FARGO, N.D.--Eric Carlson had 19 points, four assists and a career-high six steals to lead North Dakota State to a 79-59 victory over Southern Utah in Summit League men's basketball Saturday, Feb. 6, before a crowd of 2,795 at the Bison Sports Arena.

Carlson made all nine of his free throws and North Dakota State shot 34 of 37 from the foul line to snap a three-game home losing streak.  The Bison improved to 9-14 overall and moved into a tie for fifth place in the league with a 6-7 record.

Nate Zastrow made two first-half 3-pointers and was 8 of 8 at the foul line for NDSU.  Zastrow finished with career highs of 16 points and five rebounds and added three assists.

Josh Vaughan was the only other player in double figures with 15 points for the Bison, who shot 40 percent from the field.  Vaughan was 8 of 9 from the foul line.

Davis Baker had 20 points for Southern Utah (6-17, 2-10) and Matt Massey added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Thunderbirds.  They shot 44 percent overall.

Zastrow made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give NDSU an early five-point lead, and a pair of Carlson free throws with 8:20 left in the first half put the Bison ahead for good.

North Dakota State led 39-28 at halftime before Southern Utah pulled within eight on a Baker 3-pointer.  NDSU answered with a pair of Zastrow foul shots and six straight points from Carlson on an 8-0 run that put the Bison ahead by double digits the rest of the way.

NDSU made 34 of its first 35 free throws and was in line to break its single-game record for free-throw percentage before a pair of misses with 1:18 left in the game.  The 91.9 percent ranked sixth in school history.

Southern Utah got to the foul line only 13 times despite being in the double bonus for the final 13:31 of the game.  SUU was 10 of 13 for 76.9 percent.

The Thunderbirds had a 34-27 rebounding advantage but committed 18 turnovers compared to NDSU's season-low five.  The Bison had 20 points off turnovers.

North Dakota State is on the road for its next three Summit League games beginning Saturday, Feb. 13, at South Dakota State.  The Jackrabbits are 13-11 overall and 9-4 in the league after a 78-57 victory over UMKC.