GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Jason Retzlaff has been the money man all his basketball life. On Sunday, North Dakota State cashed in.
Retzlaff was a picture of poise in painting eight points in the final 2:09 against the University of North Dakota. It sparked a furious Bison rally that gave NDSU a 76-73 North Central Conference men's basketball win at Hyslop Sports Center.
"It seems like the hoop is humongous right now," Retzlaff said. "I can't explain it."
The Bison can explain their win in the final two minutes. Retzlaff hit back-to-back 3-point field goals that erased a 70-65 Sioux advantage, the latter of which came with 1:40 remaining. Both were quick fast-break pull-up pops.
"We were able to push it and they weren't able to match up," Retzlaff said, "and luckily I was feeling it."
Bison guard Joe Hedin also felt it. After a Sioux turnover, Hedin's three-point play made it 74-70 at 1:20. It was the eventual game-winner.
"We had to battle back and it wasn't easy," Hedin said.
UND's Hunter Berg bombed a 3-pointer to cut the Bison lead to 74-73 with 1:05 left. Hedin missed on the other end. But Sioux center Kyle Behrens was short on an open layup 10 seconds later.
"It was a tough miss Kyle had," said Sioux coach Rich Glas.
Amidst the ensuing madness, Retzlaff got open for a layup and a 76-73 Bison lead at :32. Berg misfired seconds later. NDSU's attempt to ice it failed when Derek Hodges missed the front end of the bonus free throw with 10 seconds remaining.
With NDSU's Joe Snowden all over him, Berg missed an off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer. It gave NDSU its fourth straight win in Grand Forks.
"They've played great basketball here," Glas said. "It would be nice if they missed some shots."
He's right on NDSU's accuracy. The Bison shot 70 percent in the second half and 63 percent for the game. Retzlaff finished 10 of 15 for 24 points. Danny English came alive in the second half and was 8 of 9 for 16 points.
The comeback came before 6,006 fans, the biggest Sioux crowd in seven years. At least it was in the first half when the women's game between the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the country was completed and the Sioux men grabbed the upper hand. They led 42-30 at halftime.
The Bison came out with more zip in the second half, especially on the defensive end. For instance, the Sioux failed to beat the 35-second shot clock twice in the first seven minutes.
Meanwhile, English heated up on offense. He had 12 points in the first 10 minutes to pull the Bison within two. That despite his technical foul that led to four Sioux points instead of the Bison having the ball.
Still, the Bison could not get to the top of the hump, much less get over it. The Sioux continually hit the big hoop such as Brady Larson's 3-pointer at 5:05 that made it 68-61. It came seconds after Retzlaff's contested reverse layup rolled away.
"I didn't look too graceful a couple of times there," Retzlaff said. "But we won the game and we made up for it."
After two turnovers in the next minute, Retzlaff came back to can a 3-pointer to pull the Bison within 70-68 at 2:09. That was the start of his late-game heroics.
"Nothing rattles him, nothing rattles him off the court," said Bison coach Ray Giacoletti. "Being a coach's son has a lot to do with it. I give Dave Retzlaff all the credit."
The Bison improved to 3-0 in the league. UND is 2-1.
"It's the third game of the NCC," Giacoletti said. "We're not going to make any more of it."
NDSU (9-3, 3-0): Slowon 0-0 0-0 0, Snowden 0-0 0-0 0, Prescott 3-8 2-2 8, Majkrzak 1-2 0-0 2, Hedin 3-7 2-4 8, Retzlaff 10-15 0-0 24, Hodges 2-5 0-1 4, Thompson 2-2 0-0 4, English 8-9 0-0 16, Silk 5-6 0-0 10. Totals: 34-54 4-7 76.
UND (8-4, 2-1): Jacobson 1-3 0-0 3, Berg 7-17 2-2 20, Larson 2-3 0-0 6, Travis 4-7 0-0 8, Ristvedt 0-2 0-0 0, Mustard 5-10 2-2 12, Badding 2-5 0-2 4, Reinke 7-8 0-2 14, Behrens 3-6 0-2 6. Totals: 31-61 4-10 73.
Halftime: UND 42, NDSU 30. Total fouls: NDSU 10, UND 15. Fouled out: none. Technical foul: English. Total rebounds: NDSU 28 (Hodges 7); UND 27 (Behrens 10). 3-point goals: NDSU 4-8 (Prescott 0-3, Retzlaff 4-5); UND 7-14 (Jacobson 1-2, Berg 4-7, Larson 2-3, Ristvedt 0-1, Travis 0-1). Assists: NDSU 13 (Retzlaff 4); UND 20 (Berg 6). Turnovers: NDSU 12 (Retzlaff 4); UND 10 (Jacobson, Ristvedt 3). A-6,006.