FARGO, N.D. – The 296th chapter of the North Dakota and North Dakota State men's basketball rivalry carried a little more weight on Saturday afternoon in Fargo as the two programs met as conference members for the first time since 2004, and the showdown did not disappoint as NDSU defeated UND, 67-65, at the SCHEELS Center.
 
In a thrilling final seconds, the Fighting Hawks (8-12, 2-5 Summit League) had three looks to either tie or take the lead, but all trio of opportunities fell short as the Bison (9-11, 3-3 Summit League) held on for the win.
 
NDSU's Deng Geu led all players with 15 points, scoring the eventual game-winning basket with just over 1:30 to play. UND held the all other Bison players in single digits for scoring, but all nine who saw action recorded at least three points.
 
Marlon Stewart scored in double figures for the third straight game and fifth time in just seven Summit League contests as the junior led all UND players with 14 points. Stewart had a nearly flipped scripted from Wednesday's loss vs. South Dakota State as he scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half. The Rock Island, Ill., native also finished with six rebounds, four assists, and a steal in a game-high 38 minutes of action.
 
Conner Avants, making his final trip to Fargo in his career, finished with 12 points and five rebounds for UND. The senior played 31 minutes despite running into foul trouble throughout much of the second half, and has scored 10+ points in all but two league games.
 
Junior guard Billy Brown broke out with a 5-for-8 shooting performance to become the final Fighting Hawk in double figures with 12 points. Brown also collected four rebounds, matched a career high with four assists, and chipped in two steals.
 
Despite a tough 3-for-12 day from the field, Cortez Seales provided a spark on other areas of the floor with a team-high nine rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. The senior had to exit for the final two minutes due to an injury.
 
NDSU outshot, .444 to .383, outrebounded, 36-35, and outscored UND's reserves, 30-14, to spark the victory. The Fighting Hawks forced 13 turnovers while only committing eight themselves.
 
After NDSU scored the game's first basket, it was all UND during the opening four minutes as the visitors responded with 15 straight points to quickly build a 15-3 advantage. Stewart and Brown each paced the Fighting Hawks during the opening run, with Stewart scoring eight points, adding two assists, and a steal while Brown chipped in five points for the visitors.
 
The lead grew as high as 12 on a pair of occasions, but the Bison started to respond through the midway portion of the half. NDSU embarked on an 8-0 run to trim the deficit down to just four, 17-13, before Avants snapped a nearly four-minute scoring drought with a strong basket inside. The senior continued to provide an answer for each Bison run, fighting through two defenders to hit a shot to put the Hawks back up by five, 31-26, after NDSU had cut the lead to three with just under three minutes remaining in the stanza.
 
North Dakota State took its first lead of the game since the opening seconds, 35-34, with less than a minute left in the first half after forcing a UND turnover and converting on the other end to take that one point advantage into the locker room. The Hawks were held without a field goal over the final 3:09 of the stanza, while NDSU converted on five of its final nine attempts.
 
Out of the halftime break, NDSU converted its first four shots from the field to build its largest lead of the game, 47-42, just beyond the opening media timeout, but Brown answered with his second triple of the afternoon off a great pass by Walter before the Vancouver, Wash., native scored a bucket himself to bring the score to a 47-47 deadlock.
 
The back-and-forth affair continued as both sides grabbed the lead through the middle portion of the final half. Filip Rebraca sparked a good push by the Hawks with a quick eight points and three rebounds before Avants converted a bucket plus the foul to put UND in front, 59-54, with just under eight to play.
 
NDSU trimmed the deficit down to two, 61-59, but Stewart scored his first points of the second half with a spinning layup in the lane to restore the two-possession advantage; however, Rebraca was whistled for his fifth foul just seconds later to force UND to turn back to Avants and his four fouls with just under four to play.
 
With the Bison leading by two, 67-65, and possession of the basketball, Avants made a great read on an attempted pass to come up with the steal and give UND a chance to either tie or take the lead with 12.9 seconds remaining. The Hawks had three looks at the basket during the final 12 seconds, but none of the shots dropped as the Bison held on for the 67-65 win.
 
North Dakota returns to its home floor on Wednesday night against another former NCC foe as South Dakota comes to the Betty for a conference showdown on MidcoSN at 7 p.m.
 
NOTES: UND falls to 4-7 vs. NDSU during the Division I era and 161-135 overall … The victory by NDSU was the first conference win over UND since Jan. 30, 2004 (83-58) … UND's bench was outscored, 30-14, falling 3-5 when that happens … UND led for 23:42, the third longest it has led in a losing effort this season … UND falls to 2-8 when scoring 80-or-fewer points and 7-3 when holding its opponent under 70.