FARGO, N.D.—Sam Griesel's only field goal of the game came on a drive to the rim with three seconds left and it gave North Dakota State a 76-74 win against South Dakota Monday inside Scheels Arena.
 
It was the second meeting between the two programs in less than two weeks. The Bison (17-8, 9-4 Summit) won the first game in overtime. This one, a makeup from a postponed game from early January, was just as close. Mason Archambault's half-court heave for South Dakota as time expired hit the back of the rim and bounced away.
 
Griesel was the catalyst in the first meeting when he totaled 20 points. He had six Monday on 1-of-7 shooting. But Rocky Kreuser had a bounce-back game with 28 points and 10 rebounds and Grant Nelson willed the Bison back from 17 points down over the final 10 minutes to get NDSU a series sweep.
 
The Coyotes (13-10, 6-6) got 21 points from Tasos Kamateros and 16 from Archambault, but have lost the first two games of a four-game run spanning eight days. Kruz Perrott-Hunt added 13 points.
 
Two long runs told the story of the second half. South Dakota held NDSU without a field goal for more than seven minutes and led 59-42 with nine minutes to go. Two minutes later, the Bison had closed within five at 61-56.
 
Nelson scored 14 points during a three-minute span that single-handed brought the Bison back. He made all six shots he took during the rally and was 7-of-9 from the field for the game.
 
When South Dakota switched to zone, it was Jarius Cook who buried two triples from the side. The first one tied the game at 65-65 to complete the comeback and the next one broke the tie with three minutes to go. They were the only two field goals of the game for Cook, who totaled seven points.
 
South Dakota nearly forced overtime with some heroics of its own. Perrott-Hunt made a 3-pointer, was fouled and completed a four-point play with 22 seconds left to close NDSU's lead to 72-71. Kreuser was fouled and made two free throws on the other end, but Archambault buried a 3 with a hand in his face to tie the game at 74-74 with 10 seconds left. Griesel's winner followed an NDSU timeout.
 
The Coyotes will regroup and take on Omaha Thursday in Nebraska. That's followed by a trip to Denver for a Saturday matinee.