Denver Deals NDSU Men 67-61 Loss

The Bison fall to 1-2 in Summit League Play

FARGO, N.D. – The North Dakota State men’s basketball team trimmed a 19-point deficit to six in the second half, but couldn’t close the deal as Denver held on for a 67-61 victory on Thursday night at the Scheels Center.

NDSU shot a season-low 23 percent (6-for-26) from three-point range. Senior guard Paul Miller led the Bison with 20 points, and sophomore Tyson Ward recorded his fourth double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Junior point guard Joe Rosga led Denver with 15 points, as the Pioneers improved to 7-10 overall and 1-2 in Summit League play. The Bison fell to 9-8 overall and 1-2 in league games.

The Pioneers closed the first half with a 9-0 run to lead 35-22 at halftime. NDSU made just 2-of-12 three-point attempts in the first 20 minutes.

Denver pushed its advantage to 19 at 41-22 with a pair of three-pointers in the opening minute of the second half. NDSU finally cut the margin to single digits when senior A.J. Jacobson knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to make it 61-54 with six minutes remaining.

The Bison trailed 53-46 with just under four minutes left, but NDSU went more than two minutes without a point and never got closer than six the rest of the way.

Thursday was Miller’s fourth consecutive game with at least 20 points.

The Bison host Oral Roberts on Saturday at 2 p.m.