NDSU played some of its strongest defense in the final three weeks of the season, something that made defensive-minded coach Saul Phillips particularly pleased. When Phillips was given the Bison job a year ago, he said he would emphasize defense. The Bison did that, although it was a struggle sometimes.

Phillips' strategy paid off against Oral Roberts, when the Bison held the Golden Eagles to 19 first-half points and 37 percent shooting for the game.

"I think it puts an exclamation point on it that we made progress," Phillips said.

Phillips singled out junior G Mike Nelson, who saw his scoring average drop this season but regularly guarded opposing teams' best offensive player.

"To see our guys defend tonight compared to how they defended in mid-January, early January is night and day," Phillips said.

PLAYER ROTATION
Usual Starters -- F Brett Winkelman, C Lucas Moormann, G Ben Woodside, G Mike Nelson, G Josh Vaughan. Key Subs -- F Michael Tveidt, F Freddy Coleman.

GAME REVIEW

NDSU 63, South Dakota State 60

NDSU 91, Centenary 73

NDSU 68, Oral Roberts 55

IN FOCUS
NDSU finished 4-11 on the road, including 3-6 in the Summit League. Their No. 1 priority for next season is to improve on that mark in the conference. It's the only way they'll be able to compete with the top teams like Oral Roberts and IUPUI. The Bison know it, and so do opposing coaches like Oral Roberts' Scott Sutton.

"It was their first time going through the league, new arenas. That's where a team has to be able to win games," Sutton said. "Our team won seven of nine, IUPUI won a bunch on the road. This team certainly has the talent to compete for a championship next year."

ROSTER REPORT

--Reserve G Austin Pennick missed the final three games of the season after returning from a broken pinky finger two weeks earlier.

Freshman F Freddy Coleman, who missed two games with a strained knee ligament, was severely limited in the final three games of the season. He played just four minutes in the finale against Oral Roberts.

--NDSU is expected to sign a junior-college transfer to shore up its inside game.

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