North Dakota
North Dakota State settles in, beats UND to solidify top spot in Summit League
GRAND FORKS — North Dakota State head coach David Richman knew what his team was up against heading into Saturday afternoon’s game at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
A hostile road environment? Check. A resilient UND team with a proven ability to mount second-half comebacks? Check. A rivalry bout with major implications in the Summit League standings? Check.
The Bison went into halftime trailing by a point. But it didn’t take long for the visitors to establish in the second half that the Fighting Hawks would not get the opportunity for another late rally.
NDSU kicked off the second frame on an 18-5 run, kept its foot on the gas and steamed ahead to an 83-66 win over the Hawks.
“(UND) is tough,” Richman said. “They’re resilient. How many times that they’ve been down double digits? That’s why we stayed on edge the entirety of that second half. Extremely proud of our guys and the way they responded.”
The Bison added some padding to their spot atop the conference standings. They moved to 11-1 in Summit League play and 21-6 overall.
The Hawks moved to 15-14 overall and 9-4 in league play, good for third place. St. Thomas sits at second (20-7, 9-3) with a game against Kansas City on Saturday night.
“We need to keep playing to win,” Richman said. “Kindergarten is for sharing. We want to keep getting better, we want to keep getting better, we want to keep getting better. … We’re in a good spot. I have no interest in being good.”
NDSU’s run in the opening minutes of the second half was highlighted by a handful of resounding dunks from Markhi Strickland.
The senior guard was just one of four Bison who scored in double figures.
“It’s a crazy energy boost,” sophomore guard Andy Stefonowicz said. “I don’t know how he dunks it that hard, but that’s my favorite. When he goes up there, I know he’s dunking it.”
UND, which had begun to force turnovers and find some defensive rhythm near the end of the first half, struggled to contain the Bison’s wide array of offensive weapons in the second.
Stefonowicz shot 5-for-5 from 3-point range and scored a team-high 20 points. Strickland and junior guard Damari Wheeler-Thomas each scored 16 points, while junior forward Noah Feddersen contributed 12.
“Just really disappointed in the second half,” Hawks head coach Paul Sather said. “The toughness side of it, the team aspect stuff, I just didn’t think we were very good about that in the second half. Made a few shots offensively, but I just think that’s what our concern was mostly and we didn’t have the concern or the fight defensively enough. I thought we made it really easy for them. We didn’t put up enough of a fight.”
NDSU also made a living on the boards, outrebounding the Hawks 36-23.
The Bison grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and scored 19 second-chance points. For Sather, it was further proof of the Hawks’ lackluster effort.
“There were a few times where shots went up, and we didn’t really even put a body,” Sather said. “It’s February. You’ve got to play with some physicality, and we didn’t. It’s just a really good reflective number on your effort, when you get (beat in) second-chance points like that.”
UND kept up with NDSU in the first half despite shooting 37% from the field. The Hawks improved with a 50% effort from the field in the second, but it was no match for the Bison’s 64.3%.
Redshirt freshman Greyson Uelmen tried to create a spark with 14 second-half points, but none of his teammates scored more than six points in the final frame.
“I just was really disappointed with our fight,” Sather said. “That’s kind of who we’ve been. And when you don’t have it, it’s a hard one to put your finger on. “
Alex Faber is a sports reporter for the Grand Forks Herald. A Michigan transplant, he graduated from Michigan State University in 2024 with a degree in journalism and minors in history and environmental studies.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Roads in northwest North Dakota are reporting extremely low visibility due to blowing dust and dirt.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol shared photos of an intense dust storm that led to a crash in Williams County on Highway 85 at 1:30 p.m.
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Photo courtesy of the North Dakota Highway Patrol -
Photo courtesy of the North Dakota Highway Patrol
The NDHP is advising the public to stay home if possible, and if you must travel, slow down, turn on your headlights, increase following distance, and be prepared for rapidly changing conditions.
KELOLAND News also received photos from our viewers of dust storms in South Dakota.
WILLIAMS COUNTY, N.D. (Valley News Live) – The North Dakota Highway Patrol is urging drivers in northwest North Dakota to stay off the roads Thursday afternoon as blowing dirt creates near-zero visibility in some areas.
As of 1:30 p.m. Thursday, troopers were reporting low to no visibility in parts of the region, including along Highway 85 in Williams County near mile marker 212, where a crash occurred. The Highway Patrol shared a photo from the crash scene showing extremely reduced visibility.
Officials are asking people to stay home if possible. Those who must travel are urged to slow down, turn on their headlights, leave extra space between vehicles and be prepared for rapidly changing conditions.
Copyright 2026 KVLY. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON — The North Dakota Department of Emergency Services has been recognized for its wildfire prevention efforts with a national Bronze Smokey Bear Award.
“These awardees demonstrate what fire prevention looks like in action,” said U.S. Forest Service Deputy Chief Sarah Fisher. “Their efforts protect lives, support firefighters and make a real difference in communities across the country.”
May is Wildfire Awareness Month, and with North Dakota experiencing another active spring wildfire season, each fire prevented is one that local responders don’t have to put out, underscoring the importance of each individual’s responsibility to work and recreate safely outdoors. The award to the N.D. Department of Emergency Services (NDDES) recognizes its efforts in communicating just that.
The communications team is led by Strategic Communications Chief Alison Vetter and is supported by Autonomous Systems and Communications Specialist Clint Fleckenstein.
According to information from the Forest Service, the team’s creative products are visually appealing, engaging and effective. The “Learn Before You Burn” tagline urges North Dakotans to visit the interactive N.D. Fire Declarations and Burn Restrictions map to learn their local restrictions, fire danger and red flag warnings before burning or recreating outdoors. Vetter and Fleckenstein consistently take initiative to address fire prevention issues proactively and go above and beyond to become the best possible storytellers of wildfire prevention messaging.
Alison Vetter
Their statewide efforts identify unique and effective avenues to communicate these important public safety topics, addressing top human-caused fire causes like open burning and equipment use through reels, interviews, Gas Station TV, visits with local students, and GoodHealthTV kiosks found in local health units, schools and other public buildings.
During the historic October 2024 wildfires, NDDES mobilized the Joint Information Center, responding to the elevated need for education, prevention and response to determine messaging needs in real time. This included topics like publicizing daily fire danger, sharing resources for affected landowners, advocating for defensible space and safety tips, and messaging ways to minimize fire risk when harvesting, hunting, or enjoying the outdoors. Alison and her team worked over the winter of 2024-2025 to identify prevention efforts and causes, and crafted effective communications strategies to reduce wildfire occurrence, which proved necessary into an active spring 2025 fire season as well. After the devastation of the October 2024 wildfires, they created a documentary to highlight the value and appreciation for those who responded to the call and showcase the unique way North Dakota communities show up for one another in crisis.
The 2026 Smokey Bear Awards will be presented at the National Association of State Foresters’ annual meeting in Lexington, Kentucky, in September.
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