win.

Borowicz just missed her fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and nine rebounds. The senior guard also dished out five assists. Pemerton matched Borowicz’s point total with 18 points of her own on 8-of-13 shooting and eight boards. Aumer chipped in 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The Fighting Hawks received 21 points from their bench unit, led by Rakiyah Beal’s eight.

North Dakota opened the contest with back-to-back triples from Aumer and Borowicz, but the Mavericks countered with a pair of and-one opportunities, with one conversion, as the Hawks held a 6-5 early lead. The score was tied once, briefly in the opening minutes of the quarter, but the Hawks regained the lead after a Borowicz triple and would hold the advantage for the remaining eight minutes of the period. Pemberton and Borowicz controlled the boards in the opening 10 minutes, as each pulled down five rebounds and one offensive board.

After a red-hot second quarter where the Hawks shot .750 percent from the field, it was difficult to build momentum after flipping ends of the court following the halftime intermission. UND shot 2-of-9 from the field and 5-for-10 from the free throw line in the third, while Omaha shot .583 percent from the floor and 11-of-15 at the charity stripe. However, the Hawks trailed by just six points going into the fourth, a deficit they would quickly erase.

North Dakota continues its road trip Saturday when they face Kansas City in the Swinney Center.

Postgame Notes 

• Kacie Borowicz scored in double-figures for the 14th game in a row
• Mikayla Aumer tied her career-high of 15 points, a mark she set two games prior against South Dakota
• The Fighting Hawks had an edge in rebounding 35-33
• UND shot .541 percent from the field and tallied 34 points in the paint
• North Dakota is now 7-1 when holding a lead at halftime and 4-1 when scoring 80+ points
• NoDak is now 57-11 all-time against the Mavericks
• The Mavericks shot .439 percent from the field and 6-of-20 from deep
• Omaha earned 34 free throw attempts and connected 25 times

How It Happened 
Q1: UND 22, Omaha 16
Q2: UND 49, Omaha 38
Q3: Omaha 64, UND 58
Q4: UND 83, Omaha 81