SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The University of North Dakota defeated Purdue Fort Wayne 73-56 in the Summit League semifinals on Tuesday night.
The Fighting Hawks shot 22-44 from the floor, went 11-24 from the three-point line and dished out 17 assists.
UND senior forward Kienan Walter scored a team-high 20 points and finished 4-7 from beyond the arc.
“His light is about as green as our colors,” said UND head coach Paul Sather on Walter’s shooting performance. “If he got his feet set, it takes him a little while sometimes to get that thing off but if his feet are set and he’s open, he’s a pretty good shooter.”
Fighting Hawks senior guard Marlon Stewart scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half, while shooting 3-5 from the three-point line and dished out 4 assists. Stewart is a tough matchup according to Purdue Fort Wayne head coach Jon Coffman.
“That was the difference, is the attack North Dakota had today and Marlon’s ability to get in the paint, draw attention and then drive kick and get shots, cause they did have better shots then us today,” said Coffman.
This is the first time since late January that UND has won back-to-back games and Sather gives credit to the little details from his squad.
“It’s not like we’re playing out of our mind and just making crazy plays to just win games,” said Sather. “Were doing it with taking care of the ball better, were doing it with good rebounding, trying to guard better and were doing it with some poise and composure on offense.”
It’s the first time a No. 6 seed advanced to the championship game since Chicago State in 2006, when the Summit League was know as the Mid-Continent Conference. A No. 6 seed has never won the conference tournament.
UP NEXT
UND (15-17 overall) will play North Dakota State in the Summit League championship game on Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. The Fighting Hawks and Bison split in the regular season, with each defending home court.
PFW finishes 14-19 overall in their final game as a Summit League member. The Mastodons are heading to compete in the Horizon League for athletics.
Individual Scoring
UND – Walter 20, Stewart 15, Rebraca 14, Allen-Eikens 10, Igbanugo 8, Brown 3, Urbonavicius 3.
PFW – Holba 17, Godfrey 13, Carl 10, Black 8, Patrick 3, DeBerry 3, Billups 2.
SIOUX FALLS, SD – MARCH 8: Filip Rebraca #12 of the North Dakota Fighting Hawks battles for the rebound with Dylan Carl #11 of the PFW Mastodons at the 2020 Summit League Basketball Championship in Sioux Falls, SD. (Photo by Dave Eggen/Inertia)
