UND Fends Off Hornets
Box Score
OGDEN, Utah - Senior Aaron Anderson made two free throws in the final second to secure North Dakota's 79-76 victory over Sacramento State in a first-round game at the 2014 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Championship on Thursday.
Senior Troy Huff scored 18 points, and Anderson netted 16 as North Dakota advanced to Friday's semifinals for the second straight season. North Dakota will play in the first semifinal at 4:30 p.m. against the winner of the Montana/Portland State first-round game.
No. 1 seed Weber State will take on No. 6 seed Northern Colorado in the 7 p.m. semifinals
North Dakota shot .560 percent from the floor in the second half and shot .518
North Dakota improved to 16-15, while Sacramento State finished 14-16.
Sacramento State led 42-39 at the half, but saw its shooting percentage fall from .556 percent in the first half to just .370 percent over the final 20 minutes.
Mikh McKinney scored 24 points with seven assists for the Hornets, who were making their first tournament appearance since 2006.
Anderson made two free throws with 17 seconds left to give UND a three-point lead. Sacramento State's Dreon Barlett cut the lead to one with a lay-in, but it was too little too late. UND had 38 points in the paint.