'He's not scared': Freshman guard lifts Bison to OT victory with last-second floater

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

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FARGO — North Dakota State freshman Max Iversen made a bold introduction to the home crowd at Scheels Center on Friday night.

Iversen swished a feathery floater with 2.9 seconds remaining to lift the Bison to a thrilling 82-81 overtime victory against Illinois State in NCAA Division I men's basketball before 1,985 fans at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.

“He’s not scared," said NDSU junior Karl Poom.

The 6-foot-3 Iversen finished with a career-high 27 points, making his first home start and second in his brief Bison career. He helped fuel the offense with veteran point guard Andy Stefonowicz sidelined with a lower-leg injury.

“I want to thank my coaches for giving me the opportunity," said Iversen, who made his first college start at CSU Bakersfield last Sunday. "I’m trying to do the best I can to fill in for Andy right now.”

MAX IVERSEN THE KID CAN HOOP pic.twitter.com/QMXXGxFbM0 — NDSU Men's Basketball (@NDSUmbb)

The Bison (2-3) snapped a three-game losing streak, edging the Redbirds, a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

“It’s huge," said Poom, who scored 17 points off the bench. "Illinois State is a really good team.”

Illinois State took an 81-80 lead after Deng Garang scored near the basket with 1 minute, 6 seconds remaining in overtime. The teams traded empty possessions, and NDSU got the ball back with 13 seconds remaining after an ISU turnover.

In the closing seconds, Iversen drove and passed the ball to Melvin Bell Jr. for a 3-point attempt in the corner. Bell's shot was off the mark, but Iversen secured the rebound on the left side of the lane. He took one quick dribble and sank an 8-foot floater to give NDSU an 82-81 with less than three seconds to play.

“Luckily it came to me," Iversen said. "Time was expiring so I had to quickly get that up, thank God it went in. ... I wanted that one so bad.”

Iversen added five rebounds and four assists to go with his game-high point total, including 6-for-12 shooting from 3-point range.

“Sometimes your options are limited and that ends up being a positive thing," NDSU head coach David Richman said. "The kids got a ton of swag, he’s got a lot of moxie.”

Richman said Stefonowicz is day-to-day with his lower-leg injury. He was on the bench Friday in a walking boot. The Bison next play CSU Bakersfield at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, at the SHAC.

“I would be highly surprised if it’s Sunday," Richman said of Stefonowicz's potential return.

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“We are a depleted unit right now, but there’s no excuses," Richman said. “We’re not a program built on excuses.”

Iversen paced the Bison in the first half, scoring 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the floor. He scored five points during a 12-0 NDSU run that helped erase an early deficit. Iversen sank a 3-pointer to tie the score at 31-31 with 19 seconds to play in the half, the final points of the opening 20 minutes.

Iversen kept it rolling after halftime.

“I’m really, really proud of our guys, a ton of fight," Richman said. “This is a good win, but I just see so much better for us out there.”

Former Fargo Davies guard Mason Klabo returned home with the Redbirds. He finished with three points with three rebounds and three assists. Klabo sank a 3-pointer early in overtime.

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• Eric Peterson

Peterson covers college athletics for The Forum, including Concordia College and Minnesota State Moorhead. He also covers the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks independent baseball team and helps out with North Dakota State football coverage. Peterson has been working at the newspaper since 1996.

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