CHICAGO - The University of North Dakota men's basketball team captured back-to-back Great West Conference Tournament titles thanks to another convincing second-half performance in a 75-60 victory over NJIT on Saturday at the Jones Convocation Center.

Sophomore Jamal Webb (Buffalo, N.Y.) was named the Tournament MVP as he was one of five Sioux players to reach double figures. 

Webb, who finished with 12 points, was joined on the all-tournament team by classmate Troy Huff (Milwaukee, Wis.). He made the squad for the second consecutive season after finishing with team-highs of 15 points and eight rebounds.

The second-seeded Sioux (17-14) only overcame one halftime deficit to win during the regular season, but accomplished that twice in tournament play as they await word on an opponent for their second straight trip to the CollegeInsiders.com Tournament. 

Trailing 29-27 at the break, senior Patrick Mitchell (Des Moines, Iowa) sparked an 8-0 run out of the locker room with back-to-back 3-pointers. The baskets were the first of the game for Mitchell, who scored 12 second-half points. 

"I told Patrick at halftime he was going to make some big shots for us and to just forget about the first half," UND head coach Brian Jones said. "And, he certainly did that for us, but it was definitely a team effort. Our defense is what won this game for us and I could not be more proud of these guys." 

UND would push its lead out to 49-36 after a pair of free throws by sophomore Josh Schuler (Urbana, Ohio), but the fourth-seeded Highlanders (15-17) would not go away. Led by GWC Player of the Year Isaiah Wilkerson, NJIT trimmed its deficit to just two thanks to an 11-0 run in just under a four-minute stretch.

With just about eight minutes to play, Huff made a huge ball steal with NJIT poised to tie or take the lead. Webb tapped the loose ball up ahead to a fast-breaking Huff, who made a layup to stop the run.

Webb then knocked home a 3-pointer from the corner to quickly push the lead back out to seven. Webb and Huff combined for four of UND's eight steals in the game as the squad had 20 in the two tournament wins.

"Our defense definitely sealed the win for us," Webb said. "We held them to 60 points - that shows you right there. Our defense played a big role in this win."

After a 3-pointer by NJIT's Lamar Kearse made it a 55-50 contest, the Sioux put the clamps down with a 20-5 run over the next five minutes. 

Sophomore Brandon Brekke (East Grand Forks, Minn.) added 10 points and Schuler, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer in last year's double-overtime win over South Dakota, added 11 points off the bench.

Mitchell's three second half 3-pointers pushed his career total to 202, making him just the third player in UND history to make 200 in a career. 

UND went 28-for-40 from the foul stripe for the game, including a 21-for-25 effort in the second half. Huff's eight rebounds helped the Sioux hold a 40-35 edge on the glass.  Webb added seven boards, including four on the offensive end.

Wilkerson led all scorers with 19 points, while senior classmate Chris Flores added 15 in their final collegiate games. 

-- UND --