NDSU Women’s Basketball Improves to 2-0 on the season
Bison beat Wisconsin-Green Bay 59-51
FARGO, N.D. – (NDSU Athletics) The North Dakota State women’s basketball team closed the first quarter on a 10-0 run and never looked back, as the Bison beat Green Bay 59-51 Saturday at the Scheels Center. The Phoenix entered the game ranked 10th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll. It was the first win over a team ranked in the poll since the Bison beat fifth-ranked South Dakota 83-73 on Jan. 14, 2017.
NDSU improved to 2-0 on the year, while the Phoenix dropped to 1-1. The two teams will square off again on Sunday at the Scheels Center. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday’s game was played with no fans, as will Sunday’s game.
Michelle Gaislerova had a season-high 23 points, as she was 7-of-10 from 3-point range. Her seven treys are tied for the third-most in school history. Gaislerova became the 29th player in school history to reach 1,100 career points. Heaven Hamling added 12 points, while Marie Olson had a season-high seven points. Emily Dietz had a season-high 11 rebounds, while Hamling added a career-best seven boards. Dietz went over 400 rebounds for her career. Olson and Hamling each had two assists, while Hamling tied a career-high with four steals. Caitlyn Hibner led the Phoenix with 11 points.
The Bison were 15-of-44 (34.1%) from the field and 11-of-29 (37.9%) from downtown. While the Bison were just 1-of-6 from the field in the fourth quarter, NDSU was 11-of-12 at the free throw line in the final frame. The Bison were 18-of-20 at the charity stripe for the game. Green Bay was 20-of-66 (30.3%) from the floor and 2-of-19 (10.5%) from 3-point range. The Phoenix were 9-of-15 at the free throw line. Green Bay held a 36-8 advantage in the paint, while also forcing 25 NDSU turnovers.
Green Bay led 13-5 with 4:49 left in the first quarter before the Bison closed the frame on the 10-0 run. NDSU also went on a 13-0 run over the final 5:41 of the first half, taking a 34-18 lead at the break. A late 6-0 run by the Phoenix cut the lead to 51-48 with 3:02 to play, but the Bison hit eight free throws in the final 2:44 to seal the victory.
