By james art 
North Dakota State is at the top of the ranking of three-point firing among all Division I teams throughout the 2024-25 season. On Saturday, at 89-84 overtime win over Denver, Bison set the program record for one-season three points. The previous record was set by the 2018-19 team, which made 332 three indicators in 35 games until they made the NCAA tournament.
“I didn’t realize that this would ever happen under my watch,” Bison’s chief coach Dave Richman said with a smile. “I have zero problems with threes as long as they enter.”
This year’s team did it in their 28th Game. After a slow start, the buffalo was lit by deeply as often this season. Leaving 15-5, North Dakota exploded at 22-3 running, where the buffalo hits 6 out of 8 three indicators to take the lead by 27-18. The buffalo took eight shots beyond the arc in the first half and held 38-32 at Antrakt.
Denver, entering the game, had allowed the second most Fewpont from each Summit League team in the last three weeks thanks to his persistent perimeter defense and a huge presence, blocking the shot. The buffalo turned it five times in the first eight minutes, but settled slightly throughout the game.
“They are athletic,” said senior guard Massen Miller. “They put a lot of pressure on you. They want to speed you up and I thought we’ve done a good job through the biggest part of the game. We just take care of the ball, trusting our boys and trusting our habits to complete it. “
Jaksen Moni, No. 10 in the nation, scoring 20.3 ppg, was the NDSU man, as it was on Thursday when he scored 32 points in the overtime win over oral Roberts. The 6-foot 10 senior ended with 27 points and seven assists at 9 out of 18 shootings and was 4 out of 8 of a deep.
The three -point barrage took a brief pause in the second half, but Moni and the bison returned to the track when Moni struck a pair of triplets. The buffalo reached out to 56-51 after the triplets of the freshman of the freshman Andy Stefonovic, the latter stepping back into the top of the arc.
Denver shoots well above his average from three at 50%, but only seven rights. PIOS fired 59.3% in the second half. When NDSU scored, freshman Sebastian Akins and Pio had an answer. Akins finished with 27 points at 10 of 21 firing.
“You go out to the hedge of the ball screen and they have great lobes with their two big boys (Abdulay Fanta Caba and Isaiah Carr),” Richman said. “They have other guys who can really shoot it. Choose your poison.”
PIOS made 10 out of 11 shots during one section in the second half and took 67-66 lead from and 1 retreat from Deandre Craig with 3:19 to play. It was back and forth in the last few minutes when Moni tied the game 71 with a spoon, and Jakari White hit the left three with 1:10 to play to give the NDSU lead with one point. Bison needed a stop, but a posture immersion from Carr tied the game at 76 with 16.9 seconds, sending the game into overtime after Moni missed three.
As it was on Thursday, White had a game, scoring 23 points at 7 out of 15 firing and was 5 out of 9 out of three. White has been an average of 23.2 ppg in the last five games, hitting 4.4 triplets per game in 55% clip. It started the SR period, but it was Millers that closed the NDSU game. Massen Miller struck the 17th of 17th Three of the game to give their team a four -point lead. Tajavis Miller struck two huge buckets, gave way to the paint, and scored over his defender to give the NDSU lead with 86-81 that they would not give up.
“I’ll continue to say it, thatavis is Dawg,” Moni said. “He goes out there, he does what he has to do. I am proud of him only for what he has managed to do.”
Massen Miller finished with 15 points on 5 of Deep’s 8 firing, his fifth game with five triventers. Tajavis Miller finished with six points with 3 of 8 firing in 26 minutes from the bench.
“He had fought today to be honest with you,” Richman told Tajavis Miller. “He was not great with some other things. I thought he missed some points at the points, but as a coach, your gut, you trust some things and he was great for us down.”
Bombs Away Bison kept its pace, darkening 15 threes in the game for eighth times this year, hitting 17 out of 33 (51.5%). The NDSU fired 45.8% for the game and was 18 of 22 (81.8%) from the free throw line.
Deandre Craig added 17 points to Denver while Carr crept into two -digit 10 points in her second match back from injury.
NDSU improves to 19-9 during the season and 8-5 in the top league after home cleaning, which everyone went in overtime. Bison returns to the floor next Wednesday, February 19, in South Dakota. Tipoff from Bruckings, SD is at 19:00
“This is February, we were able to hold the court and these are two teams that are very different from the last time we played them,” Richman said. “Craig again in the squad, Carr again in the squad. This is a very good victory for our program right now.”