Stewart scores 20 as North Dakota defeats North Dakota State

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FARGO, N.D. — Marlon Stewart scored 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting to lead five players in double figures as North Dakota turned back North Dakota State 86-77 on Tuesday night.

Dale Jones hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 with six rebounds for the Fighting Hawks (7-11). Conner Avants also had 17 points, Geno Crandall scored 12 and Tray Buchanan added 10.

Paul Miller topped the Bison (10-9) with 27 points, marking the sixth straight game the senior has scored 20 or more. Tyson Ward notched his fifth career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds as NDSU controlled the boards 39-21. But the Bison turned the ball over 17 times to just five for the Fighting Hawks and that led to a 32-6 advantage in points off turnovers for UND.

The road team has now won five straight in the rivalry that will surely heat up next season when North Dakota joins NDSU in the Summit League after six years in the Big Sky Conference. It was North Dakota’s first road win in eight tries this season. The Fighting Hawks improved to 22-2 over the last two seasons when scoring at least 80 points.

North Dakota shot 52 per cent (12 of 23) from 3-point range and won for the third time in a row following an eight-game losing streak. The Bison, who have shot better than 50 per cent from long range in six games this season, made just 6 of 25 from distance.