THIS WEEK: The Fighting Sioux (9-6) have a pair of home games this week and will look to extend their home-court winning streak to seven games on Monday, Jan. 19 when Mayville State comes to Grand Forks for a 7 p.m. tip-off. UND will then play host to South Dakota as part of a double-header with the women's team on Saturday, Jan. 24. The women will tip at 2 p.m. on Saturday, with the men's contest set to follow 30 minutes afterwards.
MEDIA INFORMATION All Fighting Sioux men's basketball games - home and away - can be heard on Cat Country 100.3 FM and on stations across the Fighting Sioux radio network, with veteran broadcaster Scott Swygman calling the action.
A video webcast of both games on Tuesday can be purchased at FightingSioux.com. A FREE audiocast and FREE live stats are also available at FightingSioux.com.
ABOUT MAYVILLE STATE: The Comets have won two of three to open the New Year, including a 74-67 triumph over Dakota State on Saturday. Both of those wins were also DAC conference tilts bringing the Comets' league mark to 2-3.
The visit to Grand Forks will be the final non-conference game for Mayville State, who will follow this game up with six-straight league contests to close out the regular season.
Bo Harrison led the Comets with 16 points in their latest win over Dakota State. Harrison was one of four Mayville State players to reach double figures. Forward Drew Bergerson corralled a double-double in the contest with 10 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.
Guard Jake Gonzales is the only regular averaging in double figures this season. Gonzales enters the UND game averaging 12.8 ppg. Harrison is nearing that figure at 9.8 ppg.
the all-time series: The oldest active series in the UND men's basketball annals will resume on Monday as the first tilt between these two schools took place nearly 104 years ago on Jan. 28, 1905. UND defeated MSU in a home-and-home series during that season with the Sioux taking the opening contest by the score of 34-11. The squad then traveled to Mayville two weeks later, where it defeated the Comets, 17-9 on Feb. 11.
The series had a lengthy pause between 1949 and 1986 before it was renewed once again. The Sioux have a commanding lead in the overall series, owning a 30-2 advantage, including a 22-1 mark in Grand Forks.
Head Coach Brian Jones has a 2-0 mark against the Comets, including a 100-88 victory over MSU on Dec. 18, 2007. That also marked the last time the Sioux reached triple digits in a contest.
MAYVILLE STATE COACHING STAFF: Justin Johnson is in his second season as the head coach for the Comets after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach. The Comets posted a 13-15 record and 7-7 mark in DAC play during Johnson's first season at the helm.
In his last year as an assistant, the Comets became the first men's basketball team from the state of North Dakota to play for a National Championship at any level. Mayville State fell to Mid-America Nazarene in the NAIA II Championship game that season.
Johnson is assisted on his staff by Andy Parochka and Andrew Moody. Parochka played on the 2005 and 2006 teams that won back-to-back DAC titles.
UND'S LAST ACTION: The Sioux have become accustomed to clawing out victories at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center this season and their last home tilt was no different. For the second-straight time on its home court, UND held off a pesky in-state school to secure an overtime win and improve to 6-1 at the Betty this season.
U-Mary was the unrelenting foe last Tuesday as the Sioux took an 84-78 overtime decision from the Maruaders in front of a season-high attendance figure of 2,030. Senior G Daniel Harkins (Portage, Wis.) led five Sioux in double figures with 25 points.
The team co-captain has combined for 54 points in the back-to-back home overtime contests, while fellow co-captain Wes Porter (F, Arvada, Colo.) registered a career-high 12 points against the Marauders.
Junior F Travis Mertens (Devils Lake, N.D.), freshman F Pat Mitchell (Des Moines, Iowa) and senior F O.J. Harrison (Danville, Ill.) also reached double figures for the Sioux. Mertens had five of his 11 points in the overtime session, while Mitchell connected on a trio of three pointers to also finish with 11 points. Harrison added 10 points for the second-straight game.
WEIRD, WILD WINS: After going three-plus seasons without recording an overtime win, the Fighting Sioux have registered back-to-back extra-session victories at the Betty. U-Mary erased a six-point deficit in the final two minutes on Tuesday to force the overtime, but UND regrouped and surged out to the lead behind an 8-2 run and held on for the 84-78 victory.
Just 11 days earlier, UND's overtime win vs. Minot State was the first victory in extra time since the 2005-06 season opener, when the Sioux edged Valley City State 80-77. Prior to Jan. 2, UND had lost three consecutive overtime games.
Also during the victory over the Beavers, the Sioux set season highs for points in a game (97), second-half points (49), 3-point percentage (.625), free throws made (28) and free throw attempts (41).
The overtime wins are not the only wild wins the Sioux have had at home this season. Besides the two thrilling overtime wins, UND has hit a buzzer-beater to defeat Valley City State, edged Dickson State by five points and posted two comfortable wins during a six-game home court winning streak. Five of UND's six home wins this season have been decided by six points or less.
