Next Game: vs. Western Illinois
The University of North Dakota will continue its homestand on Thursday with Western Illinois at 7 p.m. (CT) inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Fans can catch all the action on Midco Sports 2 and ESPN+, as well as by tuning into Paul Ralston's call on the Home of Economy Radio Network (1440 AM/790 AM).

Series History vs. WIU
This will be the 12th all-time meeting between North Dakota and Western Illinois in men's basketball, with the Fighting Hawks holding a 7-4 advantage in the series. The Hawks are currently 5-1 over the Leathernecks since joining the Summit League in 2018-19. The two teams split the series last season with North Dakota winning 83-81 inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center on Jan. 29, and Western Illinois answered with a 99-87 victory the next day in the same building.

Last Time Out
In a game where North Dakota trailed by 17 points midway through the second half, the Fighting Hawks battled and fell 75-68 to the Coyotes of South Dakota inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center on Monday night. USD did most of their damage in the paint with a 38-24 advantage, while UND won the statistical categories of made three-pointers (8-2), steals (7-4), bench scoring (12-6) and points off turnovers (14-13).

Paul Bruns recorded the fourth 20-point performance of his career and led the kelly green and white with 21 points and eight rebounds. Tsotne Tsartsidze just missed out on a double-double with 13 points and eight boards. Brady Danielson led the way defensively with a career-high tying eight rebounds and a career-best four steals.

Most Recently for WIU
Western Illinois fell in an 87-86 heartbreaker to Oral Roberts at home on Saturday. After trailing by nine midway through the second half, the Leathernecks went on a 16-6 run and found themselves up 83-82 with 2:17 remaining. The Golden Eagles used a 4-0 run late to go up 87-83, but a Tamell Pearson free throw and a Colton Sandage layup with 36 seconds left brought the deficit down to one. WIU got a stop and had a chance at the game-winner as time expired but came up short in the 87-86 decision.

Pearson led the way for the Leathernecks with 17 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Luka Barisic adding 19 points. In total, five WIU players finished the game in double figures.

I-29 Bound
UND will be traveling plenty up and down Interstate 29 in the coming years as members of The Summit League and the men's basketball program will look to continue its success over the rivals located along that stretch. UND owns winning records against four of the other five The Summit League teams that are located on I-29: North Dakota State, Omaha, South Dakota and South Dakota State, but is 2-5 against Kansas City.

Since joining the league in 2018-19, however, I-29 was a tough place to find wins for UND, as the Fighting Hawks are 8-27 against Division I opponents along the stretch. On the other hand, the Hawks are 16-8 against conference foes not positioned on I-29. 

Last Win Over I-29 Schools
Kansas City - Jan. 2, 2021 (L1)
North Dakota State - Jan. 16, 2021 (L1)
Omaha - Feb. 20, 2021 (L1)
South Dakota - Feb. 14, 2021 (L1)
South Dakota State - Dec. 15, 2011 (L11)

Ballin' with Bentiu
Bentiu Panoam currently leads the team with 29 consecutive starts and has dished out a team-high 37 assists. Panoam has been filling the position of point guard most recently after Caleb Nero went down with an injury against San Jose State on Dec. 3. Panoam has a season-best 20 points vs. UT-Martin at the Paradise Classic earlier this season and corralled a career-high six boards vs. Eastern Washington.

Early last season, Panoam provided a spark off the bench for the Fighting Hawks and worked his way into a starting role, earning his place in the starting lineup for the final 13 games of the season. He decided to exercise his COVD-19 extra year of eligibility and is playing for the Fighting Hawks once again in 2021-22.

In 2020-21, the Anchorage, Alaska, native netted double-figure performances in five of his last six starts, recording back-to-back 20+ point games in that stretch. Panoam recorded a new career-high with 25 points against South Dakota and set a new career-high in made triples with five at Omaha.

Fearless Freshman
Freshman Paul Bruns has played a key role for UND this season and has 10 collegiate starts. He currently leads all freshmen in the Summit League, averaging 14.1 points per game and 16.5 points per game as a starter. Bruns has knocked down at least one three-pointer in each of the last 12 games.

Bruns had a highlight-reel performance at North Dakota State on Dec. 22, pouring in a season-high 27 points and pulling down 11 boards for the first double-double of his career. He has 12 double-digit scoring performances and four 20-point performances this season. The Jefferson, S.D., native has a team leading 40 made trifectas and averages 1.3 steals per game to lead the team. His 14.1 points per game is also a team high.

Stormin' Norman
Sophomore transfer Matt Norman worked his way back into the starting lineup and led the kelly green and white with 20 points at Omaha on Thursday night. He now has two 20-point performances as a Hawk, including a 23-point performance in the 110-65 victory over North Central on Dec. 14, burying seven shots from beyond the arc and dishing out a career-high six assists in the victory. Norman currently ranks second on the team in made triples with 27 makes from deep and is a 34.2 percent three-point shooter.

Sueker Sinks Them
Mitchell Sueker has continued his hot streak from the end of last year and has seven double digit scoring performances this year, averaging 10.5 per game. Sueker has had limited action while recovering from an injury and at 10 points at Denver on Saturday. He currently ranks second on the team in total points this season with 147.

Sueker currently sits third on the team in free throw makes this season with 30 and is a 78.9 percent free throw shooter. Last season, Sueker drained 56-of-67 at the charity stripe to lead the team with an 83.6 percentage at the free throw line. In his career, the Marshall, Minn., native is 202-260 at the stripe, good for a free throw percentage of 77.7 percent.

Sueker averaged 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last year and has career-highs in points (32), rebounds (12) and assists (5). His best free throw performance came against Kansas City last year when he went 11-for-12 at the line in the 52-45 win.

Finding A Groove
Sophomore transfer Tsotne Tsartsidze is coming into his own at post and had a highlight reel performance against Dixie State, rejecting a career-best four shots and just missing out on a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.

On Dec. 22 against the Bison, Tsartsidze knocked down a career-best seven shots for a new career high of 18 points. Tsartsidze has eight double-digit scoring performances this season, including a 13-point performance against South Dakota on Monday evening, following a 13-point performance at Omaha on Thursday and an 11-point scoring total at Denver on Saturday.

Defensive Danielson
Brady Danielson has played in more games than any other player on the active roster, playing in 74 games and starting seven of them. Despite being best known for his defense, Danielson threw in a season-high 10 points and corralled seven rebounds at Omaha on Thursday night.

Monday night, Danielson's defensive skills shined with him hauling in a career-high tying eight rebounds and recording a career-best four steals against South Dakota.

This season alone, Danielson has drawn a team-high nine offensive fouls. He drew a season-high three charges against Dixie State on Dec. 18.

Last season, Danielson appeared in 25 games off the bench and averaged 13.0 minutes per game while putting in just under two points per game and just over one rebound per game. He dished out a career-high four assists at Minnesota last season.

In his career, Danielson erupted for 18 points at Oregon State, while making a career-best six field goals.

Let's Go Igbanugo
Ethan Igbanugo has always been known as a sharpshooter and that has continued this season, with him currently third on the team for made triples this season, knocking down 21 trifectas on 65 attempts. His shooting percentage from beyond the arc is currently 32.3 percent. He knocked down a career-high five shots from beyond the arc against Dixie State on Dec. 18.

The Lakeville North Product appeared in every game last season with 16 starts, averaging 27 minutes per game. He was a cool customer from downtown, leading the team in made triples with 40 and hitting a three in every game except one.

Igbanugo poured in a career-high 18 points against North Dakota State late last season, while averaging 8.3 points per game. The Lakeville, Minn., native also went a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe against Purdue Fort Wayne during the 2019-20 season.

Heat Check
North Dakota proved the three-point threat exists on Dec. 14 against North Central University, breaking the school record for made triples in a game with 17. The previous UND record for made shots beyond the arc in a single game was 16, which was tied three times, most recently on Dec. 17, 2019, in a 109-50 victory over Northland College inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

The Fighting Hawks are familiar with shots from deep and that has not changed this season, with the kelly green and white firing off  441 shots from beyond the arc and knocking down 146 of them for an average of 33.1 percent made from three-point land. In the record-breaking game vs. NCU, the Hawks finished 17-of-31 from deep for an average of 54.8 percent. 

North Dakota has 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 UND went 0-for-8 from downtown at Northern Colorado in a 79-66 loss. North Dakota has hit at least one three in each of the last 110 games played.

COMPLETE GAME NOTES CAN BE FOUND HERE.