by Tyler Wells
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Ten players scored for North Dakota in the 92-61 win over Wisconsin-Stout inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center on Tuesday night.
B.J. Omot paced UND (3-2) with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including two makes from deep. It is Omot’s highest scoring performance of the young season.
Treysen Eaglestaff (CRST) also netted a season-high 17 points in 18 minutes, going 6-of-12 from the field.
A’Jahni Levias not only scored his first points as a Fighting Hawk but poured in a total of 15 of them. He also hauled in five boards and recorded two steals.
Brian Mathews had the first double-double of his career, throwing down 12 points while cleaning the glass with a career-high 12 rebounds.
Brady Danielson was just shy of double figures with seven points while grabbing five rebounds.
In the game, North Dakota went 35-of-71 from the floor for a shooting percentage of 49.3. UND also added 13 triples. Wisconsin-Stout finished 25-of-62 from the field for 40.3 percent shooting and made six from deep. North Dakota ended with a 40-34 advantage on the glass.
The Fighting Hawks scored off an Omot triple in the opening 20 seconds and led every moment after that point. UND built its lead to 38-21 midway through the opening half after a 9-1 run. The Blue Devils would trim the deficit down to 38-30 moments later with an 9-0 run of their own but were unable to get any closer after that. By intermission, North Dakota led 51-39.
In the first 20 minutes, Omot paced the Fighting Hawks with 14 points, trailed by Eaglestaff with 11. UND hit eight triples in and held a 22-14 advantage in the paint. Both teams had 17 rebounds at intermission.
North Dakota went on a couple runs in the second half and extended its lead to as many as 35 points. The Fighting Hawks won the game by a tally of 92-61. UND did most of its damage in the game from deep with 13 makes from beyond the arc, while also scoring 23 points off 16 UWS turnovers.
