MOSCOW, Idaho -- UND rarely missed field-goal attempts early. The Sioux had trouble making shots late.
Between the start and finish, however, UND made enough free throws to beat Eastern Michigan 54-49 on Saturday night in the second day of the Basketball Travelers Classic at the University of Idaho.
UND improved to 3-4, while Eastern Michigan -- a team from the Mid-American Conference -- dropped to 1-5.
"We grew up as a club tonight," UND coach Brian Jones said in a postgame radio interview. "It wasn't a pretty game by any means."
UND made seven of eight free throws in the final 64 seconds to seal the win. For the game, the Sioux were 23 of 28 from the line. From the field, however, was a different story.
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UND made eight of its first 10 attempts from the field, but finished the game shooting 30 percent (14-for-47).
The Sioux, however, never trailed. Their biggest lead was 12 points with 13 minutes to go in the first half. The game was tied twice, the last time 47-47 with just over a minute to play.
Patrick Mitchell dropped in two free throws to give the Sioux a 49-47 lead with 1:04 to go. A missed Eastern Michigan 3-point attempt led to two Aaron Anderson free throws with 31 seconds remaining.
Jamal Webb and Derek Benter combined for three more free throws in the final 18 seconds to seal UND's win.
"Both teams competed extremely hard," Jones said. "Our offense wasn't clicking at times but we got stops. Our defense was pretty good again."
Troy Huff led the Sioux with 11 points. The freshman guard from Milwaukee also grabbed nine rebounds. Mitchell finished with 10 points.
Brandon Bowdry led the Eagles with 20 points and seven rebounds.
Eastern Michigan struggled with shooting, too, making 38 percent of its attempts.
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The Sioux will close out their three-game tournament in Idaho with a game today against Monmouth of New Jersey.
