No. 1 NDSU holds off North Dakota for men’s title

· Yahoo Sports

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (SUMMIT LEAGUE) – North Dakota State’s single-season record 27th win of the season punched the program’s ticket to the NCAA Tournament as the Bison again proved its class, besting No. 3 seed North Dakota 70-62 in the Summit League Men’s Basketball Championship tournament title game Sunday at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

With the win, the Bison advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time since 2020 as Championship MVP Damari Wheeler-Thomas paced the Bison with 19 points and six rebounds, while reserve Tay Smith added 13 points and Andy Stefonowicz 11.

UND started fast to the tune of a 7-2 edge and NDSU answered with a 13-2 burst in a first half that was back-and-forth.

The Fighting Hawks would come all the way back thanks to the play of redshirt freshman Greyson Uelmen, who scored 14 of his game-high 24 points in the first on 5-of-5 shooting from the field. Reggie Thomas hit a 3-pointer with just over two minutes to go but NDSU tallied the next eight points to gain some separation once again before halftime.

They made seven 3-pointers in the first half to help the cause with Smith drilling four of them.

UND did not let the Bison pull away, who had built a 13-point lead with 3:23 to go. From there, the Fighting Hawks scored nine straight to provide a late scare before Noah Feddersen drained NDSU’s 10th triple of the game to put the game out of reach.

Guard Zach Kraft joined Uelmen in double figures, adding 19 points with four 3-pointers.

Turning Point
With the scored tied 30-30, the Bison scored the last eight points of the opening half to reclaim the lead for good.  Wheeler-Thomas and Smith sandwiched an alley-oop layup from Markhi Strickland over the final 2:10.

All-Tournament Team
Noah Feddersen, North Dakota State
Eli King, North Dakota 
Nolan Minessale, St. Thomas
Greyson Uelmen, North Dakota
Demari Wheeler-Thomas (MVP)

Inside the Box Score 

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  • The Bison won on the boards with a 41-33 edge in rebounds, including 12 on the offensive glass that led to a decisive 12-3 advantage in second-chance points.
  • Wheeler-Thomas led the Bison with 19 points and ran his double-digit scoring streak to nine in a row as the Bison won their first tournament title since defeating these same Fighting Hawks in 2020 and sixth overall since joining the Division I ranks.
  • Smith hit 4-of-5 from deep in the opening half to help stake the Bison to a 38-30 lead at the break.


News & Notes

  • This was NDSU’s 10th appearance in the title game in the past 14 seasons with the Bison now 6-4 in those contests.
  • NDSU’s Stefonowicz and UND’s Uelmen were high school classmates — the duo helped Minnetonka win the Minnesota Class 4A state championship in 2024.
  • This was the third time the Fighting Hawks have been the No. 3 seed in Sioux Falls since joining the Summit League prior to the 2018-19 season — the run to the title game was their second overall and furthest advancement from the 3-line.  The program’s previous title-game appearance came as the No. 6 seed in 2020.
  • This was a rematch of the 2020 Summit tournament championship game where NDSU prevailed 89-53. The Fighting Hawk were seeking their first Summit tourney title after winning the Big Sky Tournament title in 2017 to go to the DI Big Dance for the first time in program history. 
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