FARGO — The University of South Dakota arrived in Fargo this week as a banged-up unit, with only seven healthy players available. North Dakota State capitalized on the Coyotes’ difficulties in their Summit League men’s basketball opener, handing them an 84-61 defeat on Wednesday at Scheels Center at Sanford Health Athletic Complex. The performance, witnessed by nearly 2,000 fans, further solidified the Bison’s status as a team to be reckoned with in the conference.
A dominating first five minutes of the second half paved the way for the victory. NDSU unleashed a 16-2 run early in the half, putting USD in a deep hole. A highlight came when Carson executed a steal and dunk, giving the Bison a commanding 54-32 lead with 15:02 still to play.
“There’s a ways to go in 2026, of course, with Oral Roberts coming to town on Saturday afternoon,” said NDSU head coach Dave Richman. “The blue-collar Bison do the little things and play hard.”
USD faced significant challenges with several players sidelined due to injuries. The good news for the Coyotes was that none of the injured were starters, but it left them with a very short bench, which NDSU exploited. Despite the opportunity, Richman emphasized that the deep rotation was about using his team’s depth rather than trying to wear down USD.
“No offense to (USD) but our focus is us, and we’re still evaluating plenty of guys,” Richman noted. “This is a great group, and I think we have a lot of good things going for us, but our depth and versatility to do some things like that, I think that can be impactful down the stretch.”
Part of that evaluation included giving 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Treyson Anderson his first career start. In total, 11 players logged at least five minutes in the first half alone.
The Bison finished the first half on a 10-0 run to take a 38-30 lead into intermission, largely thanks to Tay Smith. After struggling from beyond the arc early on, Smith came alive with three crucial 3-pointers. NDSU entered halftime shooting just 1 of 10 from three-point range but finished the frame hitting 5 of 8, capped off by a buzzer-beating three from Andy Stefonowicz.
“I felt like we were competing pretty well,” Richman said. “In pregame, I just felt like those first 8 to 12 minutes would be choppy, meaning they had nothing to lose with all the injuries. It honestly went about according to plan as I thought. I wish we would have been better with the start but I’m glad we settled in.”
NDSU wasted no time in the second half, scoring the first five points and extending their run to 15 straight before USD called a timeout. A 9-2 spurt in the first three minutes made it 47-32 and set the tone for the rest of the game.
The Bison finished with five players in double figures. Anderson led the way with 14 points, followed by Carson and Tay Smith with 13 each, Markhi Strickland with 12, and Damari Wheeler-Thomas with 10.
“My family was here too, so it was a pretty good moment,” Anderson said. “I just got more confident in myself, and my teammates kept encouraging me to do better, so that’s been the biggest thing.”
On the USD side, leading scorer Isaac Bruns, who entered the game averaging 20.7 points per game, was closely guarded throughout. He finished with 17 points, mostly when the outcome was already decided, along with six turnovers.
The Bison’s strong showing and depth demonstrated on Wednesday send a clear message to Summit League contenders as the season progresses.
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