FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Fifteen first-half turnovers plagued North Dakota men's basketball on Monday night inside the tightly-constructed confines of Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado, as Colorado State, an at-large participant in two of the last three NCAA Tournaments, turned a 17-point halftime advantage into an 82-56 victory in the season opener for both sides.
 
The Hawks (0-1) battled the host Rams throughout the game's first dozen or so minutes as the Mountain West Conference member led by just two possessions at the 7:42 mark of the first half despite ten UND turnovers to that point of the contest. Out of the under-8 media, Colorado State (1-0) crafted an 8-0 run and coupled their offensive successes with a three-plus minute scoring drought from the Hawks which aided CSU's lead in blooming to 14 at 31-17 at the final media stoppage before the intermission.  
 
The Hawks held their own early using an in-traffic bucket by sophomore guard Mier Panoam and a right wing three from senior forward Amar Kuljuhovic as the contest was even at five through the opening ninety seconds. However, turnovers became the issue, the first stretch of which aided a scoring drought, as CSU used an 8-0 to take a 13-5 lead through the first stoppage.
 
North Dakota cut down its deficit to 19-15 by virtue of a 10-6 run highlighted by a 45-second sequence from senior big man Brian Mathews who delivered a helper to a moving Eli King who finished off glass a possession prior to Mathews nailing a midrange jumper in the paint on a dime from a driving Panoam.
 
UND showcased a much improved effort in the second half as the Rams outscored the Hawks by just nine points, while the visitors committed only six turnovers in the final twenty minutes. Colorado State carried its momentum at the break into the second half as the lead grew to 31 with just over eight minutes expired in the frame.
 
The Hawks worked to get the deficit under 30 as a 14-7 UND run down through the under-8 media timeout was highlighted by a pair of three-point makes from junior guard Treysen Eaglestaff. Those buckets by the North Dakota native sandwiched a 6-2 advantage by the Hawks which included a Panoam pullup, a drive to the basket by junior guard Reggie Thomas and a pair of free throws from senior Deng Mayar. UND attempted 13 shots from the charity stripe in the second half making ten to finish at nearly 77% for the game.
 
North Dakota returns to action on Saturday in San Antonio, Texas. The Hawks match up against UTSA of the American Athletic Conference at 6 p.m. from inside the Convocation Center. It will be the first of two meetings this season with the Roadrunners scheduled to make a trip to Grand Forks on December 15. This weekend's contest will be the first all-time between the two programs. It marks UND's first trip to the Lone Star State since November 2022 when the Hawks beat Incarnate Word in the season opener.
 
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 ESPN+ and live stats for the contest will be available at www.FightingHawks.com.
 
Postgame Notes

• Playing in his 66^th career game for North Dakota, Eaglestaff was penciled into the box score in double-figure scoring for the 37th time in the kelly green and white
• His team-high 12 points came behind a pair of second-half three-point shots marking the 36^th time he has hit from deep twice in a game
• Panoam followed with ten points and matched fellow newcomer Dariyus Woodson with five rebounds to go along with two assists, two blocks and a steal in 24 minutes
• Woodson played a team-high 30 minutes scoring seven points with five boards
• Kuljuhovic added nine points, four rebounds and a block
• Redshirt freshman and Grand Forks native Zach Kraft made his Fighting Hawks debut checking in at the 5:42 mark of the second half
• Moments later, redshirt freshman Ryan Erikson, a native of Bismarck, checked in for the first time in his UND career with 1:46 remaining
• CSU's Nique Clifford, who flirted with the NBA Draft this past summer, finished with 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting to lead a Rams squad that shot 58.3% from the floor, despite making just four of its 17 attempts from three
• Clifford added 14 rebounds in a double-double effort
• CSU finished +11 in turnovers and +34 in paint points and narrowly edged the Hawks on the glass at +5
• Head coach Paul Sather moves to 12-7 all-time against teams from the state of Colorado and to 4-5 in those games played in the state
• UND falls to 0-2 all-time against Colorado State
• The Hawks move to 2-4 in season openers under Sather and are 85-35 overall in season openers since the program's first campaign in 1904-05

How It Happened
 
First Half
15:56 – CSU 13, UND 5 (8-0 CSU run; 2:30 UND scoring drought)
11:14 – CSU 19, UND 15 (UND 4-of-5 shooting on 10-6 run)
7:15 – CSU 23, UND 17 (CSU 1-of-last-7 shooting; 2:30 CSU scoring drought)
3:42 – CSU 31, UND 17 (CSU 8-0 run over 3:04; UND 0-of-last-4, 3 TO last 4:00)
HALF – CSU 39, UND 22
 
Second Half
15:44 – CSU 51, UND 29 (CSU 5-of-last-7 shooting)
11:53 – CSU 64, UND 33 (CSU 7-of-last-8 shooting, CSU 13-4 run)
7:40 – CSU 72, UND 47 (UND 14-7 run)
4:00 – CSU 74, UND 51 (CSU 0 pts last 2:52)
FINAL – CSU 82, UND 56
 
For more information on North Dakota men's basketball, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDmbasketball.