FARGO, N.D. -- The Omaha men's basketball team closed its weekend at North Dakota State Saturday night, falling 80-66 at the Scheels Center.
 
Leaders for Omaha
Three Mavericks finished in double figures for the night, led by Marlon Ruffin's 14 points with three 3-pointers and six rebounds. It was the junior's third straight game in double figures.
 
La'Mel Robinson added 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting, and Matt Pile had another 11 points on a 5-of-8 effort and grabbed a team-leading eight rebounds.
 
Devin Evans had a solid night off the bench with seven points and a season-high-tying six boards.
 
Leaders for North Dakota State
Rocky Kreuser registered a double-double on 19 points and 11 rebounds with four assists, and Sam Griesel added 18 points. Maleeck Harden-Hayes (14) and Grant Nelson (11) also reached double figures.
 
Team Stats
Omaha struggled offensively, finishing at 38% (24-of-64) from the field and 33% (4-of-12) from long range. NDSU shot 47% (27-of-57) from the floor and 40% (8-of-20) from three. The Bison outrebounded Omaha 39-32.
 
The Mavericks forced 10 turnovers while committing a season-low five themselves and outscoring NDSU 14-1 off miscues.
 
Inside the First Half
Omaha started strong and held a 23-19 lead at the eight-minute mark before the Bison used an 11-0 run to surge ahead 30-23.
 
Jadin Booth's seven points led the way in the opening 20, and the Mavericks trailed 41-34 at the midway point.
 
Inside the Second Half
Robinson and Ruffin poured in eight apiece in the game's second stanza, with the freshman making 4-of-6.
 
Omaha pulled within seven when Evans hit twice back-to-back, trimming the Bison advantage to 50-43 with 13 minutes to go. But NDSU worked back to a double-figure lead and never let Omaha within striking distance the rest of the way.
 
Noting Tonight's Game
-Omaha is now 2-12 (0-4 Summit League) on the season. The Bison have a four-game win streak and improve to 6-6 (4-0 Summit League).
-Marlon Ruffin's last three outings have seen him average 20.0 points per game.
 
Up Next
Omaha returns home to Baxter Arena for a weekend series with South Dakota State on Friday, Jan. 15 and Saturday, Jan. 16. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. both nights, and Gary Sharp and Kyler Erickson will have the radio calls on 1290 KOIL. Links to live video, audio and stats will be available on OMavs.com.
 
Socially-distanced single-game tickets are available for purchase through Ticketmaster, OMavs.com/MyMav or by phone at (402) 554-MAVS. Tickets must be purchased in advance, and walkup sales will not be permitted at Baxter Arena.