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HIGH POINT, N.C. – The North Dakota State men's basketball team saw its nine-point lead disappear in the second half,  but the Bison rallied late to earn a 66-59 victory over Navy in the opening game of the High Point Tournament on Friday afternoon.
 
NDSU (3-0) was led by 14 points from senior forward Dexter Werner and 12 points from freshman guard Tyson Ward.
 
Navy (1-2) erased a nine-point North Dakota State lead with 16:40 remaining in the game, eventually taking a 51-48 advantage with six minutes to play. The Midshipmen held a 54-53 edge following a pair of free throws with 2:42 on the clock before NDSU pieced together a 7-0 run to win the game.
 
Sophomore Khy Kabellis scored with a driving layup to put NDSU ahead by one, and Werner dropped in an acrobatic jump shot in the lane to give the Bison some breathing room.
 
The Bison finished with a 49-percent shooting and limited Navy to 40-percent shooting in the game. NDSU registered 10 steals and seven blocks, with Deng Geu (3 blocks) and Werner (4 steals) setting new career-highs.
 
Junior A.J. Jacobson scored nine points for NDSU – all in the second half.
 
NDSU trailed 16-11 nearly eight minutes into the game before an 8-0 Bison run shifted the game. Ward keyed the run with a three-pointer, followed by a steal and a fast-break layup.
 
With the game tied at 24-24, NDSU closed the first half with an 8-2 run to lead 32-26 at the break.
 
The Bison will play UNC Greensboro at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT on Saturday before taking on host High Point on Sunday.