GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Senior F O.J. Harrison (Danville, Ill.) equaled his career-high with 19 points as the University of North Dakota men's basketball team held off a pesky Upper Iowa squad, 84-73 on Tuesday at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Senior G Daniel Harkins added 15 points as both he and Harrison went 6-for-9 from the floor as UND shot 57.5 percent for the game (23-for-40).
The Sioux also made a living at the free throw line where they set season highs in makes (34) and attempts (44) as the teams combined for 52 fouls. UND junior F Travis Mertens (Devils Lake, N.D.) led that effort with an 8-for-12 tally, which were both career-highs, as he finished with 14 points.
Mertens and the Sioux defense also came up big in the game as UND forced 24 turnovers, including 17 in the first half. Mertens had a team-high five steals, which equaled the most by a Sioux this season. Redshirt freshman F Pat Mitchell (Des Moines, Iowa) also came up big on the defensive end, equaling a career-high with four blocks and setting one with four steals.
UND improved to 11-7 on the season and 8-2 on its home court, while the Peacocks dropped to 4-15. Tight defense down the stretch proved to be the difference as Mitchell made a lay-up with 11:24 remaining that gave UND its first lead of the second half at 54-53.
“I think we wore them down at the end and the last 12 minutes of the game belonged to us,” UND head coach Brian Jones said. “We've shown that we play strong down the stretch this season and we find ways to win.”
Upper Iowa opened the game on a 7-0 run and the Sioux spent the next 14 minutes chipping away at the lead. The visitors lead was as large as eight, but UND kept fighting back and erased that deficit completely by the four-minute mark in the first half.
The Sioux evened the score at 28-28 on a four-point play by junior G Travis Bledsoe (Minneapolis, Minn.) and went back-and-forth with the Peacocks for the rest of the half. Bledsoe was the fourth Sioux to reach double figures as he scored 13 points.
The first lead of the game for UND came at the free throw line when Mitchell drained two after being fouled on a breakaway with 3:16 on the clock. The Sioux seemingly lived at the charity stripe in the first half, making 12-of-18 attempts, while the Peacocks only went four times.
Upper Iowa briefly took a four-point lead back in the closing minutes, but UND scored the final five points of the half, including a three-pointer by Harrison with four ticks remaining to claim a 37-36 advantage at the break.
“O.J. hit a big shot their at the horn and sent us into the half with a positive,” Jones added. “That was key to give us some momentum going into the second half.”
Both teams shot the ball well in the opening half with the Peacocks holding a slight advantage with a 60.9 percent (14-for-23) clip. The Sioux shot 57.9 percent (11-for-19).
Peacock forward Nick Kramer was perfect from the floor (4-for-4) and free throw line (3-for-3) in the first half, scoring 11 points. Kramer and forward Chris Sullivan each had 15 points to lead the Peacocks in the game.
Upper Iowa scored the first five points of the second half to recapture the lead, but once again UND found a way to get back in it.
Harkins, who made his first five shots from the floor, tied the game at 48-48 on a driving lay-up, but the Peacocks quickly responded with the next five points to go back on top.
The back-and-forth between the teams waged on with Mitchell giving the Sioux their first lead of the second half at 54-53 after his steal and subsequent lay-up.
Mitchell's lay-up was part of a 12-0 run by the Sioux that gave the home team its largest lead of the game at that point, 60-53. Eight of those 12 points came from the foul line where UND was perfect during the run.
Sullivan made a free throw to get Upper Iowa within seven at 73-66 with 3:43 to play, but the Sioux reeled off the next five points and at least a double-figure lead the rest of the way.
UND takes to the road on Saturday for a rematch with South Dakota in Vermillion. The two teams played last Saturday at the Betty where the Coyotes got the best of the Sioux, 98-77. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
GAME NOTES: Senior F O.J. Harrison (Danville, Ill.) equaled his career-high he set earlier this season with a team-best 19 points (also vs. Dickinson State, 12/8/08) ... Junior F Travis Mertens (Devils Lake, N.D.) posted career-highs for free throws (8) and attempts (12) in the game ... Mertens also added a career-high five points ... Redshirt freshman F Pat Mitchell (Des Moines, Iowa) equaled or set four career highs in the contest, equaliing blocks (4), then setting steals (4), free throws (6) and free throw attempts (9) ... The Sioux set season-highs for free throws made (34) and attempted (44) ... UND now holds a 6-0 advantage in the all-time series with Upper Iowa and has won all six meetings by double figures ... The Sioux attempted only nine three's in the game, while the Peacocks made 9-of-23 attempts from beyond the arc.
