NDSU WBB Ends Eight-Game Losing Streak to UND

Bison Beat the Fighting Hawks, 69-57

FARGO, N.D. – (NDSU Athletics) Michelle Gaislerova and Emily Dietz each scored in double figures Sunday, as the North Dakota State (6-12, 3-3 Summit) women’s basketball team earned a 69-57 victory over North Dakota (8-12, 3-4 Summit) at the Scheels Center.

It was a sign of things to come in the early going, as Dietz scored the first points of the game on a jumper in the lane only to be followed up with a deep 3-pointer by Gaislerova to give the Bison an early 5-0 lead. A layup by Tyrah Spencer with 5:36 left in the opening quarter gave NDSU a 9-3 lead, but North Dakota answered with a 14-6 run to close the first quarter. A 3-pointer by Mikayla Reinke gave UND a 17-15 lead after the first frame.

Dietz scored NDSU’s first seven points of the second quarter, tying the game at 22-22 with 8:27 left in the half. A jumper by Macey Kvilvang with 5:22 left in the half started a 12-3 NDSU run, as a pair of Dietz free throws put the Bison up 40-30 with 1:39 left in the half. The Fighting Hawks scored the final four points of the half, cutting the lead to 40-34 at the break.

Two early baskets by Lexi Klabo and Jill Morton forced an NDSU timeout in the first minute of the second half, as the lead was cut to 40-38. NDSU responded with a 3-pointer by Gaislerova to start a 7-0 run. The Fighting Hawks cut the lead to four with 3:10 to play in the third quarter, but the Bison ended the quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 54-43 lead into the fourth quarter.

After a pair of Klabo free throws cut the lead to nine, Cirkeline Rimdal hit a 3-pointer just :16 later to put the lead into double digits for the remainder of the game. The Bison twice had the lead to 16 in the final two minutes before finishing with the 69-57 victory.

Gaislerova finished with a game-high 17 points, her 15th double digit scoring performance of the season. Dietz tied a season-high with 16 points, while Rimdal had a career-high eight points off the bench. Morton led the Fighting Hawks with 13 points, while Klabo, the league’s leading scorer at 19.1 points per game, was held to 11 points. It was the second lowest scoring performance of the year for Klabo (Six points at Iowa State). Dietz had seven rebounds, while Rylee Nudell pulled in four. Sofija Zivaljevic and Nudell each finished with three assists. Spencer, Nudell and Marina Fernandez each had two steals, tying a career-high for Nudell.

The Bison were 25-of-53 (47.2%) from the floor and 7-of-13 (53.8%) from 3-point range, marking the 100th-straight game NDSU has hit at least two 3-pointers. The Fighting Hawks were 20-of-46 (43.5%) from the field and 2-of-9 (22.2%) from downtown. NDSU was 12-of-16 from the free throw line, while UND was 15-of-19 (78.9%) from the charity stripe. The victory snapped an eight-game skid to North Dakota. The Bison had a 30-22 advantage in the paint and outscored UND 30-11 in points off turnovers. It was the second game this year scoring 30 or more points in the paint, while it was a season-high in points off turnovers.

NDSU hits the road for a pair of games next week, starting with a Wednesday, Jan. 23 game at South Dakota State.