National Basketball Association
North Dakota State 60, IUPU - Ft. Wayne 57
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Where: Sioux Falls Arena, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Officials:
# Bo Boroski, # Terry Oglesby, # Lamont Simpson
Attendance:
4263
By SportsDirect Inc.
North Dakota State 60, Fort Wayne 57: Taylor Braun scored 10 consecutive Bison points in the final 3:37 - including a decisive three-point play with 12 seconds left - to lead North Dakota State to the Summit League championship in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Braun, the Summit League Player of the Year, finished with 15 points and six rebounds as the top-seeded Bison (25-6) ride a nine-game winning streak into their second NCAA Tournament. TrayVonn Wright scored 19 points while Marshall Bjorklund added 12 before fouling out with 1:37 left.
Michael Kibiloski, Luis Jacobo and Pierre Bland (nine rebounds) scored nine points apiece for the second-seeded Mastodons (24-10), who had their five-game winning streak snapped in their first Summit tournament final. Steve Forbes and Isaiah McCray added eight apiece while Joe Reed and Joe Edwards each had seven.
Braun drilled a 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring to give North Dakota State a 54-53 lead with 2:47 left and his driving layup with 1:20 to play put the Bison on top 56-55. Braun's one-handed fling as he was fouled went through the hoop and the ensuing free throw with 12 seconds left extended North Dakota State's advantage to 59-55.
Fort Wayne led by as many as eight in the first half before settling for a 35-30 lead. Lawrence Alexander, who averaged 15.5 points in six previous games against the Mastodons, scored his only basket 2:13 into the second half and ignited a 12-4 run which gave the Bison a 42-41 lead with 11:45 remaining.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The teams split their regular-season meetings, with each team winning by 11 at home. ... North Dakota beat Denver 83-48 to reach the final while Fort Wayne ousted South Dakota State 64-60. ... The Bison's other NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2009, when they lost to Kansas 84-74 as a No. 14 seed.
Top Game Performances
| IUPU - Ft. Wayne |
|
North Dakota State |
|
Pierre Bland 9 |
Scoring |
TrayVonn Wright 19 |
|
Pierre Bland 5 |
Assists |
Kory Brown 4 |
|
Pierre Bland 9 |
Rebounds |
Taylor Braun 6 |
|
Isaiah McCray 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Marshall Bjorklund 4 |
|
Joe Edwards 2 |
Steals |
TrayVonn Wright 3 |
|
Luis Jacobo 2 |
Blocks |
TrayVonn Wright 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| IUPU - Ft. Wayne
|
57 |
40.8 |
6-17 |
11-14 |
10 |
32 |
4 |
3 |
10 |
| North Dakota State
|
60 |
40.7 |
5-16 |
11-14 |
7 |
27 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
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