GRAND FORKS, N.D. – On senior night, the North Dakota men's basketball team was victorious over Kansas City by a score of 85-70 from Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. NoDak moves to 16-14 overall and 10-4 in conference play, while the Roos drop to 4-23 and 1-12 in Summit League play.

The Hawks led by just two at the half, but outscored the Roos 48-35 in the second half, to tie their most wins in Summit League play (done in 2023-24) since joining the league in 2018-19.

Greyson Uelmen led UND with 21 points and seven assists, setting the new freshman single-season points record with 461 points this season. Uelmen did it on a free throw with 3:44 remaining in the second half, going 12-for-12 from the stripe tonight.

 Three other Fighting Hawks scored in double figures, as the duo of George Natsvlishvili (12 points, 8 rebounds) and Reggie Thomas (10 points, 3 steals) provided a spark off the bench, while Zach Kraft totaled 12 points on 4-of-8 from deep.

NoDak shot 24-of-60 (40.0%) from the field and 11-of-28 (39.3%) from behind the arc. It was the eighth time this season North Dakota connected on 10 or more triples, improving to 7-1 when doing that.

First Half
UND jumped out to an early 16-7 lead in the first 5:24 of the ball game, opening up 4-of-7 from behind the arc. Garrett Anderson, Thomas, Kraft and Marley Curtis all hit three pointers. The Roos responded with seven quick points in the next 81 seconds, making it 16-14 with 13:15 to play.

Following six straight points from North Dakota to go up 22-14, Kansas City answered with a 14-3 run, to take its largest lead of the game at 28-25 with 6:52 left in the first half. North Dakota scored seven straight from there to go up 32-28, which was matched by seven unanswered from the Roos to put them back in front 35-32 with 1:03 to play.

The home team scored the last five points of the half, concluded by a corner-three from Uelmen with 10 seconds on the clock off the pass from Eli King, to give NoDak a 37-35 lead at the break. The half featured four lead changes and three ties.

Second Half
UND built off the strong end to the first half, opening the second frame on a 15-4 run, headlined by three 3-pointers by the three seniors, to make it 52-39 at the 13:37 mark.

The Roos got the Hawks lead down to as little as eight, with UND leading 54-46 at the 10:54 mark. A 12-4 run from North Dakota, surged by Natsvlishvili's offensive rebounding and putback abilities, gave UND its largest lead to that point, up 66-50 with 6:59 to play.

The Fighting Hawks ended up leading by as many as 19 points, as Natsvlishvili had 10 points and six rebounds (three offensive) in the final 20 minutes. North Dakota got the victory by an 85-70 margin.

UND will play its final two games away from home, starting with a road test at South Dakota State on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. on Midco Sports.

Postgame Notes

• UND improves to 8-9 all-time against Kansas City
• The Fighting Hawks conclude 2025-26 with a 9-7 home record, tying the most home wins since Joining the Summit League
• North Dakota improves to 10-4 in Summit League play, tying the most wins in this conference, last done in 2023-24
• Uelmen broke the single-season freshman points record, breaking Paul Bruns record of 460 done in 2021-22
• Uelmen had his seventh 20-point performance this season, leading the team in scoring for the fifth-straight game
• Uelmen's seven assists were a career-high
• Kraft had at least four three pointers for the sixth time this season, as UND is 5-1 during those games
• Eight different Fighting Hawks recorded at least five points
• North Dakota had 20 second chance points, compared to 11 from Kansas City
• Kansas City had 34 points in the paint compared to 26 from UND
• The Roos had 33 bench points, while UND had 24
• NoDak outrebound KC 45-37

How It Happened
First Half
15:40 UND 10, KC 7
10:55 UND 22, KC 16
7:44 UND 23, KC 23
4:18 UND 29, KC 28
Halftime: UND 37, KC 35
 
Second Half
15:54 UND 46, KC 38
11:52 UND 54, KC 41
7:33 UND 64, KC 50
3:59 UND 75, KC 58
Final: UND 85, KC 70

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