North Dakota State Athletics
13-11, 7-7
Western Illinois
7-17, 2-11
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Illinois | 19 | 29 | 48 |
| North Dakota State | 26 | 42 | 68 |
Braun, Bison Turn Back Western Illinois, 68-48
2/11/2011 1:07:00 AM | Men's Basketball
FARGO, N.D. - Taylor Braun had 16 points and nine rebounds to lead North Dakota State to a 68-48 win over Western Illinois in Summit League men's basketball Thursday, Feb. 10, before a crowd of 2,245 at the Bison Sports Arena.
Drew Lundberg scored 10 of his 11 points in the second half and Michael Tveidt added 10 points for North Dakota State, which improved to 13-11 overall and 7-7 in the league.
Matt Lander scored a game-high 21 points and Emeka Okafor Jr. added 13 points off the bench for Western Illinois, which fell to 7-17 overall and 2-11 in the league with its seventh straight loss.
The game was tied five times before the Bison closed out the half with an 11-4 run highlighted by two Mike Felt 3-pointers. Braun had the other five points on that run, including a jumper in the closing seconds that gave NDSU a 26-19 lead.
The 19 points was the fewest the Bison have allowed in a single half this year, and Western's 48 total points were the fewest by an NDSU opponent since the 74-43 home win over IPFW in January 2009.
It was still a seven-point game midway through the second half before NDSU went on an 18-6 run over a four-minute span to build a 58-39 lead.
NDSU had a 33-24 advantage in total rebounds and shot 45 percent compared to 44 percent for Western Illinois. The Bison scored 17 points off turnovers and converted 12 offensive rebounds into 14 points.
North Dakota State is scheduled to host IUPUI at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12. The Jaguars are 15-11 overall and 9-4 in the league after an 81-70 loss at South Dakota State.
