MOSCOW, Idaho -- After a four-game losing streak, the UND men’s basketball team needed a win.
The team also needed a big second half to knock off Idaho.
UND was able to do both with a 71-63 come-from-behind win Thursday night in Big Sky Conference play.
Junior guard Terrel de Rouen scored 15 of his game-high 17 points in the second half. Guard Estan Tyler added 16 for UND, which improved to 6-11 overall and 2-4 in the Big Sky.
Idaho (7-10, 2-4) was led by Connor Hill’s 14 points, but the Vandals dropped their fourth straight after leading by seven at halftime.
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Idaho opened the game on a 7-0 run and pushed the lead to 13-2 in the opening seven minutes, but UND was able to claw back.
“Our second half defense was the key,” UND coach Brian Jones said. “We got off to a slow start, but started grinding back in it there late in the first half. Then, our defense took over after halftime. We got loose balls, rebounds and made some big shots early to keep that momentum.”
The Vandals would lead by as many as 15 in the opening half on a 3-pointer by Hill with six minutes to halftime. Those were the only points of the half for Idaho’s leading scorer, who came in averaging 17.8 points per game in league play.
UND opened the second half by making 10 of its first 12 field goals.
The Vandals would not let the game get away though as Hill and company staged their own rally, trimming the UND lead to two points with just over two minutes to play.
However, UND made enough free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.
