UND Athletics

POCATELLO, Idaho (UND Athletics)– The North Dakota women’s basketball team led nearly wire-to-wire as they earned a 78-72 win over Idaho State in its first game of the Summit League – Big Sky Challenge Wednesday.

Miranda VanderWal did a little bit of everything for the Fighting Hawks, totaling a career-high 18 points to go with seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks. The 6-7 center’s first career three-pointer could not have come at a better time, as it sparked a 10-2 UND run to go up by 11 points with 6:01 left in the fourth quarter.

Between the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth, the Bengals cut the UND lead from 10 down to one point before VanderWal’s three-point basket ignited the UND run. Back-to-back layups from VanderWal gave NoDak its largest lead of the fourth quarter, 74-61, with 2:00 minutes remaining. ISU pulled within six in the final minute, but UND iced the game by going 4-for-4 from the free throw line to close out the win.

The Fighting Hawks earned 32 trips to the free throw line in the contest and took advantage of the freebies by converting 26 of their attempts. Kiyah Hurst and Sammiyah Hoskin combined to shoot a perfect 11-for-11, while Kacie Borowicz went 9-for-10.

UND extended their advantage to double-digits for the first time in the second quarter behind a strong defensive performance. The Hawks held ISU to 4-of-14 from the field and forced six turnovers in the frame. On the other end of the floor, UND scored 20 points on 6-of-17 shooting and took advantage of their trips to the charity stripe going 8-for-10 on free throws. After connecting on four treys in the first quarter, the Hawks went to work down low in the second with 12 of their points coming from the paint.

The Fighting Hawks had a 1-0 lead before the ball was even tipped, as the Bengals were called for a technical foul pregame. Idaho State scored the first basket of the game, but the Hawks jumped out to a 10-4 lead behind three straight three-pointers to begin the game. Hurst connected on two triples, while Borowicz made the other trey. With the Hawks leading by seven late in the period, it was the Bengals who closed out the quarter strong with a 7-0 run to cut the NoDak lead to 21-20 after 10 minutes.

Borowicz paced the Fighting Hawks in the first half with 12 points, while VanderWal led the team in the final 20 minutes with 12 points and four rebounds.

North Dakota returns to the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center to host Eastern Washington at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Postgame Notes 

• Miranda VanderWal posted a career-high 18 points and reached double-figures for the second time this season
• VanderWal rejected multiple shots for the third time in the last four games
• Five Hawks reached double-digit point totals
• Kacie Borowicz and VanderWal both handed out four assists
• UND is now 9-5 against Idaho State all-time
• Borowicz recorded four steals for the second time this season
• UND is now 4-0 on the season when leading at halftime
• Idaho State won the rebounding battle 41-38

How It Happened 
Q1: UND 21, ISU 20
Q2: UND 41, ISU 30
Q3: UND 52, ISU 48
Q4: UND 78, ISU 72

Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | 1/3/2024 10:59:00 PM | Ethan Erdman, FightingHawks.com