VERMILLION, S.D. – Greyson Uelmen poured in 24 points, scoring 19 in the second half, to push the North Dakota men's basketball team past South Dakota, 72-71 on Wednesday night from Sanford Coyote Sports Center. UND improves to 15-13 and 9-3 in Summit League play, while South Dakota drops to 14-13 overall and 6-6 in conference play.

North Dakota earned its seventh double-figure come from behind win this season, trailing by as many as 13 in the contest. The Hawks held a 72-71 lead with 28 seconds left and came up with a huge stop on defense, ending up with Reggie Thomas securing the defensive rebound with 1.4 seconds left.

Along with Uelmen, Thomas was the other Fighting Hawk in double figures, scoring 10 points and snatching three steals.

George Natsvlishvili had a team-high 11 rebounds, including six offensive boards. The Hawks outrebounded USD, 38-35 overall and 13-12 on the offensive glass.

Both teams did a lot of their work in the paint, each scoring 46 points in the lane. UND shot 28-of-63 (44.4%) from the field and 5-of-13 (38.5%) from deep, while holding South Dakota to 27-for-60 (45.0%) from the floor and 4-for-25 (16.0%) from three. It was the second worst three-point percentage the Coyotes have shot this season.

First Half
NoDak led for just 42 seconds in the first half, owning a 5-3 lead. Fast forward ahead, UND trailed just 22-20 with 5:52 left, but conceded a 10-2 run to the Coyotes, falling behind 32-22 at the 2:07 mark.

UND shot just 9-of-30 in the first half, led by Anthony Smith lll with seven points, as the Hawks went into the break, trailing 37-26.

Second Half
UND opened the second half on a 16-4 run, where Zach Kraft gave the Hawks the lead on a crossover, deep triple to beat the shot clock, putting them up 42-41 with 13:55 to play.

South Dakota scored a bucket to go up 43-42, which was answered by Uelmen, putting the Hawks back up 44-43. NoDak held a lead for the rest of the game, up by as many as eight, leading 56-48 with 9:22 to play.

The Fighting Hawks were able to fight off South Dakota for the rest of the contest. Things got close with 54 seconds left, following a USD bucket to make it 72-71. On the following UND possession, Uelmen had an out-of-bounds turnover with 28 seconds remaining, giving USD a shot at the win.

On their final possession, the Coyotes got a good look from the corner, where Jordan Crawford missed the three. Vince Buzelis missed a putback, which was followed by Cameron Fens missing some tip-in attempts. Thomas came away with the board with 1.4 seconds left, as UND came away with the 72-71 victory.

Now 9-3 in the Summit League, UND welcomes in North Dakota State on Saturday for a massive conference game on Saturday at 1 p.m. Coverage can be found on CBS Sports Network.

Postgame Notes

• UND improves to 108-97 all-time against South Dakota, sweeping the season series for the first time since 2024
• The Hawks improve to 7-6 on the road, winning their fifth-straight game away from the Betty
• NoDak moves to 9-3 in conference play
• Uelmen had a game-high 24 points, his third-straight 20-point game and sixth this season
• Thomas had 10 points, his third career game with double figures
• North Dakota held South Dakota to 1-of-13 from deep in the second half
• It was UND's seventh come from behind victory this season when once trailing by at least 10 points
• UND has won five straight games separated by five or less points
• Natsvlishvili grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds
• Each team had 46 points in the paint
• North Dakota had eight turnovers compared to 12 from USD

How It Happened
First Half
15:35 UND 5, USD 5
10:46 USD 17, UND 15
7:53 USD 19, UND 16
3:46 USD 29, UND 22
Halftime: USD 37, UND 26

Second Half
17:30 USD 39, UND 33
11:51 UND 49, USD 43
7:44 UND 58, USD 54
3:48 UND 66, USD 62
Final: UND 72, USD 71

For more information on North Dakota men's basketball, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDmbasketball.
-- UND --