Next Game: vs. North Central
The University of North Dakota men's basketball team will continue its homestand on Tuesday with North Central University from Minnesota. Opening tip between the Fighting Hawks and Rams is scheduled for 7 p.m. (CT) inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Fans can watch all the action on FightingHawks.com, as well as by tuning into Paul Ralston's call on the Home of Economy Radio Network (100.3 FM/740 AM).

Series History vs. NCU
This will be the second meeting between North Dakota and North Central, with the previous meeting happening on Nov. 26, 2019, with the Fighting Hawks blowing out the Rams in a 115-50 decision. The 115 points scored by UND is still the most points ever scored at the Betty by North Dakota. The 65-point win margin was the largest margin of victory for the Hawks since a 70-9 win vs. the Grand Forks YMCA on Jan. 14, 1921. 

On Tuesday night, the game will count towards the win/loss record for North Dakota, while counting as an exhibition for North Central.

Last Time Out
North Dakota gave up a 14-0 run midway through the first half on Saturday and it proved to be the difference in a 76-60 loss to Eastern Washington inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The Eagles doubled up the Hawks in points in the paint (32-16) and points off turnovers (22-10), while UND recorded the advantage in fast break points (21-10), bench scoring (23-16) and second chance points (12-5). North Dakota also outrebounded Eastern Washington by a 40-37 margin.

Mitchell Sueker was the top scorer for UND with 17 points, trailed by Paul Bruns netting 11 and adding three steals. Ethan Igbanugo finished just outside double figures with nine points, all coming from three-point land.

Most Recently for NCU
North Central suffered a 73-72 loss at Crown College in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play on Saturday night. The Rams looked poised to pull out the victory, but the Storm knocked down a last-second jumper at the buzzer to come away with the victory. Both teams finished with 35 rebounds, while NCU finished with a 30-26 advantage in points in the paint.

Tanner Holtman was the top scorer for the Rams with 20 points, six of them coming off of three-pointers, while adding seven rebounds. Micah Filer was the only other player for NCU in double digits with 15 points.

Shaking Things Up
North Dakota has utilized five different variations of its starting lineup so far this season and may try its sixth different starting lineup on Tuesday. On the team, Bentiu Panoam has the most active consecutive starts currently with 23, followed by Mitchell Sueker with 11. The next most common starter based on the active made starts list is freshman Paul Bruns with four. Brady Danielson and Brian Mathews both worked their way into the starting lineup on Saturday and round out the most recent starting five.

Fearless Freshman
Freshman Paul Bruns has played a key role in the success of the team so far this season, and it has paid off with him earning four collegiate starts. Bruns was second in scoring against Eastern Washington on Saturday with 11 points and now has six double-digit scoring performances this season.

Bruns does not shy away from tough competition, leading the team with 13 points against Milwaukee, 18 at Florida International, 16 at Kansas State, 19 at California Baptist and 11 vs. Eastern Washington. The Jefferson, S.D., native has a team leading 21 made three-pointers this season and averages 1.6 steals per game.

Keeping Things Even
North Dakota had five returners in 2021-22 and nine newcomers and so far, they are keeping things even. As a team, the Fighting Hawks have scored 716 points this season with the newbies pouring in 361 of them and the returners amassing 355 points. In total, the newcomers have scored 50.42 percent of the points this season, while the returners have accounted for 49.58 percent of UND's made shots.

Heat Check
North Dakota is familiar with shots from beyond the arc and that has not changed this season, with the Fighting Hawks firing off 286 shots from deep and knocking down 89 of them for an average of 31.1 percent made from three-point land. The best three-point shooting performance this year came at Florida Atlantic where the Hawks shot 48.3 percent from deep, knocking down 14 of the 29 tries. The most three-pointers ever hit in a game by North Dakota is 16, which occurred against Northland College on Dec. 17, 2019. The Fighting Hawks have hit at least one triple in every game dating back to March 1, 2018. The last time the Hawks did not make a three came on Feb. 24, 2018, when the Hawks went 0-8 from downtown at Northern Colorado in a 79-66 loss. UND has hit at least one three in each of the last 104 games played.

Follow Us
Receive live updates during all UND men's basketball games by following @UNDmbasketball on Twitter. Fans can also watch in-game highlights, postgame interviews, and much more through UND Insider on Twitter (@UNDInsider) or online at FightingHawks.com.

COMPLETE GAME NOTES CAN BE FOUND HERE.