SAN FRANCISCO - Taylor Braun scored a career-high 26 points with 10 rebounds and Lawrence Alexander added 13 points, eight assists and nine boards in his first collegiate game as North Dakota State beat San Francisco 73-65 on Friday night in the opener of the Hilltop Challenge.

Perris Blackwell tallied a career-high 23 points and eight rebounds for the Dons, who overcame an 11-point halftime deficit only to see the Bison pull away by scoring 11 consecutive points in the closing minutes of the season opener for both teams.

Braun, a sophomore guard, went 8-for-14 from the field to highlight the Bison's 49.1 percent shooting on the night. Alexander, a true freshman, fell just short of a triple-double while playing a team-high 37 minutes.

NDSU will continue tournament play against Louisiana-Lafayette at 8:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, Nov. 12, and Northern Arizona at 1 p.m. PT on Sunday, Nov. 13.