Denver traveled to Fargo Saturday afternoon, seeking to cap a road sweep in the Dakotas against North Dakota and Noth Dakota State. The Bison shot 17 of 33 from downtown for the game to slip past Denver in extra time. Jacari White and Jackson Moni combined for 50 of the Bison 84 points. DU freshman guard Sebastian Akins kept DU in the fight with 27 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the road loss. Pedro Lopez-Sanvicente was out with injury and his size was missed.

Denver had a solid first half, trailing NDSU at the break. 38-32. The Bison went nearly 50% from three, 8 of 15, to forge their halftime advantage. Abdulai Fanta Kabba got in early foul trouble. A rusty Isaiah Carr was pushed into extensive service and played a solid 26 minutes during the contest for DU.

NDSU doubled up Denver on three’s the second half, 8 to 4, but DU kept pace with 59% field goal shooting. An Isiah Carr dunk with 16 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime.

NDSU shot 57% in the extra period and canned a three-point make to polish off the visitors, 89-84. Denver’s perimeter defense, Pedro Lopez Sanvicente’s absence and Kabba’s early foul trouble contributed to the loss. However, DU is making solid progress towards a March run as they get healthy and their freshmen players gain additional playing experience. Two close road games in the Dakotas and a split were a solid result for a team that appears to be improving game-by-game.

Next up for DU men’s hoops is Oral Roberts this Wednesday at 7:00 pm MT at Hamilton Gym.