North Dakota St. fends off S. Dakota State 68-57
FARGO, N.D. (AP) Paul Miller scored 17 points with four 3-pointers and he and Dexter Werner slammed the door on a late rally as North Dakota State defeated South Dakota State 68-57, upending the preseason Summit League favorites.
Two-time defending Summit champion NDSU (13-6, 3-2) saw its double-digit lead shrink to 64-57 after South Dakota State's George Marshall scored with 45 seconds remaining. The Bison quickly broke SDSU's press with Werner throwing down a dunk, and Miller drained a pair of free throws to ice the win.
The Jackrabbits (14-5, 3-2), missed twice and Miller grabbed the last rebound as NDSU, picked to finish second in the Summit, ran out the final 17 seconds.
Marshall topped the Jackrabbits with 16 points, Mike Daum notched his first career double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
The two teams shared the regular-season title a year ago before NDSU won the tournament, earning an NCAA bid. The Jackrabbits went to the NIT.
