GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Junior Quinton Hooker led a quartet of double-figure scorers for North Dakota as the Fighting Hawks knocked off reigning Big Sky champions Eastern Washington 79-71 Saturday at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

Hooker finished with 16 points and went 8-for-10 from the foul line where UND (6-7, 1-1 BSC) put the game away after struggling from there early on.

The Fighting Hawks opened the game making just 8-of-17 from the stripe, but finished 11-for-14 in the closing 2:17 to seal the win over the Eagles (6-8, 0-2 BSC).

"This was a big day for our program," UND head coach Brian Jones said. "Our guys bounced back from the loss on Thursday and found a way to protect home court and get a win over a very good Eastern Washington team.

"I felt like today we came up with those key stops, got the big rebounds and made the free throws late when it mattered."

Freshmen Geno Crandall had nine of his 15 points in the closing five minutes and classmate Cortez Seales made three-consecutive field goals on ensuing possessions during that stretch as well to finish with 10 points off the bench.

Sophomore Drick Bernstine added his third double-double in the past four games, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

EWU junior Felix Van Hofe finished with a game-high 19 points and his fifth 3-pointer gave the Eagles a 65-64 lead with 3:27 to play.

Seales answered with a basket and then blocked Austin McBroom's layup attempt on the next possession. Seales finished with a career-high four blocks and that swat of McBroom led to a pull-up jumper by Crandall that made it a 68-65 contest.

The Eagles would not lead again as UND went to work at the free throw line where the Fighting Hawks put the game away.

Van Hofe led all scorers with 19 points, while McBroom and senior forward Venky Joise both added 17 for the visitors.

UND held the sharp-shooting Eagles to just a 38.7 percent for the game, while hitting on 52.7 percent of its field goals - the team's highest percentage since the season-opening win over Minnesota Morris (54.9 percent).

The Fighting Hawks led 31-30 at the break and saw what once was a 10-point advantage wiped away after suffering through a seven-minute field goal drought. 

UND will return to action on Thursday at Weber State for the team's first Big Sky road tilt of the season.

-- UND --