North Dakota
Offense clicks in first half, but UND men's basketball drops fourth straight 97-87
GRAND FORKS — The UND men’s basketball team’s 97-87 loss to Northern Colorado Wednesday was a tale of two halves.
The Hawks led for the first 15 minutes, 35 seconds of the game, extending their lead by as many as seven points. UND started the half shooting 75% from the floor. Treysen Eaglestaff led the Hawks with 17 points. B.J. Omot had 12 points, and Tyree Ihenacho added eight points and four rebounds.
UND went into halftime trailing 51-49 after Brady Danielson’s put-back buzzer beater.
The Hawks got a stop on Northern Colorado’s first possession of the second half and scored on the other end to tie it at 51.
Then the game started to unravel.
UND watched as the Bears extended their lead in the Hawks’ first game of the Summit League-Big Sky Challenge. Northern Colorado guard Jaron Rillie scored eight points in the first 10 minutes of the half. The Bears continued to shoot over 57% from the floor, connecting on tough shots.
“We’re trying to find that confidence, that swagger, that feeling back, as far as we can go out there and get the stop we need and get the bucket we need,” UND coach Paul Sather said. “Tonight, we got some buckets, but, man, we didn’t get a lot of stops.”
The Hawks didn’t connect on a 3-pointer until 2 minutes, 40 seconds left in the game. Ihenacho hit both of UND’s first two threes of the half before fouling out.
UND ended shooting 40% and 3-for-14 from three.
“What was really working for us was ball movement, player movement, cutting, screening, attacking, not really first side shots or quick threes,” Sather said. “Sometimes we got to the rim and just didn’t finish. There’s a few of those in the second half that, as good as we were playing offensively, I thought we got away from what we were doing really well.”
Northern Colorado came up empty-handed from three in the second half, finishing 0-for-3.
Northern Colorado was led by Rillie with 30 points and four rebounds. Saint Thomas ended with a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Eaglestaff led UND with 24 points. Ihenacho had 23 points and five rebounds, and Omot, who played all 40 minutes, had 19 points and seven rebounds. Danielson added 10 points.
UND had just four points off the bench. Eli King and Brian Mathews each had two points in the first half.
The loss is UND’s fourth in a row. The team isn’t “going in different directions,” Sather said, and they know what it will take to turn the season around.
“It’s going to take all of us,” Danielson said. “It happens in every season. No matter what sport you play, you’re going to go through ups and downs. It’s just sticking to it, sticking to what our coaches are telling us and just, as a group, collectively doing it on the offensive, defensive end together, and not trying to do it one-on-one individually.”
Amar Kuljuhovic was out with an injury he sustained in practice.
“I’m hoping it’s more day to day, but it’s a little bit early to really know when he’ll be back,” Sather said. “He came back from break fighting some sickness and played two games when he was really sick, and then he got hurt at practice. He’s just been grinding coming back.”
The Hawks head to Flagstaff, Ariz., to take on Northern Arizona Saturday, Jan. 6 in the second game of the Summit League-Big Sky Challenge.
“There’s always excuses you could let creep in because those things make you feel better,” Sather said. “But the truth is, we have to be more willing to work harder, longer, faster, more connected, more engaged. Toughness wise, we lost a lot of one-on-one battles tonight. The truth is, let’s toughen up. The truth is, let’s be more connected. The truth is, as coaches and as a team, let’s keep finding ways to try to improve and get better.”
Submitted Photo
U.S. soldiers with the Nebraska and North Dakota National Guards, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, pose for a group photo at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, April 28. N.D. National Guard 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, front row, far left, served as the officer in charge of the mission when soldiers assigned to JTF-DC responded to the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner April 25. About 2,500 National Guard members are supporting the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department to help ensure the safety of residents, commuters and visitors throughout the District. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas Norris.
WASHINGTON – U.S. soldiers with the North Dakota, Arkansas and Nebraska Army National Guard, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, responded to a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (WHCAD) at the Washington Hilton in Northwest Washington April 25.
The Guardsmen were at the WHCAD at the request of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) as an additional patrol unit created specifically for the event, which celebrates the contribution of news organizations and independent journalists alike who provide notable coverage relating to the presidential administration.
“Our mission was to assist the U.S. Secret Service with crowd control,” said Capt. Kevin Peatrowsky, an operations officer with the Nebraska National Guard (NENG) assigned to JTF-DC.
As the Guardsmen were monitoring their area of operations, they saw USSS agents sprint toward the hotel entrance.
“They were running full speed with their weapons drawn,” said Sgt. 1st. Class Allen Haney, a team member with the Arkansas National Guard. “We immediately followed suit.”
Staff Sgt. Kirsten Confer, a NENG combat medic and battle captain, recalled her response to the incident: “We fell back on our basic training. You run toward danger and move in a way that makes sense for the situation.”
According to Confer, the Guardsmen entered the hotel and immediately began securing the scene and ensured that the guests evacuated safely. At the direction of a federal agent, Confer began a rapid trauma assessment on the suspect which resulted in finding knives and ammunition on the shooter. Simultaneously, the Arkansas soldiers moved outside to provide crowd control at a pedestrian barricade outside the hotel.
“From there, we assisted wherever we could,” said 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, a National Guardsman from North Dakota who served as the officer in charge for the mission. “We were initially helping with crowd control. After that, we realized that the USSS had begun rerouting everyone in the hotel, so we moved to the doors. We were controlling entry into the venue, so we had moved a couple more people outside, so we had five inside, eight outside.” Both Arkansas and Nebraska worked well alongside one another and, alongside the federal agencies. Hill also noted that relying on his soldiers allowed him to move to different teams, which helped allow him to plan and coordinate with different agencies.
According to 1st Lt. Jonathan Goins, a platoon leader with the Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas soldiers also helped establish a security perimeter for the staging of the presidential motorcade. Later, the team assisted federal agencies and MPD with crowd control, which helped clear the way for the president and administration officials, he said.
“Guardsmen on this mission represent the very best of the nation,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, the interim commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard. “The world got a brief glimpse, but I see them each day serving and doing amazing things across the District.”
FARGO, N.D. (KELO) — The Sioux Falls Stampede staved off elimination with a 2-1 overtime win over the Fargo Force in game four of the USHL Western Conference Finals Saturday night.
Thomas Zocco scored the game-winner 12 minutes into the extra period. Arseni Marchenko put Fargo on the board first in the first period. Noah Mannausau tied the game for the Herd in the second period.
Sioux Falls outshot Fargo 53-49, including 9-5 in overtime. Linards Feldbergs made 48 saves.
Three of the four games of the series have gone to overtime. The winner-take-all game five is Tuesday at the Premier Center.
New ballot measure guide to be mailed to North Dakota voters ahead of election
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