GRAND FORKS, N.D. - The University of North Dakota men's basketball team dropped a 73-61 decision to Mayville State on Tuesday at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. It was just the third time the Comets have defeated the Sioux in 34 previous meetings and just the second time on UND's home court.
Senior Travis Bledsoe (Minneapolis, Minn.) had a season-high 20 points, while junior Chris Clausen (Adelaide, Australia) added 14 points as the duo provided 34
bench points for UND. Bledsoe played a season-high 22 minutes in his third game back after missing six straight contests. He made 7-of-10 shots from the floor and connected on 4-of-5 free throws.
The Comets were led in scoring by senior Marcus Carson, who had a game-high 22 points. Classmate Alfonzo McNeal added 15 points as both seniors had a game-high nine rebounds. Mayville State controlled the boards overall, holding a 41-23 advantage.
"Confidence is a tricky thing," UND head coach Brian Jones. "We just have to stay the course. That is hard right now, but we can learn from this and that is what we have to do. It is tough and no one wants to be 1-9, but we have to continue grow, work hard and get better."
The Sioux raced out to an 11-4 advantage after connecting on their first three 3-point shots. The Comets kept chipping away and eventually took their first lead of the game at 22-20 on a jumper by Ross Aman with 6:55 to play.
UND cooled off from beyond the arc after the quick start, missing their final eight attempts in the first half. The Comets heated up after missing their first five 3-pointers, making four of their next six, including three in a row during the final 2:41.
That trio of 3-pointers gave Mayville State a 37-33 advantage at the break. The Comets also turned 11 first-half turnovers by the Sioux into nine points.
UND shot 52.3 percent from the field, but that was aided by a 9-for-12 effort inside the 3-point line. Clausen went 4-for-7 from the field to lead the Sioux with 10 points.
Mayville State continued its torrid 3-point shooting after the break, making 3-of-4 in the opening six minutes to build a 51-39 lead.
The Comets lead would grow to as many as 14 before UND would mount a rally and cut its deficit to six points on a 3-point play by Bledsoe with 2:08 to play. That would be as close as the Sioux would get as the Comets made 11-of-14 free throws in the final two minutes to secure the win.
The Fighting Sioux return to the road on Saturday to take on IPFW in the first match-up with the Summit League team on the hardwood. Tip-off with the Mastadons is set for 1 p.m.
