Crandall lifts North Dakota past Southern Utah, 61-57

Feb 16, 2018, 12:51 pm

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Geno Crandall scored North Dakota's only two baskets in the final eight minutes, but his second one with 17 seconds left was enough to give the Fighting Hawks a 61-57 victory over Southern Utah in a Big Sky Conference clash Thursday night.

The victory was North Dakota's fifth straight over Southern Utah and snapped a three-game losing streak. North Dakota leads the all-time series 9-3.

North Dakota (9-17, 4-10) struggled in the first half, shooting just 8-for-28 from the field, and trailed the Thunderbirds at the break, 33-27. The Hawks warmed up in the second half, hitting 12 of 22 from the floor (54.5 percent) and finished hitting 20 of 50.

Crandall finished with 17 points on 7-for 12 shooting. Kiernan Walker came off the bench to add 15 points.

Jadon Cohee had 14 points to lead Southern Utah (10-14, 4-9). Jamal Aytes and Dwayne Morgan each added 11.