North Dakota Downs St. Thomas, Advances to Summit League Championship

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The North Dakota Fighting Hawks defeated the St. Thomas Tommies 67-66 in a thrilling Summit League Tournament semifinal matchup on Saturday night at the Denny Sanford Premier Center, securing their spot in the championship game. UND improves to 18-16 on the season, while St. Thomas falls to 24-9.

Dramatic Finish Seals Victory

With the score tied at 66-66, George Natsvlishvili was fouled while shooting with just 0.1 seconds remaining. He calmly sank the first free throw to supply North Dakota a 67-66 lead, securing the win as time expired. Earlier in the possession, Eli King intercepted a pass with five seconds left, initiating the game-winning sequence.

Uelmen Leads the Charge

Redshirt freshman Greyson Uelmen led the Fighting Hawks with 28 points, shooting 9-for-11 from the field and an impressive 9-for-12 from three-point range. He has totaled 69 points across the two tournament games, shooting 22-of-30 from the floor. Eli King contributed 17 points and reached a career milestone of 500 rebounds.

Key Stats and Game Notes

• North Dakota shot 22-of-44 (50%) from the field and 7-of-19 (36.8%) from three-point range.
• St. Thomas shot 25-of-60 (41.7%) from the field and 4-of-24 (16.7%) from beyond the arc.
• UND won the turnover battle, forcing six turnovers while committing five.
• St. Thomas dominated the boards, outrebounding North Dakota 39-25 (14-1 on the offensive glass).

First Half Recap

The first half featured five ties and five lead changes. Despite being significantly outrebounded on the offensive glass (12-0), North Dakota trailed by only six points at halftime, 34-28.

Second Half Surge

Early in the second half, Uelmen sparked an 8-0 run for North Dakota, hitting back-to-back three-pointers. The game remained tightly contested, with multiple lead changes. A clutch three-pointer from Reggie Thomas gave UND a 63-60 lead with 2:38 remaining. After trailing by as many as eight points, North Dakota secured its eighth win of the season by a margin of three points or less.

Championship Game Details

North Dakota will face No. 1 seed North Dakota State in the Summit League Championship game on Sunday, March 8, at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.

Postgame Notes

• UND is now 12-12 all-time against St. Thomas and 6-6 in the Summit League Tournament.
• Greyson Uelmen has scored in double figures in 17 consecutive games.
• George Natsvlishvili grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

For more information on North Dakota men’s basketball, visit FightingHawks.com.