Next Game: at South Dakota
The University of North Dakota will continue its stay in the Mount Rushmore State on Saturday for Summit League men's basketball action at 4 p.m. (CT) inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. Fans can follow all the action on Go Yotes Live, 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. USD
This will be the 197th all-time meeting between North Dakota and South Dakota. UND has a 103-93 series lead but are 35-52 in the series during games played in Vermillion. The Coyotes snapped a four-game losing streak to the Fighting Hawks on Jan. 10 this season with a 75-68 win inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. 

In the most recent game, South Dakota did most of its damage in the paint with a 38-24 advantage, while North Dakota finished with an 8-2 edge in made three-pointers. Paul Bruns led four Hawks in double figures with 21 points and eight rebounds. Kruz Perrot-Hunt and Mason Archambault shared the team-lead in points for the Coyotes with 19 points apiece.

Last Time Out
North Dakota fell 96-61 to South Dakota State inside Frost Arena on Thursday night. Ethan Igbanugo led the Fighting Hawks with a career-high 24 points, including a 7-for-7 performance at the charity stripe. Brian Mathews was the only other UND player in double-digits with 10 points.

In the game, North Dakota shot 36.1 percent to South Dakota State's 57.8 percent. SDSU held a 48-26 advantage in the paint and outrebounded UND by a 39-30 margin. The Fighting Hawks finished at 100.0 percent from the charity stripe, going a perfect 9-of-9 in the contest.

Most Recently for USD
South Dakota thought it had won on a game-winning three-pointer from Tasos Kamateros as time expired, but review showed the ball left his hand after the buzzer and the game went into overtime. In the extra period, NDSU scored the first 12 points of overtime and defeated USD 74-62.

Kruz Perrot-Hunt recorded a game-high 24 points and Mason Archambault was next in scoring for the Coyotes with 19 points. 

Ouch!
North Dakota is on track to have the least wins on the road in its Division I history. The Fighting Hawks are currently 0-11 in away games this season and would need three road wins to be better than they were in 2017-18 (2-13) and 2008-09 (2-9) on the road. This season, UND's last Division I wins were back-to-back with the Fighting Hawks defeating Montana 79-77 inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center on Nov. 15 and then taking down Troy 74-72 in the opening game of the Paradise Classic on the campus of Florida Atlantic on Nov. 19. The last win for North Dakota was a 110-65 rout of North Central (Minn.) on Dec. 14.

Prior to the 96-61 loss at South Dakota State on Thursday night, things seemed to be starting to trend in the right direction for North Dakota with the previous four losses coming by single digits and the Fighting Hawks falling by an average of 5.25 points in those contests. In three of the five most recent games, the UND battled back to erase second-half deficits of 16 points (vs. Western Illinois), 14 points (at Oral Roberts) and 17 points (at Kansas City).

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 2-6 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 8-29 against Division I opponents along the stretch. On the other hand, the Hawks are 16-10 against conference foes not positioned on I-29. 

Last Win Over I-29 Schools
Kansas City - Jan. 2, 2021 (L2)
North Dakota State - Jan. 16, 2021 (L1)
Omaha - Feb. 20, 2021 (L1)
South Dakota - Feb. 14, 2021 (L1)
South Dakota State - Dec. 15, 2011 (L12)

Attacking the Glass
As a team, North Dakota ranks fourth in the conference in rebounds per game (36.1) and is fifth in total rebounds (759) this season. When it comes to being aggressive on the offensive glass, NoDak shines with 236 boards to sit second in league play. The only team in the Summit League with more offensive boards this season is Western Illinois with 249.

Ballin' with Bentiu
Bentiu Panoam currently leads the team with 33 consecutive starts and has dished out a team-high 39 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's best performance of the season is an 18-point output against Western Illinois on Jan. 13.

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 14 collegiate starts. He currently leads all freshmen in the Summit League, averaging 13.7 points per game and 15.3 points per game as a starter. In the conference, Bruns ranks 13th out of all Summit League players with his 13.7 points per game this season and is ninth in games played in the conference with 15.6 points per game.

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 14 double-digit scoring performances and four 20-point performances this season. He has made a team leading 43 made trifectas and averages 2.2 made triples per game to rank second in the Summit League in that category.

Bruns is also sixth in the league in average steals per game with 1.2, which is also a team high.

Stormin' Norman
Sophomore transfer Matt Norman worked his way back into the starting lineup and led NoDak with a career-high 27 points against Western Illinois on Jan. 13, netting 20 points alone in the second half.

After adding 11 points at Oral Roberts on Jan. 20, Norman now has eight double-digit performances as a Hawk and three 20-point performances, including a 23-point game in 110-65 victory over North Central on Dec. 14, burying seven shots from beyond the arc and dishing out a career-best six assists in the victory.

Norman currently ranks second on the team in made triples with 36 makes from deep and is a 34.0 percent three-point shooter.

Defensive Danielson
Brady Danielson has played in more games than any other player on the active roster, playing in 78 games and starting 10 of them. Despite being best known for his defense, Danielson threw in a season-high 10 points and corralled seven rebounds at Omaha on Jan. 6.

At Oral Roberts on Jan. 20, Danielson paced the team on the glass with a career-high 11 boards and dished out a career-best five assists. He also netted six points and drew one charge.

This season alone, Danielson has drawn a team-high 13 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.

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 Jan. 20, Tsartsidze was second on the team in rebounds with seven, while being responsible for three assists and six points in the game. On Jan. 13, Tsartsidze cleaned the glass against Western Illinois with a career-high 13 rebounds to go with seven points, while also pacing the offense with three assists. 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 and is third on the team in total points scored this year with 169. His 15 total blocks this year currently sits eighth in the Summit League. Tsartsidze averages 5.8 rebounds per game to rank eighth in the conference in that category and his 121 total rebounds currently sits seventh in league play.

Let's Go Igbanugo
Ethan Igbanugo has put together three consecutive highlight reel performances in the last nine days. Most recently, Igbanugo poured in a career-high 24 points at South Dakota State while going 7-for-7 at the charity stripe. Last week, he helped North Dakota erase second-half deficits of 14 (at Oral Roberts) and 17 (at Kansas City). At Oral Roberts, Igbanugo was second in scoring for NoDak with 17 points, 13 of them coming in the second half alone. Against the Golden Eagles, Igbanugo also led the team defensively with two steals and a block. Last Saturday at Kansas City, Igbanugo led the Fighting Hawks with a career-high tying 18 points while shooting 50.0 percent while also rejecting one shot.

Igbanugo has always been known as a sharpshooter and that has continued this season, with knocking down 28 trifectas on 84 attempts to rank third on the team in made triples. His shooting percentage from beyond the arc is currently 33.3 percent. He knocked down a career-high five shots from deep 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.

Mathews Knocks Them Down
Freshman Brian Mathews is seeing additional minutes with Mitchell Sueker out with a season-ending injury, and he is making the most of it. In Brookings on Thursday night, Mathews was second in scoring for the kelly green and white with 10 points.

Last Saturday, Mathews erupted for 16 points at Kansas City to tie for second on the team in scoring in the game. Of his 16 points, 12 of them came at the free throw line where Mathews shined, going 12-of-13 in the game to go with seven rebounds and two assists.

Mathews' season-high scoring output was a 17-point performance against North Central (Minn.) on Dec. 14. In that game Mathews knocked down seven of his eight shots from the field and corralled five boards.

Needing Nero
Last week Caleb Nero saw his first action since going down with an injury at San Jose State on Dec. 3. In limited action, Nero recorded eight points at three rebounds against the Golden Eagles and 5 points and two boards against the Roos. Despite not playing in the nine games before Jan. 20, Nero remains second on the team in points per game with 12.1 and leads the team in both assists per game (2.8) and free throw percentage (85.2 percent). On Thursday night, Nero netted eight points at South Dakota State and drained two three-pointers.

Nero appeared in all 26 games last season and started 13 of them. The Tulsa, Okla., native proved to be a leader off the bench last season, leading all players off the bench with 8.7 points per game and 22.9 minutes per contest. He also led all guards on the team with a shooting percentage of 41.8 percent from the field and was second on the team in crunch time with an 83.3 percentage from the charity stripe.

In his career, Nero has piled up 25 games where he has netted double digits in points and has 17 games where has dished out three assists or more. In the season finale last season, Nero poured in 11 points in 21 minutes while grabbing three rebounds against Oral Roberts in the Summit League Quarterfinals.

Playing the Stretch Without Sueker
North Dakota will be playing down the stretch with a key piece of the offense missing with Mitchell Sueker out with a season-ending injury. Sueker battled through injuries and recently played in limited action at Denver on Jan. 8 where he scored eight points. Despite the missed time with injury, Sueker ranks fifth on the team in total points this season with 149.

Prior to injury, Sueker continued his hot streak from the end of last year and has seven double-digit scoring performances in 2021-22, averaging 9.9 points per game.  He remains fourth on the team in free throw makes this season with 32 and is an 80.0 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.

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 549 shots from beyond the arc and knocking down 176 of them for an average of 32.1 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 114 games played.

Keeping Things Even
North Dakota had five returners in 2021-22 and eight newcomers and so far, they are keeping things close as a team. The Fighting Hawks have scored 1,474 points this season with the newbies pouring in 836 of them and the returners amassing 638 points. In total, the newcomers have scored 56.72 percent of UND's total points this season, while the returners have accounted for 43.28 percent of North Dakota's made shots.

Shaking Things Up
North Dakota has utilized eight different variations of its starting lineup so far this season and may try its ninth different starting lineup on Saturday. On the team, Bentiu Panoam has the most active consecutive starts currently with 33, followed by Paul Bruns with 14. The next most common starter based on active streaks is Tsotne Tsartsidze with 10, trailed by Matt Norman with seven and Brady Danielson with three.

Rolling with the Changes
North Dakota has already had three games rescheduled due to COVID-19 protocols and is constantly dealing with a changing schedule. The Hawks already made up their previously scheduled Dec. 30 matchup with the Coyotes on Monday, Jan. 10, and fell in a 75-68 decision.

The two upcoming rescheduled home games are against South Dakota State and St. Thomas in games that were originally scheduled to be played on Jan. 1 and Jan. 15, respectively. The Hawks will now host the Jackrabbits at 7 p.m. (CT) on Monday, Jan. 31, and the Tommies on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at Noon (CT). Both games will be aired on the Home of Economy Radio Network, with the Jan. 31 game being carried on the Midco Sports Network and the Feb. 22 contest being streamed by UND Insider.

If rescheduled games are still unable to be made up due to COVID-19 protocols, those will be considered a "no contest".

For seeding purposes regarding The Summit League Basketball Championships, if teams have played a different number of League games due to no contests, winning percentage will be used as the first criteria to determine seeds. St. Thomas is not eligible for the Summit League Tournament this season, so the top eight teams in the conference will earn bids to the Summit League Basketball Championships at the conclusion of the regular season.

COMPLETE GAME NOTES CAN BE FOUND HERE.