Johnson scores 20, Denver knocks off North Dakota State 78-71

Feb 5, 2026, 11:49 pm

FARGO, N.D. -- — Carson Johnson's 20 points helped Denver defeat North Dakota State 78-71 on Thursday night.

Johnson shot 6 for 16 (3 for 10 from 3-point range) and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line for the Pioneers (11-14, 4-6 Summit League). Zane Nelson added 19 points while shooting 6 for 11 (1 for 5 from 3-point range) and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line while he also had eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Jeremiah Burke went 6 of 9 from the field (2 for 3 from 3-point range) to finish with 15 points.

Markhi Strickland finished with 19 points and six rebounds for the Bison (19-6, 9-1). Noah Feddersen added 13 points and six rebounds for North Dakota State. Tay Smith had 12 points.

The loss snapped the Bison's nine-game winning streak.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.