GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Junior Jamal Webb made his only 3-point basket of the night count, knocking down the go-ahead trey in the final minute to lift UND to a 56-53 victory over Bowling Green on Friday.
Webb finished with 12 points and classmate Troy Huff added a double-double off the bench, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds to snap a two-game skid for the home team in what was the first meeting between the two teams.
Webb, who had missed his first four attempts from deep, sank the game-winning basket with 43 seconds remaining and Huff made two free throws in the closing seconds to seal the win.
“We felt like we were going to win tonight and that it would come down to the end,” UND head coach Brian Jones said. “Our guys made enough plays even when things didn’t go well.
“Our guys dug it out, got some loose balls and some huge rebounds. But, most of all this is a huge win just from a confidence standpoint, knowing we can win a close game when things do not always go smoothly.”
UND (3-8) led by as many as 11 points in the first half and nine in the second half, but the visiting Falcons (5-7) found a way to get back in the game both times.
BGSU shaved its 11-point deficit in the first half down to two points before Webb put the home team ahead by six with a layup in the closing seconds.
In the second half, UND pushed its lead back to nine just four minutes into the stanza, but BGSU erased that advantage with a 9-0 run over the next six minutes.
The teams went back-and-forth down the stretch before Richaun Holmes gave the Falcons their first lead at 53-51 since the opening minutes of the contest.
Holmes’ 3-point play with just a minute left on the clock came off a putback as the high-flying sophomore willed his team back in the second half. He had all 10 of his points and his six blocks after intermission, while senior Jordan Crawford, who was held to two first-half points, scored 12 after the break for the Falcons.
On the ensuing possession, sophomore Lenny Antwi missed a 3-pointer from the corner, but senior Mitch Wilmer corralled the loose ball and found Webb at the top of the key for what would prove to be the game-winner.
Wilmer’s offensive board was the 17th of the game for UND, who outrebounded the Falcons 42-25 in the contest. Huff had 12 of those rebounds to finish one shy of his career-high.
UND will return to Big Sky play on the road next Thursday at Idaho State. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT.
