December 28, 2025

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Dakota State (S.D.) ended their 2025 calendar year with an exhibition defeat Sunday afternoon, falling to NCAA Division I Summit League member North Dakota 88–56 at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

The Fighting Hawks seized control from the opening tip and never trailed, opening the game on a 5–0 lead after Eli King's 3-pointer with eighteen minutes, twenty-two seconds on the clock. North Dakota's lead quickly ballooned into double figures and reached as many as 18 in the first half as the Hawks connected on 56.3 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes.

Dakota State trimmed their deficit to one point at 9-8 after a 3-pointer from Ryan Beckwith (assisted by Aiden Jensen) with 16:04 on the clock in the first half.  North Dakota, however, closed strong and carried a 49–33 advantage into halftime, thanks to their 13-0 scoring outburst midway in the first half.

UND scored 46 points in the lane and finished with a commanding 36–30 rebounding edge, creating numerous second-chance opportunities and holding DSU to 45 percent shooting (9-of-20 field goals) in the final 20 minutes.

The Fighting Hawks outscored the Trojans 55–15 off the bench. Matthew Bothun led a balanced Hawk attack with 15 points, while Marley Curtis added 11 points and Garrett Anderson chipped in 10 points. The Hawks finished with four players in double figures.

For Dakota State, Lukas Morgan paced the Trojans with 13 points, while Tyler Beckwith added 11 and R. Beckwith finished with nine points. Desman Botts contributed nine points off the bench and Brayden Pankonen added three points with four rebounds.

The Trojans were 17-of-40 from the field (42.5 percent), 4-of-10 from the 3-point line, and 18-of-29 from the free-throw line.  The Fighting Hawks shot 47.8 percent from the field (32-of-67 field goals), 9-of-30 3-pointers, and 15-of-20 at the free-throw line.

Dakota State remains at 11-1 overall record, their best start in program history, while North Dakota improved to 6–10 with the victory before heading to their Summit League conference play.

DSU begins their New Year, returning to Montana as they head back to their busy Frontier Conference action.  The Trojans visit No. 15 ranked Carroll (Mont.) on Friday evening at 8 p.m. (Central Time)/7 p.m. (Mountain Time) held at PE Center in Helena, Mont.

Dakota State then travels to Billings, Mont., on Saturday evening for another league action against (RV) Rocky Mountain (Mont.).  The game will be held at Fortin Education Center at 8 p.m. (CT)/7 p.m. (MT).