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FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State junior
Sam Griesel drained a contested, fadeaway baseline jumper with 0.6 seconds remaining to lift the Bison men's basketball team to a 71-69 victory over Omaha on Friday night inside the Scheels Center.
NDSU improved to 3-0 in The Summit League with the victory. It was NDSU's home opener for the 2020-21 season after the Bison played the first 10 games of the season on the road.
Griesel finished with 19 points after hitting the game-winner. NDSU senior
Rocky Kreuser recorded his third career double-double with 19 points and a career-best 12 rebounds.
Wanjang Tut scored a career-high 31 points on 14-of-19 shooting for Omaha.
The Bison led 36-26 at halftime, but Omaha cut the margin to three at 58-55 with six minutes remaining. NDSU strung together a 9-0 run to go ahead 67-55 with 1:50 left before the Mavericks closed with a furious rally.
A 14-2 run by Omaha in the final two minutes left the score knotted at 69-69 with 11.7 seconds remaining when NDSU called a timeout. Griesel dribbled down the right side, turned his back, and spun into the fadeaway jumper for the game-winner.
Tyree Eady added 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists for the Bison. Sophomore
Maleeck Harden-Hayes and freshman
Grant Nelson both chipped in eight points.
The Bison shot 50 percent (28-of-56) for the game, and Omaha made 48 percent (29-of-61).
The Bison and Mavericks will play again on Saturday night in Fargo, with tip scheduled for approximately 7:30 p.m. following the women's game at 5 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on MidcoSN and ESPN+. Doubleheader tickets are available at GoBison.com/tickets.