SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – March.
 
Marlon Stewart hit a 17-footer with 10 seconds remaining on the clock to lead the No. 6 seed North Dakota past the No. 3 seed South Dakota, 74-71, in the Summit League Quarterfinals on Sunday evening from the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls.
 
The senior poured in a game-high 21 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out a team-best five helpers to help the Fighting Hawks record their first victory over South Dakota since March 12, 2011 in Orem, Utah and advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2017.
 
Stewart was one of five Fighting Hawks to reach double figures, with De'Sean Allen-Eikens (14), Billy Brown (13), Kienan Walter (11), and Filip Rebraca (11) all crossing the 10-point plateau for the first time since Jan. 11 against Oral Roberts.
 
Despite shooting only 36.8% from the field, UND used 10 offensive rebounds to record 12 second-chance points while holding USD to just 31 total rebounds and two second-chance points.
 
North Dakota came out with a shooting mentality to start the game, knocking down five of its first seven shots from the field, including a 3-for-4 start from deep, to jump out to an early 13-5 lead at the first media timeout of the contest.
 
Stewart and the Fighting Hawks kept their foot on the gas through the opening portion of the stanza, with the senior knocking down his third triple of the game to put the green and white in front, 21-7, with just under 13 minutes to play in the first half. UND was dominant on the defense end as well, holding the Coyotes to just 3-for-14 over that span, recording a pair of blocks, and holding an 11-5 rebounding advantage.
 
South Dakota started to climb back into the game with a 7-1 spurt of its own, trimming the deficit down to seven with just over eight minutes to play in the first half by holding the Hawks without a field goal for over four minutes; however, the charity stripe helped keep UND in the lead.
 
With Stewart and Rebraca on the bench with foul trouble, USD embarked on a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to a single point, 34-33, with just over two minutes left in the first half before taking the lead moments later from the line to give the Yotes their first lead of the game. The teams traded buckets and free throws down the stretch to head to the locker room tied at 38.
 
Out of the half, South Dakota came out with the offensive spark by scoring the stanza's first seven points to open up a 45-38 advantage just two minutes in and force an early UND timeout. The run grew to 16-5 to open the half, giving the Coyotes their largest lead of the game, 54-43, with just under 15 minutes remaining.
 
South Dakota held a 60-50 lead before UND started to climb back into the game just beyond the midway point of the second half, with Brown and Stewart striking for six straight to cut the lead to just four, 60-54. The deficit for UND kept hovering between six and eight for a majority of the next few minutes, but a pair of free throws by Allen-Eikens cut it back to five, 69-64, with 4:16 to play.
 
After a stop on the defensive end, Walter went coast-to-coast for a bucket before the UND defense forced a shot clock violation and a pair of Rebraca free throws cut it to just one, 69-68, with 2:42 to play. The run continued when Allen-Eikens battled through traffic to grab an offensive rebound and score to give UND its first lead of the second half, 70-69, with two minutes remaining.
 
A flurry of offensive possessions saw South Dakota move back in front, 71-70, before Stewart's three pointer rattled off and gave the ball back to USD with 41.5 to go. On the ensuing possession, Brady Danielson drew a charge to give the ball back to the Hawks with a chance to win the game with 24.8 on the clock.
 
With the ball in his hand, Stewart drew the matchup he wanted and sank a 17-footer to give UND a 72-71 lead before a defensive stop, rebound, and two free throws by Danielson sealed the 74-71 victory.
 
North Dakota will face No. 7 seed Purdue Fort Wayne in the semifinals on Monday evening at 8:35 p.m. on MidcoSN.
 
NOTES: Marlon Stewart extended his double-digit scoring streak to 24 straight games, the longest in UND's Division I history … UND won the rebounding battle, 36-31 … UND improves to 3-12 this season when shooting a lower percentage than its opponent … Hawks move to 4-4 in games decided by 5-or-fewer … UND improves to 100-92 all-time against South Dakota and has won at least 100 games against all Division I schools located in North or South Dakota … Stewart has now scored 20-or-more points in 12 games against league opponents … De'Sean Allen-Eikens moved back into the starting lineup after a three-game hiatus … UND's last three wins have all come by three points.