March 1, 2007

Box Score

FARGO, ND - Four different players scored between 20 and 17 points for North Dakota State paced by Brett Winkelman's 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field, as the Bison defeated New Jersey Institute of Technology in an NCAA Division I independent men's basketball game Monday night.

Outside, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for most of North Dakota and South Dakota for Monday and Tuesday as part of a storm that actually began Sunday evening on the last day of February.

Inside its Bison Sports Center, North Dakota State raised its season record to 19-8 with a 104-52 win over the visiting Highlanders, who arrived in the area early Thursday morning before the heaviest snow struck Fargo.

After Winkelman's 20 points, Andre Smith, who was 7-for-9 from the field, scored 19 and Josh Vaughan came off the bench to make six of eight three-point shots to finish with 18 points. Ben Woodside, who shot 5-for-6, scored 17 points to go with a game-high 7 assists.

In addition to its strong shooting, which included 10-for-21 accuracy on three-pointers, North Dakota State had a splendid 27-to-9 assists-to-turnovers ratio. In addition to Woodside's seven assists, Smith and Vaughan handed out five assists apiece. Smith also made a game-high four steals.

The scoring leaders for NJIT were juniors Kraig Peters and Courcy Magnus, each of whom finished with 11 points. Nesho Milosevic, who finished with 9 points, led all rebounders, with 14.

Dan Stonkus, who grabbed six rebounds, blocked three shots, raising his season total to 40--the eighth-highest single-season total in school history.

The Highlanders, who scored the first basket of the game, fell behind in a subsequent 7-0 North Dakota State spurt.

Trailing, 49-26, with 2:28 left in the first half, NJIT scored 10 unanswered points--the last six of the first half and the first four of the second half, closing to within 13 points, 49-36, after Peters' jump shot with 18:21 left in the game.

North Dakota State made steals on its next three defensive possessions, converting the steals into seven points in 55 seconds and the Bison were in full control the rest of the way.

The Highlanders are scheduled to end their season on Saturday at South Dakota State in a 7 pm Central Time start.