GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The Fighting Hawks overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to get past Omaha by a score of 76-73 on Thursday night from Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. UND improves to 14-12 on the season and 8-2 in Summit League play, while Omaha drops to 12-13 and 5-5 in the conference.

UND led for just 2:56 of gametime, not taking its first lead of the game until 2:56 to play in the second half. The Hawks trailed by as many as 13, tying their largest come-from-behind victory of the season. It was the Hawks fifth-straight win.

Five Fighting Hawks scored in double figures, led by Greyson Uelmen who poured in 21 points, with 15 in the second half. Uelmen's driving layup with 2:56 to play gave UND its first lead of the game at 61-60.

Eli King (14), George Natsvlishvili (14), Anthony Smith lll (11) and Reggie Thomas joined Uelmen in double digits, moving UND to 8-0 this season when five or more players score 10 or more points. King logged the second double-double of his career, grabbing 10 boards along with his 14 points.

The first half was controlled by the Mavs, as UND shot just 9-of-33 from the field in the first 20 minutes. NoDak fell behind 11-4 early and trailed by at least six points the rest of the frame, going into the break down 42-29.

The second half was a major momentum switch, with Thomas banging a three-pointer out of the gate and Uelmen converting on a drive to the rim to instantly make it 42-34.

From there, Omaha was able to fend off the Fighting Hawks for a little bit, going on a 7-4 burst, to go up 49-38 at the 15:35 mark. Smith lll and Uelmen answered with back-to-back three pointers, to make it a 49-44 game, forcing an Omaha timeout. Thomas and Uelmen combined for 12 of the teams first 15 points of the half.

Both squads went scoreless for almost 90 seconds, before Omaha connected on a three-pointer at the 12:38 point, to make it 52-44. That was the largest lead the Mavs would own the rest of the game.

Over the next 3:05, UND went on an 8-0 run, courtesy of four points from Natsvlishvili, and two apiece from Thomas and King to tie the score at 52-52 with 9:07 remaining.

NoDak had several chances to gain the lead, but were right on Omaha's tail. UND trailed by no more than one-possession the rest of the way.

With Omaha leading 59-57 with 3:50 left, Uelmen converted on two consecutive baskets at the rim, to push the Fighting Hawks in front at 61-60. Natsvlishvili and King each followed those up with baskets, to lead a North Dakota 8-2 run, to push the Hawks up 65-60 with 1:28 remaining.

Fast forward ahead, following free throws from UND and some baskets from Omaha, NoDak led 70-68 with 21 seconds to play. NoDak had the ball on their own baseline, when King connected with Smith lll on a deep ball, in which Smith lll glided in for a dunk with 17 seconds left, to make it 72-68.

Following a make from Omaha and two free throws from Uelmen, UND led 74-70. Tony Osburn on Omaha hit a three-pointer to answer, making it 74-73. Uelmen then knocked down two more clutch free throws, to go up 76-73. The Mavs had one last chance, when Lance Waddles three-pointer from just inside half court hit the back of the rim and bounced out, to give UND a 76-73 win.

North Dakota will be back in action on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Denver.

Postgame Notes

• UND improves to 59-49 all-time against Omaha, snapping a four-game losing streak
• NoDak moves to 8-2 in Summit League play and have won five consecutive games
• The Hawks overcame a 13-point halftime deficit, tying their largest comeback win this season
• Five Hawks scored in double figures, improving UND to 8-0 when that happens
• North Dakota shot 23-of-60 from the field, 5-for-26 from deep and 25-of-38 from the free throw line
• Omaha was 25-for-60 from the floor, 9-of-27 from three-point range and 14-for-22 from the line
• North Dakota only had three turnovers in the entire game, the lowest amount the team has had this season
• Eli King had his second career double-double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds
• Uelmen had his fourth 20-point game this season, while grabbing a career-high eight rebounds
• UND's 25 made free throws were the most this season in a game
• Thomas was a game-high +10 in the win

How It Happened
First Half
16:17 UNO 11, UND 4
11:03 UNO 21, UND 13
7:38 UNO 26, UND 18
3:29 UNO 33, UND 23
Halftime: UNO 42, UND 29

Second Half
16:00 UNO 46, UND 38
11:50 UNO 52, UND 45
8:13 UNO 53, UND 52
3:50 UNO 58, UND 57
Final: UND 76, UNO 73