DENVER, Colo. – Sophomore Mier Panoam continued his 2025 scoring clinic with his third-straight 20-point game with a career-high 28 on a career-best 12 made shots, senior Amar Kuljuhovic put on a clinic inside delivering 17 points and eight rebounds and North Dakota had their way with host Denver on Thursday night inside Hamilton Gymnasium erupting offensively for their first Summit League victory with a 95-70 win over the Pioneers.  
 
The Hawks (7-11, 1-2 SL) crafted the fast start they lacked in the opening weekend of league play. UND forced four steals, two which led to transition dunks (+7 in first half /game transition points) from Treysen Eaglestaff and Panoam, and sat at +11 in points off of turnovers just prior to the under-8 media timeout of the first half.
 
The Hawks shot 51.4% from the floor in the opening twenty minutes and withstood ten-straight misses from three-point range to finish 5-of-18 from beyond-the-arc in the first half. Netted makes from deep included two each from junior Dariyus Woodson and redshirt freshman Zach Kraft with the latter's second make giving the Hawks its first 50-point first half against a Division I opponent this season.
 
North Dakota never trailed in a contest that had a tied score on just one occasion. Following the intermission, UND's lead was trimmed to nine six minutes in, but the Hawks never let off the gas as the advantage grew to as much as 27 points as a season-best shooting night was coupled with a defensive effort by the Hawks that included +13 in points off of turnovers.
 
North Dakota heads back east into the Sooner State for a Saturday evening matchup with Oral Roberts. It will be the 15^th meeting all-time between the two teams in a series that began in 2018-19 when UND joined the Summit League. ORU leads the series 9-5, but the Hawks won twice last season with the first win snapping a seven-game losing streak. The Golden Eagles are 5-2 against UND in Tulsa.
 
Action tips off at 7 p.m. on January 11 from inside the Mabee Center. The action can be seen on 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

• The Hawks' 95 points are the most against a Division I opponent this season, the third time UND has crossed over 90 points and the seventh time a Sather-led UND squad has dropped 90+ points in Summit League action
• UND netted shots at a season-best 51.6% effort from the floor
• UND posted season highs in free throws made (24) and free throws attempted (32), with Kuljuhovic's 11 attempts the most by a Hawk this season and a career-high for the senior as are his seven makes from the stripe
• UND's 13 offensive rebounds marks the 17^th straight game with 12+ such boards and the Hawks have now outrebounded an opponent 12 times this season
• The Hawks committed seven turnovers and have nine or fewer turnovers in four of their past five games
• UND's 13 steals are the second-most this season, the most against a DI foe, and just the second time the Hawks have recorded 10+ in a game this season
• Panoam recorded a career-high in points for the second time in the past three games as he delivered his third-straight 20-point performance on a career-high 12 made shots
• Kuljuhovic went 5-of-7 from the floor with eight rebounds and a steal
• Kraft (10 points) has now hit two or more three-point shots in each of his last six games and has nailed three or more three-pointers in five of those contests
• Woodson added ten points with two assists, two steals and a block
• Eaglestaff's double-figure scoring streak ended at 23 games with eight points on 2-of-10 shooting
• Eli King added eight points with four rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block
• North Dakota saw three Pioneers score in double figures, but none of the three scored more than a dozen, while the Hawks held DU's leading scorer in Nicholas Shogbonyo to just four points
• Denver's 17 turnovers are the most by a UND opponent this season
• The Hawks' victory is the tenth all-time against Denver
• UND's record against Summit League foes under Sather moves to 34-53
• The win is the 21^st road victory for the Hawks under Sather

 
How It Happened
 
First Half
15:53 – UND 9, DU 4 (DU 1-of-last-6 FGs; UND 3 steals)
11:33 – UND 24, DU 15 (UND 66.7% FG, +9 PoT)
7:43 – UND 30, DU 19 (UND 1-of-last-8 3PT FG, 52.4% FG)
3:39 – UND 38, DU 27 (UND 7-1 run last 2:35, 1-of-last-10 3PT FG)
HALF – UND 51, DU 36
 
Second Half
15:10 – UND 56, DU 43 (DU 6-of-last-7 3PT FG)
11:03 – UND 63, DU 51 (UND +9 TOs)
7:43 – UND 74, DU 57
3:46 – UND 86, DU 64 (UND 50.8% FG, +15 PoT)
FINAL – UND 95, DU 70
 
For more information on North Dakota men's basketball, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDmbasketball.