GRAND FORKS, N.D – The University of North Dakota men's basketball team fell, 62-45, to North Dakota State on Friday night at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks.
 
UND (3-11, 2-3 Summit League) took an early lead, but North Dakota State (7-6, 5-0 Summit League) answered back with a 19-2 run over an eight-minute span to build a lead and never look back.
 
Filip Rebraca led all scorers with 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to tally his first double-double of the season, but the other four starters combined for 11 points and eight rebounds in the loss.
 
Bentiu Panoam provided a spark off the bench for the second straight game, scoring 12 points on a career-high four made triples while adding two rebounds to help the UND bench outscore the Bison, 20-15.
 
Offense was tough to come by for the Fighting Hawks through the opening eight minutes of the contest, with Rebraca scoring all six points for the Hawks and UND connecting on only .273 percent from the field to trail NDSU, 12-6. Cook also continued to carry the offense for North Dakota State, scoring 10 of his team's first 19 points to help the Bison push their advantage to 19-12 with just under eight minutes to play in the first half.
 
The offensive drought continued through the first half as the frame wore on, with UND going scoreless for over five minutes and allowing the Bison to strike for 11 straight over that same stretch to push the lead to 30-12 with 3:33 remaining in the stanza.
 
UND had a strong defensive spurt to end the half, holding the Bison to just two points for the final 2:30, but the Hawks could only chip the deficit down to just 33-16 after 20 minutes of play.
 
The hosts came out with intensity on defense to start the second half, holding the Bison without a point for the first five minutes of the frame. UND was able to chip the deficit down to 11, 33-22, but the Bison finally got on the board with four straight of their own to push the advantage back to 15, 37-22, with 13:20 to go.
 
Bentiu Panoam provided a spark on offense for the Hawks by knocking down the team's first pair of threes, but NDSU continued to get to the free throw line and answer the spurt by the hosts to go back up by 16, 46-30, with 10 minutes remaining.
 
North Dakota State maintained its advantage for the remainder of the game and picked up the 62-45 victory.
 
UND and NDSU will close the weekend on Saturday night with a showdown at 7:30 p.m. from the Betty.
 
For more news on UND men's basketball, visit FightingHawks.com. Follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @UNDmbasketball.
 
NOTES: Filip Rebraca has reached double figures for the 22nd straight game … Tyree Ihenacho returned to the lineup and came off the bench after missing the previous two games with an injury … UND did not attempt a free throw in the contest … NDSU won the rebounding battle, 38-28 … Rebraca recorded his first double-double of the season and 16th of his career … Bentiu Panoam set a new career high with four threes … The 45 points are the lowest scored by UND since March 3, 2016 at Montana.