GRAND FORKS, N.D. - A vocal group of Mayville State fans showed up at the University of North Dakota's Hyslop Sports Center on Thursday night with only one thing on their minds - upset.
Behind the support of its fans, the Comets men's basketball team nearly clawed its way back from a 20-point deficit before the Sioux slipped away with a 72-58 non-conference victory.
"We played really hard in the second half," said the Comets' Darren Klabo who transferred to Mayville State from UND in January. "The Sioux are a (NCAA) Division II program, so coming back and sticking with them in the second half is a real confidence builder for us going into the conference season.
"It's a David and Goliath concept. This is a big game for us because we're just a little NAIA school and they're Division II. It adds to our motivation."
At one point in the second half, Mayville State found itself trailing UND 29-49. Then the Comets went on a 14-4 run that pulled them within 10 points with just over seven minutes remaining in the game.
Two minutes later, Mayville State cut the lead to seven before UND's Hunter Berg re-entered the game, adding four points and an assist on his team's next three baskets.
"We just had to ride out the storm," said Berg, who had a game-high 19 points. "They made some big shots and we had to concentrate more on stopping them. But in the end we held on."
Despite slipping a little in the second half, a big start was once again the key for UND's success. With the excitement surrounding last Saturday's win over nationally ranked Northern State still fresh in their minds, UND's players came out on fire in the first half. The Sioux started the game on an 11-0 run, holding the Comets scoreless for the first five minutes. All of UND's early momentum came together for a 39-22 halftime lead.
"We came out and did what we needed to do," said UND head coach Rich Glas. "We came out and played at the same level we did against Northern State, so I was pleased with how we played that first half."
Glas pointed out that besides the 14-4 run in the second half, UND never really lost control of the game. However, it's those mental lapses when the Sioux are unable to put points on the board that Glas would like to avoid in the future.
"That was a critical period in the second half," said Glas. "During those 10 possessions, they scored six times, including some big 3-pointers."
Also playing a key roll for UND Thursday night was former Mayville-Portland-Clifford-Galesburg standout Tom Jacobson. Jacobson, who put up 12 points for the Sioux, knew that he'd have some old friends at the game. Whether it was former Comets teammates or people in the stands, Jacobson had a little more reason to perform well against his hometown college.
"It kind of gives you a little more incentive to play well when you know a lot of people who know you are going to be there," said Jacobson.
As for the crowd, Jacobson said he wasn't surprised by the large turnout of Mayville State fans that helped draw 2,814 fans - a season high for UND.
"For the college, the fan support has been kind of recent, but at the same time I wish the people in Grand Forks would come out and support us like that," said Jacobson.
According to Mayville's Klabo, the Comets' crowd played a big role in Mayville's second-half comeback run.
"Our fans really get into it," said Klabo. "When the crowd and the community really rally around you even when your on the road, it's a big thing. That kind of crowd support keeps everyone pumped up and it helps the team through the tougher times of the game."
MAYVILLE STATE (4-5): Olson 0 0-0 0, Thompson 1 3-5 5, Fernholtz 1 0-0 2, Maus 0 0-0 0, Klabo 3 0-1 7, Solie 9 2-2 17, Myklebust 2 1-1 5, B.Roisum 2 0-0 4, Amundson 2 1-2 5, L.Roisum 4 5-8 13, Totals 24 13-20 58.
NORTH DAKOTA (5-3): Berg 5 10-10 19, Larson 1 0-0 2, Jacobson 6 2-4 12, Travis 3 5-6 10, Ristvedt 0 0-0 0, Mustard 7 2-4 16, Badding 0 1-2 1, Reinke 3 2-3 8, Behrens 2 0-0 4, Totals 27 22-30 72.
Halftime: North Dakota 39, Mayville State 22. 3-point goals: MSU 3-11 (Solie 3-5, Thompson 0-2, Fernholtz 0-2, Maus 0-1, Klabo 0-1), UND 4-10 (Jacobson 2-4, Berg 1-2, Travis 1-1, Larson 0-1, Reinke 0-2). Fouled out: Thompson, L.Roisum. Rebounds: MSU 29 (Klabo 7), UND 31 (Mustard 6). Assists: MSU 12 (Thompson 5), UND 11 (Berg 4). Steals: MSU 7 (B.Roisum 2, L.Roisum 2), UND 14 (Jacobson 3, Reinke 3). Total fouls: MSU 24, UND 21. A-2,874.