December 12, 2025
HAVRE, Mont. — Dakota State (S.D.) delivered a strong second-half performance to earn a 66–56 Frontier Conference road victory over Montana State University–Northern on Friday night at Armory Gymnasium. The Trojans' winning streak grew to six straight games, as well as their fifth consecutive Frontier victory.
Dakota State continued the best start in program history, the fastest to 10 wins (10-1 overall record). The Trojans also lifted their league record to 5-1. MSU-Northern fell to 6-4 overall record and 3-3 Frontier Conference. DSU completed their season series sweep with MSU-Northern, where they met their first meeting three weeks ago at DSU Fieldhouse.
The opening half was closely contested, featuring frequent lead changes. Neither team was able to establish separation, and the Lights carried a narrow 27–25 advantage into halftime.
Dakota State came out of the break with renewed energy and control. The Trojans shot nearly 60 percent (14-of-24 field goals), including 6-of-10 from the 3-point arc in the second half and outscored MSU–Northern 41–29 over the final 20 minutes.
Nathan Ojukwu led all scorers with 23 points, and added nine rebounds, six assists, and a block for the Trojans. He scored 12 points in the second half alone.
Tyler Beckwith added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Lukas Morgan chipped in eight points, seven rebounds, and two assists.
Brayden Pankonen and
Ryan Beckwith each knocked down a pair of three-pointers, helping Dakota State stretch the floor as the second half progressed. The Trojans finished the night shooting 49 percent from the field (25-of-51 field goals) and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc (7-of-19 3-pointers), while winning the rebounding battle 34–26 and scoring 28 points in the paint.
Defensively, Dakota State limited Montana State–Northern to 25 percent shooting from three-point range (5-of-20 3-pointers) and forced 11 turnovers. The Lights shot 22-of-52 from the field overall (42.3 percent).
Montana State University–Northern was led by Claysen Delp with 14 points, while Luke Holecek posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Cinque Maxwell added 12 points for Lights.
Dakota State continues their Frontier Conference action on the road Saturday evening, visiting Providence (Mont.) at McLaughlin Center in Great Falls, Mont. The game is set for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
