The DU men’s basketball team put up a hard fight against North Dakota State in the Summit League Quarterfinal in Sioux Falls, S.D. After DU held the lead at halftime, a strong surge from the Bison in the late second half gave them the 82-62 win. With the loss, DU finished the 2021-22 season with an 11-21 record in their first season under head coach Jeff Wulbrun.
Things were looking up for DU in the first half, as they led the way to an early 17-10 lead by the first timeout, with junior guard KJ Hunt (Little Rock, Ark.) leading the way with six points, including a two-handed dunk off a steal at 14:43. Hunt would go on to be the team’s top scorer of the night with 16 points.
The Bison got back within one with under 10 minutes remaining in the half and took a two-possession lead at 6:34. The Crimson and Gold took the lead back with a dunk from senior forward Tristan Green (Boerne, Texas), which was enough for DU to close the half with a 35-32 lead.
In the second half, DU slowly grew their lead, pushing to a seven-point advantage after a three-pointer from freshman guard Coban Porter (Columbia, Mo.), which was his third three of the game. Freshman guard Tevin Smith (Danville, Ill.) gave Denver a big boost of momentum with a one-handed dunk to make it 51-47, of which play-by-play broadcaster Tyler Maun called “the best dunk [he’s] seen” from a DU player in his five years covering the program.
North Dakota State responded with a 10-1 run to take a five-point lead with just under nine minutes remaining. They never stepped off the gas from then on, going on a 19-0 run to take home the 20-point victory and advance to the Summit League semifinals.
“I’m really proud of the way my team competed tonight,” Wulbrun said after the game. “We knew we were playing a very talented team.”
“I didn’t feel too much pressure [of the season ending],” Hunt added. Regarding the Bison’s late rally, Hunt said, “You can always count on a run, but we weren’t able to.”
Though it came to a disappointing conclusion, the first season under a new coaching staff with many roster changes should give DU fans an optimistic outlook, especially considering the team’s 2-19 record last season. The team will be back in action in the fall.
