GRAND FORKS, N.D. - North Dakota will battle Portland inside Chiles Center at 7 p.m. (CT) on Saturday. Fans can follow all the action by watching the free stream on the WCC Network, as well as by tuning into Paul Ralston's call on the Home of Economy Radio Network (100.3 FM).
Series History vs. the Pilots
Saturday's contest will be the second meeting between the UND and UP men's basketball programs. The Pilots own the lone win in the series, which took place on Dec. 23, 1958. Portland won that game by a score of 78-49 on its home court.
Turn Back the Clock
It has been a long time since North Dakota last visited Portland, going all the way back to Dec. 23, 1958. On that date, the No. 1 movie at the box office was The Buccaneer, a 1958 pirate-war film made by Paramount Pictures. The No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 was, "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" by the Chipmunks with David Seville. The President of the United States at that time was Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Last Time Out
North Dakota trailed No. 23 Iowa State by two at intermission, but a pair of Cyclone scoring runs in the second half allowed them to pull away for the 63-44 victory inside the Hilton Coliseum.
Matt Norman was the top Hawk with a team-high nine points while also cleaning the glass with seven boards. He dished out a team leading three assists.
A'Jahni Levias was the next best scorer for UND with eight points, throwing in the first five points of the contest for the Fighting Hawks.
Going Deep
North Dakota can go deep into the bench this season and it shows, with the Fighting Hawks ranking as the No. 1 team in the Summit League in bench scoring with 29.6 points per game from the reserves this season. The next closest bench in the conference is Oral Roberts with 24.8 points per game coming from the bench.
Turning the Corner
North Dakota has made strides this season, already matching its amount of Division I wins from last season with four victories over DI opponents in the month of November. The Hawks also put together a three-game winning streak for the first time since Nov. 26 - Nov. 30, 2019, with victories over Wisconsin-Stout, Utah Tech and Cal State Fullerton.
Watch and Listen
All North Dakota men's basketball games, home and away, can be heard on stations across the Home of Economy Radio Network, as well as through the iHeart Radio app, with Paul Ralston calling the action.
UND home games this season will also all be available through Midco Sports Plus with a subscription. A vast majority of the home games will also be aired on Midco Sports or Midco Sports Two.
Follow Us
Receive live updates during all UND men's basketball games by following @UNDmbasketball on Twitter. Fans can also follow the Fighting Hawks on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @UNDmbasketball. FightingHawks.com will have up-to-the-minute stories, stats and more.
FULL GAME NOTES ARE HERE.
