To save time, North Dakota State might as well throw out the first 38 minutes of each game. Two minutes, may the best team win.
A 74-67 win over Minnesota State, Mankato Saturday night wasn't decided until Denver TenBroek hit a free throw with 12.2 seconds left. The North Central Conference
victory before 3,062 fans at the Bison Sports Arena gave TenBroek two reasons to celebrate: he redeemed himself after a poor stretch run Friday in a loss to South Dakota State.
And he became the school's all-time leading 3-point shooter.
He eclipsed Ross Manson's mark of 213 set from 1990-94.
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"It was a big win and it's nice to get the record," TenBroek said.
A combined seven points decided NDSU's previous three league games. With the exception of a
fortunate 3-point buzzer shot against Northern Colorado, which forced overtime in a game NDSU eventually won, the Bison have had troubles in the final stretch.
They did most things right this time. They hit 8 of 10 free throws with the game in doubt in the final 51 seconds. And they remained aggressive on defense in improving to 11-5 overall and 2-2 in the league.
"The way this conference is, every game we play will be within two or three points in the last five minutes," TenBroek said. "We played a lot better tonight in the last five minutes. We played with confidence."
Mankato had the most style points. Forward Jermaine Brown had two dunks where it appeared he soared higher than The Extreme Team, the halftime show that used trampolines. Brown slapped the backboard after throwing one down in the first half.
NDSU, however, had the hustle points. The Bison didn't back down from an opportunity to dive after a loose ball. Guard Ben Nemmers even had to switch jerseys after his No. 10 was blotched with blood.
That determination helped get the Bison a 52-40 lead on CoCo Cofield's three-point play with 10:06 remaining. The Mavericks slowly pulled themselves into contention in the final minutes, getting within 61-58 on Nick Ellenberger's three-point play at 2:02 and 63-60 on Brown's field goal at 1:20.
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But TenBroek sank three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt with 51 seconds left. TenBroek finished with 23 points, hitting 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
"I thought Denver was outstanding," NDSU head coach Tim Miles said.
After Drew Carlson missed a trey, Cofield hit two free throws for an eight-point lead at 35 seconds to play.
"That's the story of our year," Mankato head coach Matt Margenthaler said. "We get to the point of where we're close and North Dakota State has been the same way. They made the plays down the stretch, we didn't."
MSUM (10-5 overall, 1-3 NCC): Staten 2-8 0-0 4, Ziemke 3-6 3-4 10, Carlson 2-13 4-4 10, Brown 6-9 4-4 16, Ellenberger 4-6 2-3 10, Driscoll 0-0 0-0 0, Budde 0-0 7-8 7, Kaus 1-2 2-2 4, Szwaja 0-0 0-0 0, Griffin 1-4 1-2 4, Hulke 0-1 2-2 2. Totals: 19-49 25-29 67.
NDSU (11-5, 2-2): Nemmers 1-5 4-4 6, Cofield 7-10 5-5 21, Gabbert 0-4 0-1 0, TenBroek 6-10 7-8 23, Kelchen 1-4 2-2 4, Witt 1-3 0-0 3, Dobmeier 1-3 0-0 3, Terry 0-2 1-4 1, Philibert 1-1 0-0 2, Banks 2-6 6-8 11. Totals: 20-48 25-32 74.
Halftime: NDSU 32, MSUM 26. Total fouls: MSUM 24, NDSU 24. Fouled out: Kelchen. Total rebounds: MSUM 36 (Ellenberger 8); NDSU 30 (Banks, TenBroek 4). 3-point goals: MSUM 4-19 (Staten 0-3, Ziemke 1-3, Carlson 2-10, Griffin 1-2, Kaus 0-1); NDSU 9-18 (Cofield 2-3, Nemmers 0-1, TenBroek 4-6, Witt 1-2, Dobmeier 1-3, Banks 1-1, Terry 0-1). Assists: MSUM 15 (Carlson 5); NDSU 14 (Terry 3). Turnovers: MSUM 17 (Budde 6); NDSU 13 (Gabbert, TenBroek 3). A-3,062.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack at (701) 241-5546
