GRAND FORKS, N.D.--The Fighting Sioux had five players reach double figures in scoring and every player in the lineup found the scoresheet as UND broke a three-game losing skid with an 84-70 win over the University of Mary tonight at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
UND improves to 11-6 on the season, matching the team's win total from the entire 2006-07 season.
Sophomore guard Travis Bledsoe (Minneapolis, Minn.) matched his season high with 15 points - including a career-high five three-pointers - to lead a Sioux bench that provided 37 points tonight.
Fellow reserve guard Josh Doyle (Sr., Bettendorf, Iowa) hit a three-pointer of his own to give the Sioux a 10-point lead with just under 13 minutes remaining, then Bledsoe took over, hitting four three-pointers in a span of six minutes. His last trey from the top of the key put UND on top 69-53 with 5:55 remaining, the largest Sioux lead to that point.
While Bledsoe was dropping shots from the outside, reserve center Ben Lehnertz (Goodview, Minn.) took over the game in the middle, scoring seven of his career-high 11 points during the game's final minute. Lehnert's two-handed slam, his third of the night, with 1:46 remaining stretched the Sioux lead to 18 and emphatically punctuated the victory.
UND's depth off the bench was the difference throughout the second half, allowing the Sioux to turn a two-point halftime lead into a comfortable 14-point win. At one point, UND's reserves accounted for 22 straight Sioux points in the middle stages of the second half.
Sioux senior forward Emmanuel Little (Chicago, Ill.) enjoyed his second straight double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, throwing in five assists for good measure. Little went 6-for-8 from the field, while the Sioux shot 58.8 percent as a team, including a season-high 72 percent in the second half.
Little also played a major role in holding Mary scoring leader Eric Erdmann to just five points, well below his season scoring average of 15.3
UND point guard Darius Joseph (Jr., Tacoma, Wash.) added 10 points and matched his career-high with eight points.
Geoff West and Kick Tate each scored 14 points for the Marauders, who were outrebounded 33-18.
UND will return to North Central Conference on Saturday when the Sioux host third-ranked South Dakota at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Notes: Senior forward Jimmy Hoy (West Fargo, N.D.) scored 10 points, giving him double figures in consecutive games for the first time since Feb. 11 and 16 of 2006, his sophomore season. Hoy had 13 points on Saturday at Minnesota State.
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