Arena #139: Betty Engelstad Sioux Center - North Dakota vs. Oral Roberts

About 75 minutes north of NDSU is the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, where we would catch our second game of the day, and complete the D1 schools in the state, with a Summit League game between the Fighting Hawks (nee Sioux) of North Dakota and the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles.  The Betty Engelstad Sioux Center is a beautiful brick basketball facility constructed right next door to its larger, and more well-known, neighbor, Ralph Engelstad Arena, where the multi-time national champion North Dakota hockey team plays.  Inside the seating bowl of the arena, the sideline seats are pretty nice and contain probably 25-30 rows from floor to ceiling, including a small luxury booster club area in the middle of the rows right at halfcourt for the most generous supports of Fighting Hawks sports.  The baseline seating, on the other hand, leaves a bit to be desired with the 8-10 rows of temporary bleachers looking a bit tired.  The student section is supposed to be behind one of the baskets, but on this cold, winter night I could probably count the students in attendance on both my hands.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from this matchup as I admit, I wasn’t too familiar with either team’s roster and skillsets.  Turns out, the game was quite competitive for the majority of the night, especially in the first half.  The Fighting Hawks got hot from behind the arc in the second half and were able to pull away for a comfortable 11 point win over the Golden Eagles, sending the home fans happy into the frigid Grand Forks evening.

Main entrance to the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, ND

Certainly more people than I anticipated for this matchup on a cold, North Dakota night.  Though the student section was quite sparse...

Opening tip between the Fighting Hawks (nee Sioux) and the Golden Eagles

Tussle for the ball under the basket during the first half