Men's Basketball 11/15/2009 5:00:00 PM Ryan Powell, UND Media Relations

Boise State uses second-half surge to trump Sioux, 75-60

Missoula, Mont. – The University of North Dakota men's basketball team dropped a 75-60 decision to Boise State on Sunday in the final day of the Karl Tyler Chevrolet Grizzly Basketball Classic. The teams were tied 32-32 at halftime, but the Broncos (2-1) opened the second half on a 12-4 run and never let the Sioux (0-3) closer than six the rest of the way to secure the win.

Senior wing Travis Mertens (Devils Lake, N.D.) led the Sioux with 14 points and eight rebounds in the contest, while redshirt freshman Spencer Goodman (Jackson, Mo.) added 10 points in his first career start.

“I thought our energy was good to start the game, much better from yesterday, and we played well in the first half,” UND head coach Brian Jones said. “Getting off to the start we did, gave us some confidence and it showed in our execution on both sides of the floor.”

The long-distance shooting of Boise State guard Paul Noonan and the Broncos' pressure defense proved to be the difference in the second half. Noonan made five of his six 3-pointers after the break and finished with a game-high 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Broncos started the second half in a full-court press and forced the Sioux into four turnovers in the opening three minutes, which ignited a 12-4 run. Those early miscues would be the first of 14 UND would commit after the break and Boise State turned them into 17 points.

“I thought their pressure kind of exposed some of the youth that we are playing with, but that is also something that we will have to learn from because we are going to see it again,” Jones added. “I thought we played much better today overall and that was important for us as we go back home and get ready for UMKC.”

Noonan started drilling 3-pointers and built the Broncos' lead to 60-45 at the mid-way point of the half. The Sioux did not back down though as Goodman's 3-point play with 5:40 remaining cut the deficit to six points and capped a 9-0 run by UND.

However, Boise State and Noonan ended any thoughts of a Sioux comeback with a 12-2 run that saw the sharpshooter make two more 3-pointers.

After Boise State guard Anthony Thomas opened the contest with a 3-pointer, the Sioux reeled off eight straight points to claim what would be their largest lead of the game at 8-3. Mertens scored the first five points and junior Chris Clausen (Adelaide, Australia) added a 3-point play to build some confidence early for UND.

The Broncos quickly responded though with a 9-0 run to start a trend of back-and-forth play in the opening 20 minutes.

Noonan's 3-pointer at the 9:48 mark gave the Broncos their largest lead of the half at 17-12, but UND had an answer. The Sioux pulled even at 21-21 when Goodman capped a 7-2 run with a 3-pointer from the left wing.

A 3-pointer by Clausen gave the Sioux their first lead since the early going at 24-23 with 4:06 to play. The teams would exchange leads four times in the final four minutes before eventually being knotted up at 32-32 at the break.

Boise State held a 21-13 advantage in rebounds, but the Sioux could not take advantage of eight more trips to the free throw line only making 6-of-11 from the charity stripe in the first half.

Mertens' eight rebounds marked the third straight game he led the Sioux in that category. Senior guard Dustin Monsebroten (Newfolden, Minn.) had a career-high five assists in the contest for UND. Clausen added a season-high nine points.

The Sioux will return to the hardwood on Saturday for their 2009-10 home opener against Missouri-Kansas City. UND and the Kangaroos will tip at 1 p.m. at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

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