Wolves Pull Off 71-65 Upset Over #2 UND

GRAND FORKS, ND - In an early season battle of the unbeaten, the Northern State women’s basketball team took revenge on #2-ranked North Dakota, a team that knocked NSU out of postseason play in 2005-06. The Wolves defeated UND 71-65, marking the first time that UND lost a home opener since Gene Roebuck took over as UND head coach 20 years ago.

The Wolves had their best offensive start of the season against North Dakota, putting up 12 early points to take a 12-9 lead by the 14:30 mark. The Wolves were also successful on the boards, getting plenty of rebounding opportunities due to UND’s low shooting percentage. NSU found success in using the backdoor, with the fifth such bucket, this time by Noelle Hall, putting the Wolves up 16-9.

A Celia Westphal hook shot in lane followed by a Ryanne Brockhaus three-pointer at the 9:10 mark resulted in a 25-15 NSU lead. North Dakota continued on a 6:16 scoring lull with 11 straight possessions without a score.

Hall dumped in another backdoor layup to put the Wolves up 29-15 with five minutes remaining in the half. At that point, NSU was out-shooting UND 53% to 23% from the field. UND’s scoring draught ended with a Bagaason long range shot at the 4:41 mark, pulling the score three points closer. Two more three-pointers, mixed in with several NSU turnovers, tightened the game to 29-26 at the two minute mark. UND ended the half with an 11-3 scoring run, with the Wolves taking a 32-26 lead at halftime.

Hall led the Wolves in the first 20 minutes with 10 points and five rebounds. NSU shot 53.6% from the field, scoring 18 points in the paint. UND was led by Bagaason with 10 points. North Dakota was kept to 26.5% shooting from the field and had just two points in the paint.

“We did a nice job on defense, we forced them into a lot of outside shots,” commented NSU head coach Curt Fredrickson. “Last March we were down by 25 at this point. They (players) enjoyed taking the edge off a little bit. We executed real well the first 13-14 minutes to get the lead.”

Carolin Becker got the second half going for the Wolves with five points off of an old-fashioned three-point play and a set of free throws. Boepple answered Becker’s scoring with a long ball to put Northern back up by 14 points, 40-26 with 18 minutes to play. UND’s ended NSU’s 8-0 run with a 10-4 run of their own, closing the gap to nine points.

As the game progressed, the Wolves continue to win the battle down low, laying in clean points and forcing UND fouls while also dominating North Dakota on the boards. A Jessica Deinert three-pointer put the Wolves up 54-39 with 12:08 remaining, only to be answered seconds later by a Jossy Bergen three. The momentum appeared to be shifting as NSU started to turn the ball over, while UND’s shooting began to heat up a bit. North Dakota narrowed the deficit to just five points, the smallest NSU lead in more than 13 minutes, with seven minutes left to play.

It was a complete battle for the lead in the final minutes of the game. NSU showed composure in a clutch situation, hitting 11-of-13 free throws in the tight game. UND, on the other hand, made just three of eight shots from the charity stripe in the final minutes of the game. The Wolves held on to upset North Dakota 71-65.

Hall and Becker both finished the game with 17 points and seven rebounds. Boepple led the Wolves on the boards with eight rebounds, had a team high five assists, and rounded out her stats with 13 points. The Wolves shot 50.0% from the field and 83.3% from the charity stripe. They committed 15 turnovers but took an edge in the rebounding column, 42-35.

North Dakota was led in scoring by Karla Beck with 14 points, including three long-range shots. Kimbrough had 12 points and led all players with nine rebounds. UND stayed in the game with their outside shooting, draining nine three-pointers. The team shot just 32.8% from the field and a dismal 60.0% from the free throw line.

The Wolves continue on their win streak with a 4-0 record, while #2 North Dakota now drops to 5-1 on the season. NSU looks forward to what they hope will be another successful weekend, as they make the trip to Nampa, Idaho for the Comfort Inn Hotel & Suites Tournament, hosted by Northwest Nazarene.

 

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