VERMILLION, S.D. – All five North Dakota starters scored in double figures to help the Fighting Hawks defeat South Dakota 95-81 in Vermillion Thursday night.  
 
B.J. Omot led North Dakota (13-10, 5-3 Summit) to its fifth-straight win with a game-high 25 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and three triples. Tyree Ihenacho was the second Fighting Hawk to reach 20 points with 21 points on 53 percent shooting from the field. Amar Kuljuhovic grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds to help North Dakota outrebound the Coyotes 44-33. The Fighting Hawks grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and had 25 second-chance points.
 
Kaleb Stewart and Paul Bruns each put up 18 points for South Dakota (9-14, 2-6 Summit) which picked up its fourth-straight loss. Bruns scored 16 of his 18 points just in the second half, going 4-of-6 from the three-point line and 5-of-8 from the field. Max Burchill added 16 points, 11 of which also came in the second half.
 
Treysen Eaglestaff got the Fighting Hawks going early, scoring the first basket of the game and accounting for 10 of North Dakota's first 16 points. It was a back-and-forth opening half with either team trading scoring spurts. Steven Kramer sunk a three-pointer to tie it up at 30-30 with 2:52 to play in the first half. North Dakota finished the half on a 7-0 run to take a 37-30 lead into the break.
 
An old-fashioned three-point play from Bostyn Holt opened the half for the Coyotes to pull within six, but the Fighting Hawks responded with a 7-0 run by Kuljuhovic to extend the lead to double-digits at 11. South Dakota came within five points twice down the stretch but both bursts of energy were halted by North Dakota three-pointers. Every time the Coyotes made a push to try and take the lead, North Dakota responded.
 
The Fighting Hawks shot 46.7 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from downtown and held the lead the entire game. North Dakota outscored South Dakota in the paint 44-32 and hit 12 three-pointers.
 
South Dakota shot just over 30 percent from the field and from three in the first half but improved to 53 percent from the field and 66 percent from three in the second half. The Yotes went 15-of-15 from the free-throw line and committed a season-low six turnovers.
 
The Coyotes hit the road to face in-state rival South Dakota State for the second time this season as a part of the Interstate Series presented by First Interstate Bank. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. inside Frost Arena in Brookings, with the game available to watch on CBS Sports Network.