Herald Staff Writer
The UND men's basketball team hasn't reached machine status yet, even though the Sioux have been on a recent roll.
But the Sioux acted like a machine on Sunday night in their 72-52 North Central Conference win over Nebraska-Omaha before 2,007 fans at the Hyslop Sports Center.
Chad Mustard, the Sioux leading scorer, went down with a knee injury with 6 minutes left in the first half. At the time, the Sioux -- struggling on offense -- trailed 18-10.
The Sioux, however, didn't panic.
"We had to act like a machine and replace a broken part," Sioux point guard Hunter Berg said. "And the guys who took his spot did a great job. We didn't miss a beat."
The steady play of 6-foot-9 sophomore Kyle Behrens, who scored a career-high 15 points, Marcus Travis (15) and Hunter Reinke (8) helped overcome the loss of Mustard and carry the Sioux to their second straight NCC win and fifth overall.
Mustard's injury didn't appear to be anything more than a strained knee and he should be back for UND's next game, a Jan. 3 meeting at home against North Dakota State.
Once again, the Sioux weren't flashy on offense, just effective. And their defense again was strong as it pressured Nebraska-Omaha into some poor shots along with 16 turnovers.
After Mustard was helped off the floor, the Sioux helped themselves to an 18-7 run to close the first half.
And the Sioux opened the second half with a 13-0 run to put the game away. A nifty back-door basket by Travis started the run, which was fueled by Tom Jacobson, Reinke and Behrens.
"Chad's loss was a huge blow, but we can't back down," said Behrens, who also pulled down 7 rebounds as he was forced into playing 33 minutes. "Everyone had to step up."
The Sioux won despite the injury to Mustard and a poor start. It was the first time in UND's five-game winning streak that the Sioux started poorly. UND scored only two points in the first 7 minutes.
"We were down a bit," said Berg, who scored 10 points and added six assists. "But we did a good job of getting back into the game."
Entering the season, UND coach Rich Glas said mental toughness would be one of his team's biggest challenges. The Sioux, however, didn't back down after the injury.
"We rallied after the injury," Glas said. "But the key was that we scored on 10 straight possessions to start the second half."
Despite the 2-0 start in the NCC and its five-game winning streak, UND's philosophy hasn't changed much. "It's still one possession at a time for us," Glas said. "We have to continue what we've been doing."
Nebraska-Omaha, which fell to North Dakota State in overtime on Saturday night, was led by Alan Lainio's 12 points. Michael Foltynski was the only other Maverick in double figures with 10.
| UND (72) | |||
| Name | FG | FT | Points |
| Mustard | 0-1 | 2-2 | 2 |
| Travis | 4-9 | 5-6 | 15 |
| Behrens | 6-9 | 3-4 | 15 |
| Berg | 4-8 | 0-0 | 10 |
| Larson | 1-4 | 1-2 | 4 |
| Jacobson | 3-6 | 1-2 | 9 |
| Ristvedt | 2-6 | 2-2 | 7 |
| Badding | 0-0 | 2-2 | 2 |
| Reinke | 3-4 | 2-4 | 8 |
| Totals | 23-47 | 18-24 | 72 |
| UNO (52) | |||
| Voss | 1-7 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Jones | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0 |
| Griffin | 3-10 | 3-5 | 9 |
| Ausley | 1-3 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Simons | 1-10 | 3-4 | 5 |
| Lainio | 5-7 | 2-2 | 12 |
| Hahn | 1-2 | 2-2 | 4 |
| Wettstein | 2-7 | 2-2 | 7 |
| Trapkus | 0-2 | 1-2 | 1 |
| Foltnyski | 5-8 | 0-1 | 10 |
| Totals | 19-57 | 13-20 | 52 |