NDSU MBB Drops Third in a Row

The Bison split the season series against Missouri State

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU Athletics) – The North Dakota State men’s basketball team was unable to close out the season sweep of preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite Missouri State on Monday night, falling 71-58 inside the Scheels Center.

NDSU fell to 3-5 on the season, while Missouri State improved to 8-2.

Senior forward Alize Johnson posted a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds for Missouri State. NDSU was led by senior Paul Miller, who put up 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Holding a slim 53-52 lead with just under eight minutes remaining, the Bears strung together a 10-0 run to take a 63-52 advantage with four minutes left. NDSU could not trim the margin smaller than nine points the rest of the way.

NDSU led for 17 of the first 20 minutes, but the Bears closed the first half with a 7-0 run to go up 37-32 at the break.

NDSU went 1-for-12 from three-point range in the second half and was outrebounded 42-26 in the contest.

The Bison won 57-54 on the road at Missouri State on Nov. 17. NDSU is now 39-4 at home since David Richman was hired as head coach in 2014.

The Bison will travel to Grand Forks to take on North Dakota on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m.