GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- The University of North Dakota made a push to remain in the North Central Conference race Saturday.
No. 7 South Dakota State might have pulled the plug.
The Sioux took the Jackrabbits down to the wire before falling 73-66 in NCC men's basketball at the Hyslop Sports Center.
UND's two-game winning streak came to an end as it dropped to 4-6 in the NCC. South Dakota State remains tied with North Dakota State in first place at 7-3.
"If we could have pulled it out, we have moved to .500," Sioux reserve guard Dan Dahl said. "It would have made the race neck and neck. We just didn't make enough plays."
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UND was on the verge of getting blown out in the second half. But the Sioux rattled off a 14-3 run to turn a 13-point hole into a 54-52 deficit with just more than eight minutes to go.
But Andy Moeller hit three 3-pointers in the final six minutes, 18 seconds, providing an answer each time for a UND basket, making the comeback bid impossible.
"They hit some big shots," UND coach Rich Glas said. "We had our opportunities. We missed free throws and we missed shots we should have made. We gave up way too many offensive rebounds."
SDSU (23-3, 7-3): Moeller 7-13 3-4 22, Richardson 2-7 1-3 6, Gass 1-2 0-0 2, Schantz 6-11 4-6 19, Cerveny 2-6 2-4 6, Geiver 1-5 0-0 3, Wenig 2-8 0-1 5, DeJong 1-6 3-4 5, Beran 2-4 1-1 5. Totals 24-62 14-23 73.
NORTH DAKOTA (13-10, 4-6): Johnson 6-10 1-1 15, Jahner 0-6 0-1 0, Lindahl 3-5 0-0 6, Jacobson 2-3 0-0 5, Rypkema 11-15 3-7 25, Dahl 4-6 2-2 10, Bradley 0-3 0-0 0, Austin 2-7 0-0 5, Stoute 0-0 0-0 0, Wells 0-3 0-2 0. Totals 28-58 4-11 66.
Halftime: SDSU 39, UND 27. 3-pointers: SDSU 11-22 (Moeller 5-9, Schantz 3-5, Richardson 1-1, Geiver 1-2, Wenig 1-5), UND 6-19 (Johnson 2-4, Dahl 2-2, Jacobson 1-1, Austin 1-4, Jahner 0-5, Bradley 0-2, Lindahl 0-1). Fouls: SDSU 18, UND 21. Fouled out: Rypkema. Rebounds: SDSU 46 (Wenig 7, Beran 7), UND 32 (Rypkema 9).
Readers can reach Forum reporter Justin Luther at (701) 241-5549
