NDSU Women’s Basketball Falls in Double OT to Western Illinois

Bison Lose to the Leathernecks 79-78 in Double OT

FARGO, N.D. — (NDSU Athletics) A 3-pointer by Western Illinois with :13 left in double overtime gave the Leathernecks a 79-78 victory over the North Dakota State women’s basketball team Thursday night at the Scheels Center. It was the first double overtime game for the Bison in nearly four years.

The Bison dropped to 3-11 overall and 0-2 in the Summit League, while Western Illinois improves to 7-8 overall and 1-1 in league play. NDSU will have nearly a week off before the next game, traveling to Oral Roberts on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Tulsa, Okla.

A pair of North Dakota natives paced the Bison on Thursday night, as Rylee Nudell and Emily Dietz each finished with a double-double. It was the fifth career double-double for Dietz with a season-high 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Nudell tallied her first career double-double with a season-high 21 points and career-high 15 rebounds. It was the fifth career 20-plus point game for Dietz, while it was the second for Nudell. Michelle Gaislerova added 12 points. Olivia Kaufmann led the Leathernecks with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Evan Zars had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Dietz added a career-high five assists. Danneka Voegeli had eight rebounds, while Sofija Zivaljevic tied a career-high with two steals. Cirkeline Rimdal had a career-high two blocked shots.

The Bison were 31-of-83 (37.3%) from the field and 3-of-22 (13.6%) from 3-point range. Western Illinois was 28-of-77 (36.4%) from the floor and 4-of-24 (16.7%) from downtown. The Leathernecks were 19-of-33 (57.6%) at the free throw line, while NDSU was 13-of-24 (54.2%) at the charity stripe. It was a season-low shooting percentage from the free throw line for NDSU, as the Bison entered the game ranked 63rd in the nation shooting 73.4 percent from the line.

Western Illinois jumped on the Bison early thanks to a 13-1 run in the first quarter. The Bison slowly chipped away at the lead, taking the first lead of their own after six-straight points from Nudell in the fourth quarter, as the Bison led 54-53 with 7:29 to play. The Leathernecks responded with a 7-2 run before baskets by Nudell with 2:51 to play and a layup by Dietz with :04 left sent the game to overtime. A baseline jumper by Sam Pryor at the buzzer in overtime forced a second overtime at 68-68. NDSU led by as much as five with 3:50 to play in the second overtime before Pryor hit her third 3-pointer of the game with :13 to play to give the Leathernecks the 79-78 victory. The Bison had a shot at the buzzer, but couldn’t get it to fall.