CEDAR CITY, Utah -- Senior Quinton Hooker hit a step-back, 16-footer with one second left to lift North Dakota to a 91-89 victory over Southern Utah in Big Sky men's basketball action Thursday at Centrum Arena. Hooker finished with 23 points and sophomore Geno Crandall equaled his career-high with 31 points to lead the Fighting Hawks (12-7; 7-2 BSC) to their third straight win.

This one was not as easy as the Fighting Hawks 95-65 win over the Thunderbirds (4-17; 2-6 BSC) three weeks ago in Grand Forks, but UND picked up the season sweep, handing SUU its sixth-straight setback in league play.

“I thought our guys showed a lot of resiliency tonight despite not playing our best,” UND head coach Brian Jones said. “I didn't think we defended how we could in the first half, but were better in the second half and Geno made a big play that really sparked the comeback.

“I thought our poise to execute down the stretch overcame what I think was Southern Utah's best game of the season.”

Crandall scored 20 second-half points helping the Fighting Hawks erase a halftime deficit for the third-straight game, but it was the Big Sky Preseason MVP that scored UND's final four points as the visitors matched their best conference start since the 2001-02 season.

SUU and Randy Onwuasor overcame a six-minute field goal drought in the first half to build a 41-32 lead at the break. After being held scoreless in the game's first 12 minutes, Onwuasor erupted for 19 first-half points to break a 20-20 tie.

UND held the league's leading scorer to only seven second-half points as he finished with 26, but the T-Birds used the foul stripe to get back in the game after letting their halftime advantage become an eight-point deficit midway through the stanza.

SUU's James McGee hit a 3-pointer with 1:30 to play that gave the T-Birds back the lead at 86-85, but Crandall would give UND the lead right back with a runner that he was fouled on. Christian Musoko would make one of two at the foul stripe before Hooker sank two to give UND the lead back.

Musoko was fouled again on SUU's next possession, but made both free throws this time to square the game at 89-89. UND called timeout with 13 seconds left to set up Hooker's game-winning shot.

Hooker scored the first basket of the game, but the T-Birds would score the next seven to build a quick 7-2 lead. SUU would connect on three of its first five 3-point attempts to push that advantage to 13-7. The advantage would be short-lived as the Fighting Hawks would get the next 11 points and hold the T-Birds without a field goal over the next six minutes to build an 18-13 advantage.

Just like SUU, however, UND's advantage would dissipate quickly despite have chances to make it even larger. Onwuasor made the cold spell a distant memory for the home team as he erupted for those 19 first-half points.

The T-Birds pushed their advantage to as many as 14 before UND would trim that down to nine by the end of the half. SUU shot 57.1 percent from the field and 62 percent from beyond the arc as UND trailed at halftime for the third-straight game.

UND remains on the road for a Big Sky tilt at Northern Arizona on Saturday. Tip-off with the Lumberjacks is set for 3:35 p.m. CT.

-- UND --