INDIANAPOLIS – The North Dakota State men's basketball team knocked off the Butler Bulldogs of the Big East Conference in a thriller on Tuesday evening inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.
 
Bison seniors Jacari White (27) and Jacksen Moni (25) combined for 52 points to power NDSU. White scored 24 points in the first half on 9-of-10 shooting overall and a 6-for-7 performance from three-point range.
 
NDSU stormed out the gates and led 44-23 at halftime, pushing the advantage as high as 23 points at 50-27 early in the second half.
 
Butler methodically worked back into the game, outscoring the Bison 34-12 over a span of nearly 13 minutes, and bursting ahead by five at 67-62 on a three-pointer by Pierre Brooks II with three minutes left.
 
Moni scored the game's next eight points, hitting a pair of threes to give the Bison the lead at 68-67, and then adding a tough bucket in the lane with 0:19 left to put NDSU up 70-67. Butler had two possessions to tie the game or take the lead in the final 15 seconds, but each shot missed.
 
It was NDSU's first victory over a team in the modern Big East Conference. The Bison improved to 8-4 on the season.
 
White and Moni both grabbed seven rebounds. Brennan Watkins dished out six assists.