FARGO, N.D. (Interstat) — Andy Stefonowicz scored 18 points and dished out seven assists, and North Dakota State defeated Minn.-Crookston 90-59 in a non-divisional men’s NCAA Division I basketball game on Monday at Scheels Arena. Melvin Bell added 16 points for the Bison, who improved to 1-0 this season in front of an announced attendance of 841. North Dakota State scored 90 points from 71 possessions, an offensive rating of 127.1, and finished with 14 offensive rebounds, 13 assists, four blocks, 13 turnovers and 12 fouls.

The Bison took command in the first half after Minn.-Crookston stayed close early. Bell opened the scoring with a layup, and Alijah Washington answered with a layup at 17:58. Quincy Everson then made a layup at 17:19 to give Minn.-Crookston a 4-2 lead, but Kaden Tate tied the game with a layup at 17:08. Everson made a jump shot at 16:53, and Andrew Nagy answered with a jump shot at 16:28. Karl Poom’s layup at 15:55 gave North Dakota State the lead for good at 8-6. Bell made two free throws at 15:16, Riley Massey made a layup at 14:42 and two free throws at 14:10, and Brady Westphal kept Minn.-Crookston close with a 3-pointer at 13:57. Bell dunked at 11:54, Westphal hit another 3 at 11:31, and J.D. Roberts made a layup at 10:54 to cut the deficit to 16-14. Nagy made a layup at 10:27, Washington made a layup at 10:14, and Jaziah Harper made a layup at 09:54 for a 20-16 North Dakota State lead. Minn.-Crookston pulled within 20-17 on Spencer Swenson’s free throw with 7:21 left in the half, but Stefonowicz answered with a 3-pointer at 7:01. Stefonowicz followed with a layup and two free throws, Carson Smith made two layups, Rob Diaz scored twice and Stefonowicz hit another 3-pointer in the closing minutes as the Bison built a double-digit lead by halftime.

North Dakota State kept separation after the break. J.D. Roberts made a jump shot and free throw to open the second half, but Diaz answered with a free throw, a layup and a 3-pointer. Bell made a jump shot, and Diaz dunked at 16:58 to make it 48-33. Stefonowicz’s 3-pointer with 16:01 remaining pushed the lead to 51-35. Swenson scored twice for Minn.-Crookston, but Max Iversen made two free throws and a 3-pointer, Bell dunked, Nagy made a tip-in and Iversen hit another 3 as North Dakota State pulled away. Everson made two 3-pointers to pull Minn.-Crookston within 60-47, but Stefonowicz answered with a 3 at 10:11. Washington made a layup and Swenson made a jump shot before Bell made two free throws. After Brayden Carlson’s free throw, Carson Smith made a tip-in and Iversen hit a 3 for a 70-52 lead. Washington made two free throws, Stefonowicz made two free throws, Bell made two free throws and Nagy hit a 3 with 5:16 left. Bell dunked again at 4:50, Iversen made another 3 at 4:13, and Nagy made a free throw. Massey made two free throws and a layup, and Amir Danforth hit a 3 with 50.2 seconds left for the final Bison points. Minn.-Crookston got a late 3-pointer from Jake Williams and free throws from Ethan Koltz.

Stefonowicz, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard from Minnetonka, Minn., who previously played at Minnetonka, had 18 points, three rebounds and seven assists in 28 minutes. Bell, a 6-4 guard who previously played at LA Lumiere School, added 16 points, four rebounds and one assist in 28 minutes. Diaz, a 6-1 guard from JSerra Catholic HS, finished with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes. Iversen, a 6-3, 175-pound guard from Maple Grove HS, scored 11 points and grabbed two rebounds in 15 minutes. Nagy, a 6-9 forward from Orange Lutheran, had 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 23 minutes. Carson Smith, a 6-6, 205-pound guard from Bountiful, had six points and five rebounds in 12 minutes. Kaden Tate, a 6-6, 220-pound forward from Shadow Creek HS, had two points, six rebounds and two blocks in 17 minutes. Riley Massey, a 6-3 guard from Desmet Jesuit High School, scored eight points with two rebounds in 10 minutes. Amir Danforth, a 6-0, 175-pound guard from Rockford Auburn HS, had three points and two rebounds in nine minutes. Jack Robison, a 6-6 guard from Lakeville North, had one rebound in three minutes.

Minn.-Crookston’s best stretches came early and in the second half. The visitors tied the game at 2 when Washington made a layup with 17:58 remaining in the first half, and Everson followed with a layup for a 4-2 lead. Westphal made two first-half 3-pointers, and Washington hit a 3-pointer with 2:39 left in the first half to cut the deficit to 29-24. In the second half, Everson made consecutive 3-pointers to pull Minn.-Crookston within 60-47 with 10:46 remaining. Swenson then scored twice in a row, and Washington made two free throws with 6:56 left to make it 70-54. North Dakota State answered with a 7-0 run on Stefonowicz’s free throws, Bell’s free throws and Nagy’s 3-pointer.

North Dakota State’s upcoming schedule includes a road game at Saint Mary’s, a road game at Cal State Bakersfield, home games against Illinois State, Cal State Bakersfield, Wis.-Stout and UC Davis, and a road game at Colorado State. The Bison also are set to face North Texas, Drake and Boise State in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The Bison open the stretch at Saint Mary’s before visiting Cal State Bakersfield. Illinois State and Cal State Bakersfield visit North Dakota State, and Colorado State hosts the Bison. Wis.-Stout, North Texas and UC Davis are scheduled at home, while Drake and Boise State join North Texas in the Idaho Falls event.