GRAND FORKS, N.D. - A fourth quarter run by North Dakota (1-13, 1-7) lifted the Fighting Hawks to a 79-57 victory over Western Illinois (3-14, 2-7) on Friday (Jan. 29) night.
"I'm just pretty disappointed in the way we were completely passive and on our heels," head coach JD Gravina said. "They absolutely outplayed us in every facet of the game, beat us to every loose ball, and had way more energy. They are a way better team now that they are healthy than their record indicates. I'm not upset we lost to them, I'm upset about the way we played."
UND owned an 18-8 lead after taking advantage of eight first-quarter turnovers and using a 12-3 run to close the first 10 minutes.
The second quarter for the Leathernecks featured the three-ball as six of the seven field goals were from deep. A duo of Carla Flores and Anna Deets each drilled two, concluded by a last-second make from Maddie Mock to enter half trailing 39-28.
Flores ended with a team-high and season-high 14 points while knocking down four three-pointers as the Leathernecks drilled a season-high 12. Both Deets (12) and Evan Zars (10) ended in double-figures and the game also marked career game 100 for senior Grace Gilmore.
Western regrouped and began the second half on a 10-3 push that led to three successful free-throws by Deets to make it a one-possession game (41-44, UND) at the 4:10 mark, but that was the closest the Leathernecks would get. The host responded with another run, and two late free-throws from Danni Nichols set up a 52-46 fourth quarter.
The Fighting Hawks opened the final frame with a 13-1 surge to take game one.
Game two is set for tomorrow at 5 p.m. at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
