NDSU WBB Improves to 3-0 with Win over UMass

The Bison won 82-70

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU Athletics) – Sophomore Sarah Jacobson scored a career-high 25 points to help the North Dakota State University women’s basketball team improve to 3-0 on the season with an 82-70 victory over the University of Massachusetts Minutewomen Friday, Nov. 17, inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.

Jacobson went 8-for-14 from the field, including a 7-of-9 performance from three-point range in the contest, and dished out a game-best six assists, while senior Taylor Thunstedt poured in 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting.

Jacobson and Thunstedt accounted for 12 of NDSU’s single-game record-tying 16 three-pointers in the contest. NDSU last converted 16 treys in a game in 2010 and 2002.

Sophomore Rylee Nudell and freshman Michelle Gaislerova also reached double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively, with Nudell pacing the Bison on the boards with seven rebounds. Sophomore Autumn Ogden added a career-best four blocks.

UMass (2-1) led 17-12 at the end of the first-quarter before North Dakota State caught fire from beyond the arc in the second stanza. The Bison shot a sizzling 89 percent from downtown in the period, making 8-of-9 threes, and outscored the Minutewomen, 33-17, to take a 45-34 lead into halftime.

Jacobson went a perfect 5-for-5 and Thunstedt added a flawless 2-for-2 performance from long range in the second quarter.

UMass attempted to rally in the second-half, and cut the Bison advantage to five with just under eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but back-to-back treys from Thunstedt and Gaislerova, and a jumper from Macey Kvilvang pushed the NDSU lead to 13 with 5:44 remaining. UMass would get no closer than 12 the remainder of the game.

NDSU shot 48 percent (29-for-62) from the field and 50 percent (16-of-32) from three-point range in the contest.

The Bison and Minutewomen both pulled down 36 rebounds.

Genesis Rivera scored 22 points to lead UMass.

North Dakota State is scheduled to close out its four-game homestand with a contest against Valley City State Sunday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m.