GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Junior guard Treysen Eaglestaff delivered 31 points on a career-high ten made shots, North Dakota went toe-to-toe with Utah Valley inside, and the Hawks finished the back-and-forth affair in the win column treating a lively Betty Englestad Sioux Center, jam packed with nearly 1,000 local elementary kids, to a 77-71 victory in the home opener on Thursday afternoon.
 
It was a battle from start to finish as a frantic pace developed early and arose several more times throughout the non-conference match up. The action featured 23 lead changes with the two sides deadlocked seven times. UND bested the Wolverines inside matched their Western Athletic Conference opposition in rebounding (38-38) which included 15 offensive rebounds in addition to finishing +2 in paint points (38-36).
 
Trailing 57-56 with 5:50 remaining in the game, junior guard Eli King stuffed a baseline shot attempt to keep the deficit at one and 15 seconds later Eaglestaff nailed a step-back three from the right wing to push the Hawks out front 59-57. The following trip down the floor, sophomore guard Mier Panoam remained instep with a driving Trevan Leonhardt and denied a shot off the glass with 5:11 to play.
 
While Eaglestaff' first three-point make of the afternoon, a rhythm three around the 15:20 mark of the second half, cut the Hawks' deficit to one at 43-42 and his second gave the host a lead with under six to play, it was his third hit from deep, with less than 3:30 to play, that put the Hawks up seven at 64-57. The lead grew to nine on UND's next possession as Panoam helped a trapped Eaglestaff along the right wing before driving by a defender and finishing through contact with a successful free throw attempt moments later.
 
UND put the Wolverines away at the stripe as four different Hawks knocked in free throws in the final minute with perfect trips to the line from junior forward Dariyus Woodson, Eaglestaff and Panoam. UND absorbed the scoring efforts of four Wolverines that finished in double figures. Ethan Potter led UVU with 20 points, Dominick Nelson and Leonhardt each added a dozen and Tanner Toolson followed with ten. 
 
Not to be lost in Eaglestaff's scoring output was senior forward Amar Kuljuhovic's 17 points on an efficient 6-of-7 shooting with five makes from the charity stripe. He added six rebounds with five coming in the second half. Additionally, King, who finished with just a bucket, delivered in every other aspect of the box score recording a game-high eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block. His first ten minutes were pivotal for the Hawks as King grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds and two steals.  
 
The Hawks head east to South Bend, Indiana to match up with Notre Dame on Tuesday, November 19. Tip-off from inside the Fighting Irish's Purcell Pavilion is set for 6 p.m. It will be UND's first against an opponent representing the Atlantic Coast Conference and just the second meeting all-time between the two programs. Notre Dame won a 46-38 contest inside the Fieldhouse on February 4, 1941.
 
Fans can follow the action live with Fighting Hawks men's basketball radio play-by-play voice Paul Ralston on KSNR 100.3 FM The Cat or on the iHeart Radio app. The action can be seen on ACCNX and live stats for the contest will be available at www.FightingHawks.com.
 
Postgame Notes

• Eaglestaff finished in double figures for the 39^th time in his career, while reaching the 30-point mark for the second time as a Hawk and for the first time at home inside the BESC
• His 31 points are the most by a Fighting Hawk inside the BESC since the 2019-20 season when Marlon Stewart dropped 35 points against North Dakota State on February 22, 2020
• Woodson added nine points for the Hawks with two rebounds, an assist and one steal
• Kuljuhovic delivered a career-best four assists to lead UND in the category
• Eaglestaff and King each played a team-high 34 minutes
• UND shot ten more times than UVU in the first half behind a +9 effort in offensive rebounding in the opening twenty minutes
• North Dakota shot 43.3% from the floor making 26 of its 60 shots
• The Hawks sank a season-high 20 free throws and have made 17 in each of their first three games of the season
• The Hawks held UVU to a 22.2% success rate from three-point range which saw the Wolverines make just one of their nine attempts from beyond-the-arc in the second half; Through 120 minutes, the Hawks are forcing opponents to shoot 19% from outside
• UND netted three-plus shots from beyond-the-arc for the 113^th consecutive game, while the Hawks' first trifecta of the afternoon, a wing three from Woodson at the 4:37 mark of the first half, moved UND's made three-point shot streak to 192 consecutive games
• The victory moves the Hawks' overall record to 2-1 and improves its all-time record against UVU to 4-5
• UND's win gives the Hawks a 13-4 record in home openers since the program's first DI season in 2008-09
• The Hawks won for the 35^th time at home under the leadership of sixth-year head coach Paul Sather

How It Happened
 
First Half
14:57 – UND 10, UVU 6 (UND 4-of-last-5 FG)
11:53 – UND 12, UVU 11 (11 combined turnovers, 8-8 paint points)
7:09 – UND 22, UVU 22 (UND 3-of-last 3 FG, UND 6-2 2ndC)
4:04 – UND 29, UVU 25 (UND 7-0 run last 1:01, UVU 2:09 scoring drought)
1:53 – UND 31, UVU 29  
HALF – UVU 34, UND 33
 
Second Half
16:00 – UVU 40, UND 39 (Combined 5-for-24 from 3pt)
11:41 – UVU 47, UND 46 (13-13 in scoring)
6:39 – UND 56, UVU 55 (UND 4-of-last-5 FG)
3:50 – UND 61, UVU 57 (UVU 0-of-last-4 FG, 2:22 scoring drought)
1:30 – UND 68, UVU 62 (UVU 1-of-last-7 FG)
:18.9 – UND 75, UVU 70 (UVU 3-of-last-3 FG)  
FINAL – UND 77, UVU 71
 
For more information on North Dakota men's basketball, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDmbasketball.