Next Game: vs. St. Thomas
The University of North Dakota will play the third game of its four-game homestand on Tuesday afternoon vs. St. Thomas. The Fighting Hawks and Tommies will square off at Noon (CT) inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The contest is a COVID-19 make-good game from the originally scheduled contest on Jan. 15. Fans can follow all the action on UND Insider, 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. UST
This will be the 14th meeting between North Dakota and St. Thomas. UND has an 8-5 lead in the series and is 5-1 in games played in Grand Forks. This will be the first game between the two in Grand Forks since Dec. 1, 1958, when the Fighting Sioux claimed a 73-64 victory.

Earlier this season, the series was renewed in St. Paul on Feb. 10, with the Fighting Hawks picking up a 78-70 win over St. Thomas. In that game, UND shot 50.0 percent from beyond the arc (14-of-28) and held a 40-26 advantage in rebounds. 

Paul Bruns recorded the second double-double of his career with a game-high 22 points and a season-best 14 rebounds to lead the Fighting Hawks. Matt Norman was the next most productive scorer for UND with 12 points, all coming from beyond the arc while also dishing out a team-high six assists.

Riley Miller led UST with 13 points, going 5-of-10 from the field. Anders Nelson was also in double figures with 12 points and led the Tommies in rebounds (7), steals (3) and assists (2).

Turning Back the Clock
It has been a long time since UND and UST last squared off in North Dakota, going all the way back to Dec. 1, 1958, when the Fighting Sioux defeated the Tommies by a tally of 73-64. On Dec. 1, 1958, the No. 1 movie at the box office was Houseboat, the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 was "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by The Teddy Bears, and the Dwight D. Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States.

Last Time Out
In a game that featured 12 lead changes and 10 ties, North Dakota dropped an 87-73 decision to Oral Roberts inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Eagles did most of their damage in the paint, holding a 48-20 advantage in points down low. ORU also held advantages in points off turnovers (10-4) and fast break points (13-4). The Fighting Hawks won the rebounding battle by a 40-35 margin and both teams dished out 11 assists.

Paul Bruns recorded the third double-double of his career, netting a team-high 17 points and grabbing a team leading 10 rebounds. Of his 17 points, 13 of them came in the second half to go with three assists and a block. Matt Norman also finished in double figures, pouring in 16 points while corralling a career-high seven rebounds. Ethan Igbanugo was the final Hawk in double-digits with 15 points to go with five boards.

Most Recently for UST
St. Thomas fell 79-60 to South Dakota State in Brookings on Saturday. In the contest, the Tommies were outscored 38-12 in the paint, while the Jackrabbits also held a 22-17 edge in bench scoring.  SDSU finished the game shooting 54.9 percent, while UST hit at 30.9 percent.

Riley Miller led the Tommies with 27 points, knocking down eight of his 13 attempts from deep and also going 3-of-3 at the charity stripe. Anders Nelson was next in scoring for UST with eight points. On the rebounding end, St. Thomas was led by Parker Bjorklund grabbing eight boards to go with his four points.

.500 Tuesdays
Going into the game with St. Thomas, North Dakota is currently 2-2 on games played on Tuesday this season. The Tuesday victories were against Presentation (Nov. 30) and North Central (Dec. 14), while the two Tuesday losses came against Milwaukee (Nov. 9) and California Baptist (Dec. 7).  The final score of all Tuesday games this season combined would be UND 313, Opponents 284.

Attacking the Glass
As a team, North Dakota ranks fourth in the conference in rebounds per game (35.9) and is fourth in total rebounds (1,041) this season. When it comes to being aggressive on the offensive glass, NoDak shines with 305 boards to sit second in league play. The only team in the Summit League with more offensive boards this season is Western Illinois with 326.

Bruns Tracker
Freshman sensation Paul Bruns currently has a team leading 441 points this season and would need to average 7.0 points per game the final games of the regular season to become the top freshman scorer in UND history. That record is currently held by De'Sean Allen-Eikens and was set two seasons ago when Allen-Eikens netted 454 points as a freshman. In total, Bruns is 14 points away from holding that record outright.

Ballin' with Bentiu
Bentiu Panoam currently leads the team with 41 consecutive starts and has dished out a team-high 56 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 came on Jan. 29 with a 19-point performance at South Dakota for a new season-high, 17 of his 19 points were scored in the second half alone. He also put together an 18-point outing at Western Illinois on Jan. 13. Most recently, Panoam netted 15 points vs. Omaha on Feb. 5 and 14 points at Western Illinois on Feb. 12.

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 22 collegiate starts. He currently leads all freshmen in the Summit League, averaging 15.2 points per game and 16.7 points per game as a starter. In the conference, Bruns ranks 10th out of all Summit League players with his 15.2 points per game this season and is fifth in games played within the conference with 17.4 points per game. He also ranks fourth in rebounds in games played within the conference, averaging 7.2 rebounds per game.

Bruns has recorded all three of UND's double-doubles this season. Most recently, pouring in 17 points and grabbing 10 boards vs. Oral Roberts on Feb. 19. His second double-double was on Feb. 10 at St. Thomas, where he netted 22 points and corralled a season-best 14 rebounds. His first double-double came during a highlight-reel performance at North Dakota State on Dec. 22, throwing down a season-high 27 points and pulling in 11 boards.

In total, Bruns has 22 double-digit scoring performances and nine 20-point performances this season. He has knocked down a team leading
71 trifectas and averages 2.4 made triples per game to rank fourth in the Summit League in that category.

Currently, Bruns has eight consecutive double figure performances and has made at least one shot from deep in each of the last 11 games.

Bruns is also 11th in the league in average steals per game with 1.0, which is also a team high.

Splash 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 netting 16 points against Oral Roberts on Feb. 19 and 18 points vs. Kansas City on Feb. 17, Norman now has 11 double-digit performances as a Hawk and three 20-point outings, including a 23-point game in the 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 leads the team in free throw percentage, putting in 42 makes on 51 attempts at the line for 82.4 percent. He is also second on the team for total points scored this season with 250 and is also second on the team in made triples with 48 makes from deep to be a 33.3 percent three-point shooter.

Defensive Daniel-Son
Brady Danielson might as well be known as the Karate Kid with how much he puts the team first, putting his body on the line for the good of the team and drawing a team-high 15 charges this season. He drew a season-high three offensive fouls against Dixie State on Dec. 18.

Despite being best known for his defense, Danielson threw in a season-high 14 points, pulled down three boards and dished out one assist at Western Illinois on Feb. 12. He also poured in 11 points and grabbed five boards vs. Denver on Feb. 3. 

At Oral Roberts on Jan. 20, Danielson crashed the glass for a career-high 11 boards while also dishing out a career-best five assists. He also netted six points and drew one charge vs. the Golden Eagles.

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.

At Oral Roberts 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. 

Most recently, Tsartsidze poured in 15 points vs. Omaha on Feb. 5 for his ninth double-digit scoring performance of the season. He currently ranks fourth on the team for total points scored this season with 229. With two blocks against the Roos on Thursday, Tsartsidze now has 21 blocks this season and sits sixth in the Summit League. Tsartsidze averages 5.3 rebounds per game to rank 14th in the conference in that category and his 155 total rebounds currently sits 10th in league play.

Let's Go Igbanugo
In the month of January, Ethan Igbanugo put together three highlight performances in a row. At South Dakota State on Jan. 27, Igbanugo poured in a career-high 24 points while going 7-for-7 at the free throw line. The week prior, 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. At Kansas City, Igbanugo led the Fighting Hawks with a career-high tying 18 points on 50.0 percent shooting while also rejecting one shot.

Most recently, Igbanugo poured in 15 points against Oral Roberts on Feb. 19 and now has 229 points this year to rank third on the team in that category. Igbanugo is also one of the most called upon players from the bench, being the first substitution for North Dakota on five occasions. 

Igbanugo has always been known as a sharpshooter and that has continued this season, with him knocking down 39 trifectas on 114 attempts to rank third on the team in made triples. His shooting percentage from beyond the arc is currently 34.2 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.

Wishes Granted
Reid Grant has been earning more playing time recently and his effort has shown with him putting together a season-high 15 points while playing in 31 minutes against the Jackrabbits on Jan. 31. Of his 15 points, 10 of them came in the second half alone while also going 5-of-5 at the charity stripe. Grant also dished out a team-leading four assists.

Against Denver on Feb. 3, Grant paced the team with seven assists for a new season-high in that category, while also adding six points, four rebounds and two steals. On Feb. 5 vs. Omaha, Grant led the team in assists for the third consecutive game, dishing out five assists while adding two points, a pair of steals, and one rebound.

Grant is consistently one of the first guys off the bench has been the first sub called off the bench on seven occasions, currently leading the team in that category. He has also dished out 53 assists, trailing Panoam for the team-lead in assists by only three passes. Along with this, he is third on the team in charges drawn with eight.

Prior to his breakout game against South Dakota State on Jan. 31, Grant's season-high point total was six points against Eastern Washington on Dec. 11. His high for assists was five at Kansas State on Nov. 28.

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 Jan. 27, Mathews was second in scoring for the kelly green and white with 10 points.

The week prior, 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. On Feb. 17 against Kansas City, Mathews corralled seven rebounds while adding five points.

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
Caleb Nero is starting to return to action after going down with an injury at San Jose State on Dec. 3 and missing nine games. Most recently, Nero added three points to go with a rebound against Kansas City on Thursday and dished out an assist in limited minutes vs. Oral Roberts on Saturday.

Despite playing sparingly recently and not playing in the nine games before Jan. 20, Nero remains fifth on the team in points per game with 7.9 and is third in free throw percentage (80.6).

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 26 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 seventh on the team in total points this season with 149 and is second in average points per game (9.9).

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 sixth 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 767 shots from beyond the arc and knocking down 261 of them for an average of 34.0 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 122 games played.

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 have already made up two of their previously scheduled contests, falling in a 75-68 decision to South Dakota on Monday, Jan. 10, and stumbling 70-64 vs. South Dakota State on Monday, Jan. 31.

The current last upcoming rescheduled home game is against St. Thomas in a game that was originally scheduled to be played on Jan. 15. The Hawks will now host the Tommies on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at Noon (CT). That game will be carried by UND Insider and aired on the Home of Economy Radio Network.

If the 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 in 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.