North Dakota State Athletics
13-13,7-9Summit
Oakland
19-9,14-1Summit
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State | 37 | 32 | 69 |
| Oakland | 38 | 33 | 71 |
Oakland Holds Off North Dakota State to Clinch Summit League Title, 71-69
2/17/2011 11:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ROCHESTER, Mich. - Mike Felt's 3-pointer at the buzzer was short and Oakland clinched its second straight Summit League men's basketball championship with a 71-69 win over North Dakota State on Thursday, Feb. 17, before a crowd of 2,865 at the Athletics Center O'Rena.
Michael Tveidt had 20 points and 10 rebounds for North Dakota State, which fell to 13-13 overall and 7-9 in the league. Taylor Braun had 14 points, 10 rebounds and four assists as the Bison outrebounded Oakland by a 44-36 margin.
Keith Benson had 22 points, nine rebounds and five blocks for Oakland (19-9, 14-1), Reggie Hamilton made four 3-pointers and finished with 19 points and five assists, and Will Hudson had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Golden Grizzlies.
Oakland led by as many as nine points with 6:10 left in the game before the Bison went on a 12-3 run to tie it. Freddy Coleman's two free throws at the 2:25 mark made it 68-68 for the sixth tie of the game. Coleman finished with nine points.Larry Wright's putback on the next possession put Oakland ahead 70-68, and each team got another free throw on the next possessions to make it 71-69.
NDSU missed twice with a chance to tie, but Oakland missed a layup on the other end. Benson blocked Tveidt's layup try on the next possession, and a traveling call on OU gave the Bison the ball with 16 seconds left.
After a full timeout, NDSU got the ball to Felt at the right wing for an off-balance 3-pointer that missed the front rim and time expired.
Oakland went more than eight minutes without a made field goal in the first half and North Dakota State led by as many as five late on Andy Nagel's layup that made it 30-25 at the 3:22 mark.
Benson broke the shooting drought with a dunk and it was 37-34 NDSU before Oakland got a pair of baskets from Drew Valentine in the final 35 seconds to take a 38-37 halftime lead.
NDSU shot 41 percent overall compared to 40 percent for Oakland. OU was 20-for-31 from the foul line for 65 percent and NDSU was 13 of 18 for 72 percent.
North Dakota State is scheduled to play IPFW at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. IPFW is 16-10 overall and 9-6 in the league after an 80-64 home loss to South Dakota State on Thursday.
