FARGO, N.D. -- Lawrence Alexander scored 22 points and made 10 of 10 free throws to lead North Dakota State to a 55-46 win over Akron on Tuesday night.

Kory Brown scored 15, Dexter Werner grabbed 16 rebounds, and the Bison (6-4) converted 17 Akron fouls into 17 of 20 free throws.

Deji Ibitayo led Akron (6-4) with 10 points and Kwan Cheatham Jr. had 11 rebounds.

The Bison led 10-4 after a 3-pointer and layup by Brown, but Akron clawed back to trail 18-17 after a 3-pointer by Noah Robotham. Brown scored 10 points in the half and the Bison led 22-19 at halftime. Both teams shot less than 30 percent from the field.

Akron trailed by four in the second half after Ibitayo hit two free throws at 5:42, but the Bison used a 12-4 run, in which Alexander scored eight, to pull ahead.