Andrew Bridger's career-high 10 assists helped the No. 16 University of Nebraska at Omaha men's basketball team break its two-game slide with an 84-69 North Central Conference victory over North Dakota Saturday afternoon at Sapp Fieldhouse.
Bridger added 16 points to his 10 assists, nine of which came in the first half, to notch his first career double-double.
Michael Jenkins' 17 points led UNO (16-3, 2-2 NCC).
Jerry Bennett added 15 points with seven rebounds, while
Justin Petersen added 12 points.
Denny Johnston also had seven rebounds.
The teams traded baskets to start the scoring. A 3-pointer by Bridger made the score 5-2 and UNO never relinquished the lead. The Mavericks gradually built up their lead, with the margin reaching as many as 17 in the first half, despite never scoring more than seven consecutive points. UNO took a 41-33 lead into halftime.
Emmanuel Little, who led UND (11-8, 0-4 NCC) with 18 points and 10 rebounds, helped his team chip away at the end of first half, then at the beginning of the second half. The Sioux got as close as six points with 15 minutes left to play. But just as they had in the first half, UNO slowly and steadily built the lead back up, restoring the 17-point lead in the final minute.
UNO shot 54.9 percent for the game, including 58.6 percent in the first half. The defense held the Sioux to 41.4 percent on the day.
The Mavericks play two more NCC opponents next week. UNO visits Augustana Thursday night, then hosts St. Cloud State Saturday afternoon.
