KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — The North Dakota State Bison delivered a dominant wire-to-wire performance fueled by a suffocating defensive start, routing the Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos 97-73 in a Summit League men’s basketball game Thursday night at Municipal Auditorium.

The Bison (13-5, 2-0 Summit) seized control from the opening tip, unleashing a 17-0 blitz over the game’s first four minutes that effectively decided the contest before the home crowd of 539 could settle in. The Kangaroos (4-13, 1-1) missed their first five shots and committed four turnovers during the decisive run, unable to handle North Dakota State’s defensive pressure.

Treyson Anderson, the 6-foot-10 sophomore from Lincoln, Nebraska, set the tone early, scoring the game’s first basket and swatting a shot on the other end. The Bison forced 17 total turnovers, converting them into 26 points, while committing just nine of their own. Andy Stefonowicz, a 6-1 guard from Minnetonka, Minnesota, spearheaded the defensive havoc with a game-high four of his team’s 13 steals, adding eight assists.

The most important part of the game was unquestionably the opening salvo. Markhi Strickland won the opening tip for North Dakota State, and Anderson quickly scored on a floating jumper. On UMKC’s first possession, Stefonowicz stole the ball from Karmello Branch. Just 38 seconds in, Strickland threw down a dunk off an assist from Trevian Carson. Anderson then blocked a U’Riyah Evans layup attempt, and Strickland followed with another steal and layup, forcing a full timeout from UMKC with the score 6-0 and just 1:45 elapsed. The onslaught continued out of the timeout with another steal and a Damari Wheeler-Thomas three-pointer, culminating in the 17-0 lead that the Kangaroos never threatened.

North Dakota State’s offensive efficiency was staggering. The Bison scored 97 points on 70 possessions, an offensive rating of 138.5, by shooting 53% from the field (35 of 66) and 44.8% from three-point range (13 of 29). They assisted on 13 of their 35 made baskets and dominated the glass with 14 offensive rebounds leading to 20 second-chance points.

Anderson led a balanced scoring attack with 23 points in just 19 minutes, adding two blocks. Carson, a guard from West Des Moines, Iowa, contributed 17 points, while Wheeler-Thomas had 16 points and three assists. Strickland added 12 points and three assists, and Noah Feddersen posted 11 points, two blocks, and a team-high eight rebounds.

Missouri-Kansas City, which shot a respectable 49.1% from the field, was undone by its ball security and defensive lapses. The Kangaroos managed only four assists against their 17 turnovers. Kasheem Grady, a 6-5 guard from Atlanta, led UMKC with 18 points. Branch, from Tampa, Florida, scored 19 points but also had four turnovers. Evans added 12 points.

The Bison led 54-34 at halftime and maintained at least a 20-point advantage for nearly the entire second half, with the lead ballooning as high as 29 points. The Kangaroos showed brief life with a 9-2 run early in the second half to cut the deficit to 19, but Anderson answered with a three-pointer and the Bison quickly rebuilt their commanding lead.

North Dakota State, which entered as a 10-point favorite according to sportsbooks, easily covered the spread. The combined score of 170 points sailed over the pregame over/under line of 142.5.

The Bison, winners of three straight, look to continue their conference momentum when they travel to face Omaha on Saturday. Missouri-Kansas City, which saw a two-game win streak snapped, will host North Dakota on Saturday.