GRAND FORKS, N.D. - The North Dakota men's basketball team begins a pivotal stretch run of Great West Conference play this Saturday against Houston Baptist. The Fighting Sioux are still jockeying for seeding and a possible first-round bye as the Huskies pay a visit to the Sioux Center for a 4 p.m. tipoff. 

All-time: Series tied 3-3

In Grand Forks: Series tied 1-1

Last Meeting: HBU won 69-62 (Jan. 26, 2012)

UND Head Coach Brian Jones vs. Houston Baptist: 3-3

Houston Baptist Head Coach Ron Cottrell vs. UND: 3-3

Television: FSSN, Fox College Sports Central, MidCo Sports Net3, DirecTV 623

Television Talent: Pat Sweeney (PBP) and Scott Grodsky (Color)

Radio: 100.3 FM (Grand Forks) and 970 AM (Fargo) or iHeart Radio App (computer or smart phone)

Live Audio Stream: www.FightingsSioux.com (free)

Live Stats and Chat: www.FightingsSioux.com (free)

Live Video Stream: www.FightingSioux.com (UNDInsider Subscription)

• UND will close out the 2011-12 regular season with a trio of Great West Conference home games at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. 

• Saturday's tilt with Houston Baptist will begin that stretch and be the first home game for the squad in the month of February as action is set to begin at 4 p.m. The Sioux also play Texas-Pan American on Monday (Feb. 27) at 7 p.m. and finish up the regular season with Senior Day on March 3 vs. Utah Valley.

• UND is 10-1 at home this season and have won seven straight inside the Sioux Center.

• The Sioux control their own destiny as far as seeding for the Great West Conference Tournament is concerned. If UND wins its remaining three games, then the club will secure a first-round bye and either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed for the event scheduled for the Windy City on March 8-10.

• UND has been the No. 3 seed at the previous two GWC Tournaments. The Sioux won the whole thing last season in Orem, Utah, reeling off three wins by a combined total of four points.

• The Sioux closed out a six-game road swing on Saturday with a 67-59 victory over Longwood. The victory improved UND's record to 2-4 on that swing.

• Sophomore Aaron Anderson (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) scored a game-high 19 points and hit a timely baseline jumper to help to secure the win over the Lancers. It was the third straight game and eighth overall this season that Anderson has led UND in scoring.

• Senior Patrick Mitchell (Des Moines, Iowa) added 18 points in the victory, but more importantly registered two blocks, which made him just the second player in UND history to score 1,000 points, pull down 500 rebounds and block 150 shots in a career (Chris Gardner; 1990-94)

• Mitchell is also closing in on another career milestone as he is six 3-pointers shy of becoming just the third Sioux to make 200  from beyond the arc. Mitchell has made 194 3-point field goals in his career and 170 inside the arc.

• Entering the week, sophomore Brandon Brekke (East Grand Forks, Minn.) ranks third nationally in field goal percentage (ESPN.com) at a 69.2 clip. Only Stephen F. Austin's Taylor Smith (72.1) and Missour's Ricardo Ratliffe (71.7) boast a higher percentage.

• Brekke and sophomore Jamal Webb (Buffalo, N.Y.) have helped UND become the top field-goal shooting team in Great West play this season. In league games, the Sioux are shooting 44.9 percent from the field, while  Brekke tops the individual charts with a 70.2 percent effort. Webb ranks fifth at an even 50 percent (26-for-52) tally.    

• Sophomore Troy Huff (Milwaukee, Wis.) is three points shy of reaching 800 for his career. He is averaging 13.3 ppg this season and that is his exact average from his freshman campaign when he broke the UND rookie scoring mark with 452 points. Huff's average is fifth best among GWC scorers.

• Huff, who leads the team in rebounding as well (6.0/g), is two boards shy of equaling his total of 157 he registered last season in 34 games.

• With two steals against Longwood, it has only taken Webb 59 career games to crack UND's all-time top 10 list for steals. The sophomore now has 101 for his career (tied for 10th).

• Webb has 49 this season, which is tops in the GWC, and he is averaging a league-best 2.0 spg in league play. He had 52 as a true freshman a season ago - that tied for the ninth most in a single season at UND.

• Webb also owns the highest 3-point field goal percentage in league play, connecting on 45.8 percent of his attempts from deep (11-for-24).

• Anderson is the top assist man in conference games, dishing out 4.9/g. The sophomore has a career-high 80 on the season. Huff is sixth in league play in assists (3.1/g).

• Brekke (1.6/g) and Mitchell (1.3/g) rank first and third in league play in blocked shots. Brekke has 11 total, while Mitchell has nine against GWC foes.

• Junior Jordan Allard (Fargo, N.D.) equaled his season high with 12 points in the first meeting with HBU this season. The reserve forward also pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds to register the first double-double of his career.

• Senior Day will be held for Mitchell and Mike Mathison (Walhalla, N.D.) on Saturday, March 3 prior to the Utah Valley game.

For 18 seasons, Chris Gardner (1990-94) was the only player in UND history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 150 blocks in a career. But, the former Sioux great now has company after senior Patrick Mitchell swatted away two shots in the 67-59 victory at Longwood (Feb. 20). Mitchell had already secured the 1,000-point total and 500-rebound total earlier in the season before getting to the magic number of blocks against the Lancers. Mitchell is also six made 3-pointers away from reaching 200 for his career in that category - a feat only two other Sioux players have achieved. 

NOTING THE HUSKIES: Head coach Ron Cottrell and his Huskies arrive in Grand Forks following a 75-56 loss at Utah Valley on Thursday ... Forward Terry Bembry, who is averaging 8.2 ppg overall, leads the team in scoring in GWC games at a 12.5 clip ... Bembry had 17 in the first meeting with UND this season ... He is one of four Huskies averaging in double figures in league play ... HBU traveled to Orem, Utah for its tilt with the Wolverines riding the momentum of a 65-57 victory over NJIT ... Guard Tyler Russell scored a game-high 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor as the Huskies avenged a 23-point loss to the Highlanders from earlier in the season ... HBU is 8-5 at Sharp Gymnasium, but enters the game at the Sioux Center still looking for its first road win of the season (12 tries) ... Brazillian Art Bernardi has been a consistent force in his 20 games this season (missed seven) ... He is averaging 12.1 ppg overall and 11.4 in league play ... Fellow transfer Marcus Davis is the team's top 3-point shooter (38.0 percent) and shares the overall scoring lead with Bernardi (12.4 ppg) ... Davis is scoring at a 10.0 ppg clip in GWC play ...  Bernardi, Russell and Anthony Hill each scored 11 points in the loss to Utah Valley as HBU shot only 32.1 percent from the floor for the game.

Feb. 2, 2012 HBU 69, UND 62 (H)

Mar. 11, 2011 UND 65, HBU 63 (N)

Mar. 3, 2011 UND 74, HBU 70 (ot) (A)

Jan. 29, 2011 UND 83, HBU 73 (H)

Mar. 4, 2010 HBU 91, UND 81 (A)

Jan. 30, 2010 HBU 75, UND 65 (H

FARMVILLE, Va. - Sophomore Aaron Anderson (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) and senior Patrick Mitchell (Des Moines, Iowa) made sure the University of North Dakota men's basketball wrapped up a six-game road trip with a victory. The duo combined for 37 points as the Fighting Sioux knocked off Longwood 67-59 at Willett Hall on Saturday afternoon.

In a game that took only 90 minutes of real time to conclude, Anderson scored 19 points and hit a crucial jumper from the baseline with the shot-clock expiring to put UND ahead by five with one minute, 32 seconds to play. It was the third straight game Anderson led the team in scoring as the Sioux (12-14) defeated Longwood in non-conference play for the second straight season. 

Anderson and Mitchell iced the victory at the free throw line where they made six in a row in the final minute. Mitchell, who finished with 18 points, did his damage from beyond the arc as he drilled a quartet of 3-pointers and also added two blocks to become just the second player in UND history to score 1,000 points, pull down 500 rebounds and block 150 shots in a career (Chris Gardner; 1990-94). 

The Lancers, who suited up only seven players, raced out to a 7-0 lead only to see the visitors answer with an 8-0 run of their own. UND's lead would be short-lived, however, as a 10-2 run by the home team would keep the Lancers' advantage hovering close to seven points, but no more than that throughout most of the half.   

The Sioux managed to pull even by halftime, reeling off six straight over the final four minutes to make it a 28-28 contest.

UND would expand that run to 11-0 after opening the second half on a 5-0 spurt thanks to a 3-pointer by Mitchell and a putback by sophomore Troy Huff (Milwaukee, Wis.). Huff scored all eight of his points after the break.