Fargo, North Dakota: Bison Beat Minnesota Crookston 90-59 in Opener as Stefonowicz Scores 18

Andy Stefonowicz set the tone for a nearly new roster on Monday night in Fargo. The guard scored 18 points and handed out seven assists, and North Dakota State beat Minnesota Crookston 90-59 at the Scheels Center in the season opener for both teams.

The Bison led 38-26 at halftime and outscored the Golden Eagles 52-33 in the second half. Melvin Bell Jr. scored 16 points while going 5 for 10 from the field and 6 for 9 from the free-throw line. Rob Diaz III added 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting.

A guard who already carries the team

Stefonowicz was named to the preseason All-Summit League first team. Last season he averaged 9.1 points and 4.8 assists and led the league in assists. He is one of only three Bison players who had played official game minutes for the program, along with Carson Smith and Riley Massey, after a school-record season for wins.

Alijah Washington led Minnesota Crookston with 13 points and seven rebounds. Spencer Swenson added 11 points, and Quincy Everson finished with 10 points and two steals for the Golden Eagles.

A second straight win over Crookston

The teams last met on December 15 last season in Fargo, where North Dakota State won 101-67 to reach 10-3 on its way to the school record for wins. Markhi Strickland scored 19 points in that game. Monday's margin was smaller, but the control was the same: a double-digit lead at the break and a second half that pulled the game away.

In the final exhibition, the Bison beat MSU Moorhead 80-74 after trailing inside the last six minutes. Diaz scored 23 points in that game on 9-of-13 shooting, Stefonowicz added 12 points and Massey seven, and Bell gave the Bison the lead for good at 66-65 on two free throws with 5:19 left. The roster that took the floor on Monday carried 13 new players, and the exhibition showed how much of the offense already runs through Stefonowicz and Diaz.

The opener now gives way to the hard part of the week. The Bison play four games in seven days and head out on a three-game California trip: at Saint Mary's on Wednesday, November 4, at San Francisco on November 6, and at CSU Bakersfield on November 8.

For Fargo, the first night delivered what the home crowd came to see: its senior guard running the offense, two teammates in double figures, and a comfortable home win to open the season.