Thunderbirds Upset Bid Falls Short Against Nationally Ranked 29-1 North Dakota State College of Science

United Tribes faced off against the nationally ranked and winners of 27 straight games North Dakota State College of Science Sunday afternoon in their regular season finale. 

For the first 15 minutes, neither side could gain a significant advantage, as the score remained deadlocked at 24 points apiece with just over five minutes left in the first half.  Aaron Williams Jr. of the Wildcats drained a three-pointer, igniting a 20-10 run for North Dakota State College of Science to close out the half with a 44-34 lead.

Despite the halftime deficit, the Thunderbirds came out firing in the second half. Cayden Redfield and Riley Spoonhunter delivered back-to-back three-pointers early on, cutting the deficit to 52-49 with 14 minutes remaining in the game. The game remained close the rest of the way until the Wildcats were abel to get some separation in the closing minute.  The Nationally ranked Wildcats closed on a 17-10 run to win 82-71 pusing their record to 29-1 on the season.  

Leading the charge for United Tribes was Cayden Redfield, who delivered another stellar performance with a double-double, tallying 28 points and 10 rebounds. Houston Davis also had another solid night with 17 points and 4 rebounds for the Thunderbirds.

Looking ahead, United Tribes will shift their focus to hosting the Region XIII Tournament this coming weekend. In the first semifinal matchup, the Thunderbirds are set to face Gogebic College from Ironwood, MI at 2pm on Saturday, March 2nd. The winner of this showdown will advance to the championship game the following day, also scheduled for 2pm.