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GRAND FORKS – North Dakota used a 22-5 run in the second half to defeat Cal State Fullerton, 73-57, inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center on Sunday afternoon. The Fighting Hawks concluded the UND Holiday Tournament with a 2-0 record, improving to 5-3 on the season.
The Titans (4-3) led 46-43 with 12:59 left in the game before the Hawks went on a 22-5 run to lead 65-49 with 4:01 remaining. That run was highlighted by a 7-for-8 performance at the line. During the run, B.J. Omot poured in seven points and Matt Norman added five.
Both teams scored eight points in the final minutes and North Dakota won by a tally of 65-49.
Tsotne Tsartsidze matched a career-high with 18 points, throwing down 13 of them in the second half. He just missed a double-double with a game-high eight boards while also rejecting two shots.
Norman threw in 14 points, with three makes from three-point land. He was three-for-three at the stripe and also had one steal.
Caleb Nero had seven points in the second half to finish with 12. Omot was also in double figures with 11 points.
A’Jahni Levias, recording his first start at UND, netted seven points to go with four rebounds and a triple.
In the game, the Hawks hit 24-of-48 shots, made 10 triples and finished 15-of-21 at the line. The Titans went 22-for-48 from the field, knocked down six shots from deep and went 7-of-13 at the charity stripe. North Dakota outrebounded Cal State Fullerton by a 31-25 margin. Both teams scored 28 points down low.
The Fighting Hawks trailed 34-30 after the opening 20 minutes. Cal State Fullerton scored 18 points in the paint in the first half, compared to North Dakota putting in eight points down low. The Titans shot 54.2 percent, while the Hawks hit 41.7 percent of their shots. Norman paced UND at intermission with nine points.
The Titans led 20-13 midway through the first half before a Levias triple stopped an 8-1 CSF run to bring the tally to 20-16. Cal State Fullerton led 31-21 with 7:21 left before the break and North Dakota trimmed the deficit to 34-30 by the break, netting back-to-back triples late in the half.
North Dakota will now travel to Iowa State. Opening tip between the Fighting Hawks and Cyclones is set for 7 p.m. (CT) inside the Hilton Coliseum.
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