ST. CLOUD, MINN. -- The Mavericks battled from behind the second half, then held off St. Cloud State by hitting 12 of 16 free throws down the stretch to secure a 73-70 North Central Conference victory at Halenbeck Hall Thursday night.

Abdul Mills scored 18 points, Randy Bland 15, connecting on 9 of 10 free throws, and Jamaal Byers 11 to lead UNO. The No. 20 Mavs improved to 17-3 overall and 3-2 in the NCC in winning their second straight game.

The Mavs, who led by as many as six points early in the first half, fell behind and trailed St. Cloud State at the half, 31-28. The Huskies increased the lead to 42-35 with 14:31 to play in the game before UNO mounted its comeback.

Quantel Murphy ignited the rally with a short jumper and capped the 10-3 run with a three-pointer to tie the game at 45 with 12:33 to play. UNO went up by 52-47 on a Levy Jones jumper three minutes later, but the Huskies staged their own rally with back-to-back three-pointers by Adam Sullivan and Matt Hanson to take a 53-52 lead with 8:28 left.

Mills answered with a three-pointer and a pair of free throws and Andre Tarpley scored on a dunk and a short jumper for a 9-0 run over the next two minutes to give UNO the lead for good, 61-53, with 6:22 left in the game.

The Mavericks then hit 12 of 16 free throw attempts to hold the Huskies at bay. Bland hit six straight from the line in the final 2:51, including four in the final 24 seconds.

Hanson led St. Cloud State, now 14-5 and 2-3, with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Nate Miller added 11 and Matt Siegle 10.

UNO, which has not played at home since Jan. 8, will return to Lee & Helene Sapp Fieldhouse to host South Dakota on Thursday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m.