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MACOMB, Ill. – The North Dakota State University men's basketball team saw its 11-point lead disappear in the second half, but the Bison held on for a 64-62 victory over Western Illinois on Sunday afternoon at Western Hall.
 
Junior Kory Brown led all players with 17 points, coming up one point shy of his career high. The Hoffman Estates, Ill., native added eight rebounds and four assists for the Bison.
 
Junior forward Chris Kading posted 12 points and eight rebounds for NDSU, shooting 4-of-5 for the game. Lawrence Alexander scored 14 points for the Bison.
 
NDSU (15-7, 7-2 Summit League) fell behind 61-60 after a pair of free throws by WIU's Garret Covington with 2:54 remaining, but Brown scored a driving bucket in traffic to recapture the lead at 62-61 with 2:17 left.
 
After a stop at the defensive end, the Bison pulled down four offensive rebounds on one possession – two by Kading and two by Brown – and ultimately got a free throw from Brown to push the lead to 63-61.
 
Tate Stensgaard hit 1-of-2 free throws for the Leathernecks with 52 seconds left after being fouled in the lane. WIU got one final chance after an empty possession for NDSU, but Kading intercepted a pass under the hoop and drew a foul. He made 1-of-2 free throws with six seconds left to set the final margin at 64-62.
 
Brown sealed the victory by stealing a Leatherneck pass on WIU's last-second effort to tie the game.
 
NDSU built a 10-point lead in the first half and held a 36-29 advantage at the break. Alexander played just seven minutes in the first half after picking up two early fouls and finished with a season-low 27 minutes.
 
The Leathernecks (8-12, 3-6 Summit) made 8-of-15 shots (53 percent) from beyond the arc. Jamie Batish made four treys for WIU.
 
NDSU led 40-29 with 18:44 left in the second half after back-to-back jumpers from Kading.
 
The Bison return home to host Omaha on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. inside Scheels Arena.