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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The North Dakota State men's basketball team came up short at IUPUI on Wednesday evening, falling 86-81 in overtime at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
 
NDSU falls to 15-7 overall and 7-2 in The Summit League but remains in first place in the conference standings. Freshman Tyson Ward scored a season-high 22 points and tallied seven rebounds and three steals for the Bison.
 
IUPUI made 14-of-24 (58 percent) from beyond the arc to earn the victory, led by 24 points from senior forward Matt O'Leary.
 
The contest went to overtime tied at 72, but the Bison made only 3-of-9 shots in the extra period, and IUPUI got a pair of clutch three-pointers from O'Leary and Aaron Brennan to earn the victory.
 
IUPUI (10-14 overall, 4-6 Summit) built a 13-point lead at 23-10 less than 10 minutes into the game. The Bison cut the deficit to seven at halftime, 42-35.
 
The Bison stormed back and took their first lead of the game with a Paul Miller three-pointer that put NDSU up 49-47 with 15:13 to play. It was a back-and-forth affair from there, as NDSU went ahead by as many as seven points at 58-51 with 10:50 remaining, but IUPUI responded with a 12-2 run.
 
With the game tied at 70-70, IUPUI took the lead with a deep jumper from Darell Combs with 30 seconds remaining. NDSU answered immediately as Ward drove to the rim for an emphatic dunk at the other end with 22 seconds on the clock.
 
The Jaguars made 8-of-12 attempts from three-point range in the first half, including four treys from O'Leary.
 
Miller scored 20 points for NDSU. Senior forward Dexter Werner posted 18 points and eight rebounds.
 
The Bison return home to start a three-game homestand on Saturday, Feb. 4, against South Dakota. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. at the Scheels Center.