SAN FRANCISCO (Interstat) — Andrew Hilman had 22 points and eight rebounds, and Ben Oosterbaan matched him with 22 points as San Francisco beat North Dakota State 79-70 in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game at War Memorial Gymnasium. The Dons improved to 2-0, while the Bison fell to 1-2. An announced attendance of 995 watched San Francisco build a 45-31 halftime lead and then hold off North Dakota State’s second-half push. The Bison outscored the Dons 39-34 after halftime but could not complete the comeback. San Francisco had opened its season with a 76-62 home win over Radford, while North Dakota State had dropped a 105-64 road decision at Saint Mary’s after a 90-59 home win over Minn.-Crookston.

San Francisco opened with a 3-pointer from Oosterbaan and used another 3 from Gustav Knudsen and one from Dylan Bordon to take an 11-2 lead. North Dakota State answered with a dunk and a layup by Karl Poom, but the Dons kept separation with outside shooting. Oosterbaan, Ndewedo Newbury and Andrew Hilman each made 3-pointers during a first-half stretch that helped San Francisco take a 25-14 advantage. North Dakota State cut into the margin with a Riley Massey 3-pointer and two Massey free throws, yet the Dons answered with an Oosterbaan layup and an Oosterbaan 3-pointer to push the lead to 30-19. The Bison received a layup from Jaziah Harper, a dunk from Ismaila Diagne and free throws from Massey, but San Francisco closed the half with a Newbury 3-pointer, an Oosterbaan dunk, a Newbury turnaround jumper and two Newbury free throws to lead 45-31.

North Dakota State stayed close early with interior scoring. Kaden Tate made a layup, Poom followed with a dunk and a layup, and the Bison used a 3-pointer from Andrew Nagy and a 3-pointer from Carson Smith to keep the Dons from pulling away. San Francisco answered each time. Hilman made two free throws, Hilman hit a 3-pointer, and Newbury made a 3-pointer during a stretch that pushed the margin from 16-12 to 22-12. After Tate made a layup for the Bison, Oosterbaan hit a 3-pointer to make it 25-14.

North Dakota State made its move early in the second half. Nagy and Rob Diaz hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions, trimming the deficit to 45-40. San Francisco responded with an Oosterbaan 3-pointer and free throws from Dylan Bordon, but the Bison stayed within range. Melvin Bell made a 3-pointer, Diaz scored on a layup and a hook shot, and Massey made a 3-pointer as North Dakota State continued to attack. Hilman answered with a dunk and a three-point play, and Massey scored on a layup to pull the Bison to 60-55. The Dons rebuilt the lead when Hilman made free throws, Newbury added a free throw, and Knudsen hit a 3-pointer after a Tate layup and a Diaz layup. Bordon made a free throw and Carson Smith scored on a layup before Hilman hit a 3-pointer to make it 70-61.

The Dons maintained their edge at the free-throw line. Bordon made free throws after a foul, Bell made two free throws for North Dakota State, and Stefonowicz scored on a layup. Hilman converted a three-point play and later made two free throws, while Newbury made one free throw to keep San Francisco in front. Tate scored on a layup for the Bison, Diaz made a layup, and Knudsen answered with a 3-pointer. Bordon made a free throw, Smith scored on a layup, and Hilman made his 3-pointer that made it 70-61.

The Bison did not go away. Diaz scored on a layup with 1:25 left, and Massey made free throws to bring North Dakota State within five. Massey later hit a 3-pointer with 18.8 seconds remaining to make it 75-70. Hilman answered with two free throws and a layup in the final seconds to seal the win. The decisive stretch came after North Dakota State had cut a 14-point halftime deficit to single digits. San Francisco answered with 3-pointers from Knudsen and Hilman and then made enough free throws down the stretch. Hilman’s late free throws and closing layup capped the Dons’ response after Massey’s final 3-pointer.

Andrew Hilman was San Francisco’s top performer with 22 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes. Oosterbaan added 22 points, seven rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes. Riley Massey led North Dakota State with 17 points, six rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes. Rob Diaz had 18 points, three rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes. Kaden Tate finished with six points, seven rebounds, one assist and one block in 17 minutes. Gustav Knudsen had nine points, two rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 24 minutes. Ismaila Diagne added four points, six rebounds, two assists and one block in 32 minutes. Andy Stefonowicz had five points, three rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes. Ndewedo Newbury scored 11 points and blocked two shots in 18 minutes. Carson Smith had seven points and five rebounds in 20 minutes.

San Francisco shot 24 of 49 from the floor, including 12 of 25 from 3-point range, and made 19 of 28 free throws. North Dakota State shot 26 of 70 overall, 10 of 37 from beyond the arc and 8 of 13 at the line. North Dakota State attempted 70 field goals to San Francisco’s 49 and held a 15-7 edge on the offensive glass. The Bison had 15 offensive rebounds, 11 assists, 10 turnovers and 20 fouls. The Dons had seven offensive rebounds, five assists, six blocks, 14 turnovers and 15 fouls. North Dakota State scored 70 points on 71 possessions for an offensive rating of 98.3. San Francisco scored 79 points on 69 possessions for an offensive rating of 114.0.

Entering the game, Interstat’s game simulator projected a 77-71 North Dakota State win, while its ELO system gave San Francisco a 64.7 percent probability of winning. San Francisco was installed as an 8.5-point pregame favorite, and the game’s total of 149 was set against an over/under line of 146.