GRAND FORKS, N.D. - The North Dakota Men's Basketball will close out the week taking on longtime rival North Dakota State Friday evening. Fans can follow all the action on WDAY, as well as by tuning into Paul Ralston's call on the Home of Economy Radio Network.

 

Series History vs. the Bison

Friday will be the 307th all-time meeting between North Dakota and North Dakota State. The Hawks have a 163-143 edge in the series, which dates back to 1905. However, as Summit League foes the tables have turned in favor of the Bison, who own a 9-2 edge since both became members of the league. The most recent victory for the Hawks came on January 16, 2021 with an 82-78 overtime win in Grand Forks.

NDSU took the first meeting this season 71-49 in Grand Forks.

 

Last Time Out

North Dakota dropped their second straight game Monday night when they fell at Western Illinois by a dozen points 92-80. The Hawks held a 41-36 lead at halftime but were unable to hold the second half lead. Tsonte Tsartsidze led the Hawks with 19 points and eight rebounds. Matt Norman also reached double figures with 18 points, as did Jalun Trent with 12 and Treysen Eaglestaff with 11.

Early on the game was close, with neither team being able to pull away in the first half. UND held their greatest lead at seven points late in the half before heading to the locker room with a five point edge. In the middle of the second half the game was tied at 63 but the Hawks would trail the rest of the way.

Norman made three shots from downtown to lead the Hawks and 7-13 overall from the floor. Tsartsidze made 9-12 from the floor. The team scored 48 points in the paint and got 25 points from the bench.

 

Bench Boost

North Dakota enters the matchup with the most bench scoring in the Summit League and is No. 29 team nationally in that category. The Fighting Hawks are averaging 27 points per game from the reserves this season. The next closest bench in the league is Omaha with 23.76.

 

Solidify the Five

North Dakota has used eight different starting combinations this season, but the same five have started the last five games (Jalun Trent, Treysen Eaglestaff, Brady Danielson, B.J. Omot and Tsotne Tsartsidze). There were nine variations of the starting lineup last season. On the team, Tsartsidze has the most active consecutive starts currently with 42, followed by Omot with 22. Danielson and Eaglestaff have also worked their ways into starting roles and have started the last nine games. Trent made his seventh consecutive start on Monday.

 

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.

Complete notes can be found here.