BROOKINGS, S.D. – North Dakota men's basketball battled early on inside a lively First Bank & Trust Arena matching the tempo of the host Jackrabbits through the first dozen minutes, but South Dakota State employed a hot-shooting effort from the floor behind five players in double-figuring scoring to dispatch the Fighting Hawks 109-73 on Thursday night in Summit League action.
 
First-half action featured five tied scores and five lead changes, but the Jackrabbits used a 10-0 run in just under 90 seconds as the clocked near the nine-minute mark to grab a 35-26 lead. The Hawks used three-pointers from redshirt freshman Zach Kraft and junior Treysen Eaglestaff and a contact basket inside from sophomore Mier Panoam to keep the contest under ten, but an 11-4 Jackrabbit run over the final 4:30 of the opening half led to the 15-point SDSU advantage at the break.
 
It was much of the same for both sides following the intermission as the Jackrabbits cooled off slightly shooting 56.8% from the floor, while UND struggled through a 1-for-22 shooting stretch midway through the half.
 
North Dakota returns to Grand Forks to play host to Kansas City on Saturday afternoon from inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The Hawks and the Roos tip off at 1 p.m. on January 18. The two sides meet for the 14^th time overall in a series that began in 2008. KC holds an 8-5 lead in the series, while UND has won three of the past four. The Roos are 5-2 all-time inside the Betty.
 
The action can be seen on Midco Sports and the Summit League Network. 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. Live stats for the contest will be available at www.FightingHawks.com.
 
Postgame Notes

• UND's 13 offensive rebounds marks the 19^th straight game with 12+ such boards
• UND posted its second-best free throw effort of the season with its third game of  22+ makes from the charity stripe, while its  84.6% success rate is the second highest in a contest with 20 or more attempts
• The Hawks shot 34.4% from the floor making seven of its 28 attempts from beyond-the-arc
• Senior Amar Kuljuhovic matched his career-high in threes with two and led UND with 14 points
• With a pair of three-pointers, Eaglestaff moved a single made three-point shot away from fifth place outright on the program's career list
• Eaglestaff followed with a dozen points and a team-best  four assists and Panoam added ten with a team-high six boards
• Sophomore Mambourou Mara produced a career-high two blocks
• The Hawks placed a dozen players in the scoring column
• SDSU finished +8 on the glass, +24 in paint scoring  and  +10 in transition points
• SDSU put five players in double-figure scoring led by a 25-point effort from Joe Sayler

How It Happened
 
First Half
13:48 – UND 15, SDSU 14
11:25 – UND 24, SDSU 24 (SDSU 5-of-last-6 FGs; UND 5-of-last-7 FGs)
10:01 – SDSU 32, UND 26 (SDSU 7-0 run over 0:52)
6:37 – SDSU 43, UND 32 (SDSU 72% FG; UND 52.4% FG)
3:56 – SDSU 48, UND 40 (UND 4-of-last-5 FG)
HALF – SDSU 59, UND 44 (SDSU 5-of-last-6 FG)
 
Second Half
16:00 – SDSU 73, UND 51 (SDSU 71% FG)
11:59 – SDSU 80, UND 56 (UND No FGs last 4:58)
7:38 – SDSU 93, UND 61 (UND 1-of-last-16 FGs; SDSU 7-0 run over last 1:39)
2:19 – SDSU 106, UND 69
FINAL – SDSU 109, UND 73
 
For more information on North Dakota men's basketball, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDmbasketball.