FARGO, N.D.  – The University of Denver men's basketball team put up a fight before falling late on Saturday, losing 81-71 to North Dakota State in the Scheels Center.
For the Pioneers, the loss put the season series at 1-1 against the Bison.

Ronnie Harrell Jr. led the way for DU with a team-high 23 points to go with seven rebounds. It was the seventh time this year that the Denver native has recorded at least 20 points in a contest.

Jase Townsend and Ade Murkey each added 13 points.

NDSU's Vinnie Shahid scored a game-high 27 points on the afternoon.  

Game opened with North Dakota State building a five-point lead six minutes in. The Bison made it clear they were hunting long-distance shots, taking five of their first seven attempts from beyond the arc.

Denver stayed close though for a majority of the period after that, getting some much-needed production from its second unit, highlighted by the trio of freshmen in David Nzekwesi, Taelyr Gatlin and Townsend.

The Bison broke open the contested half with a 13-2 run late in the first half that pushed their lead to 15 after a 3 from Tyree Eady at the 4:42 mark.

An 8-0 run, though, brought the Pioneers back into this one which was highlighted by a back-to-back 3s from Townsend.

NDSU quickly countered with a scoring burst to take a double-digit lead into the half, 43-32.

North Dakota State was on in the opening 20 minutes from deep, going 7-for-15 from 3.

In the second half, DU came out ready to play, going on a 10-5 run in the first six minutes to make it a two-possession game at 48-42. The strong start was the result of a lineup change at the break, with Townsend and Nzekwesi being plugged into the starting five.

A basket by Abiola Akintola got the Crimson and Gold to within two at 58-56 with 9:33 left on the clock. Joe Rosga delivered a great pass to setup his fellow senior for the score.

The Bison expanded their lead back to double figures after that with a 14-4 run.

Denver, however, continued to fight, getting it back to a two-possession game at 77-71 after Harrell Jr. made a free throw to complete a rare four-point play.

But NDSU pushed back and got its advantage back into double figures and the Pioneers couldn't get closer than that the rest of the way and were forced to play the foul game, helping secure the victory for North Dakota State.

UP NEXT
The Pioneers (7-18, 2-9 Summit League) go home for one game against Purdue Fort Wayne on Thursday. Tip is set for 7 p.m. in Magness Arena and can be seen on Altitude 2.

Register for Alumni Weekend
Denver men's basketball alumni weekend is set for 2019! The men's basketball Alumni Weekend tips off on Thursday night, February 28th as the Pioneers host Western Illinois at 7 p.m. On Friday, Alumni will take the floor at 5 p.m. followed our Senior Recognition Dinner at 7 p.m. with the finale to weekend – DU versus Omaha at 1 p.m. on Saturday. To register for Alumni Weekend – Contact Dwight Thorne II at Dwight.thorne@du.edu or call the basketball office at 303-871-4781. Information is also available at the marketing table in the north endzone of Magness Arena.
 
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