GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Senior F Kierah Kimbrough (Greenbush, Minn.) scored her 2,000th-career point in helping lead the University of North Dakota to a 97-68 victory over Houston Baptist in first round action of the Spring Thaw Tournament at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center on Saturday. Kimbrough finished with a game-high 24 points as she became just the third Fighting Sioux player to achieve that career milestone.
Kimbrough's lone classmate, guard Danye Guinn (St. Francis, Minn.), registered the second double-double of her career, giving UND (17-11) its third victory of the season over the Huskies (8-20).
Sophomore Mallory Youngblut (Davenport, Iowa) also had a double-double for the Sioux with 13 points and 11 rebounds. It was the second time this season two Fighting Sioux players had double-doubles in the same game.
The win puts the Sioux in the tournament's championship game where UND will face Seattle at 5 p.m. on Sunday at the Betty. The Redhawks defeated South Dakota earlier in the day, 66-61.
Junior PG Jossy Bergan (Valley City, N.D.) scored 14 points and equaled her career-high with eight assists. Junior G Kayla Bagaason (Clearbrook, Minn.) and reserve G Alys Seay (Grand Forks, N.D.) scored 14 and 10 points, respectively as six Sioux players reached double figures in the game.
After the Sioux built their lead to 16 at 49-33 in the opening minutes of the second half, HBU tried to climb back in it with a quick 5-0 run. However, Bergan drained a 3-pointer to end that brief rally by the visitors.
That would be the only serious threat put up by the Huskies in the second half as the Sioux would go on to post the 29-point victory.
Kimbrough gave the Sioux a 20-point lead for the first time in the game when she scored point number 2,000 of her career on a lay-up with 6:16 to play in the second half.
The Sioux shot 51.4 percent from the field as Kimbrough led the way with a 13-for-20 effort. The UND defense held the Huskies to a 39.4 percent clip and a 3-for-19 effort from 3-point range.
UND opened the game on a 8-2 run in the first two minutes of the contest. It would be a lead the Sioux would never relinquish.
Kimbrough capped that opening run with a pair of back-to-back buckets as she scored 14 points in the first half on 7-of-11 shooting. The Sioux assisted on 16 of their 18 field goals in the opening half as well with Bergan leading the charge with six helpers.
UND's lead would hover around double-digits for the remainder of the half.
A jumper by Kimbrough put the Sioux ahead 18-9 at the 12-minute mark as she moved into double figures with her 10th point of the game on a jumper from the base line.
Bergan's second 3-pointer of the half extended the UND lead to double-digits for the first time of the game at 23-13 with 10:46 to play. Twenty seconds later Guinn gave the Sioux a 26-13 lead with a 3-pointer of her own.
Later in the half, a 5-0 spurt by the Huskies put the visitors back within eight, but Kimbrough squelched that with her sixth field goal of the half with 8:48 to play to put UND back ahead 28-18.
A 3-pointer by Kayla Baagason gave the home team a 14-pointe edge - this would equal the largest lead of the half for the Sioux with six minutes remaining on the clock.
Youngblut scored five straight points in a 23-second span with just over a minute to play, which put the home team back up by 14. The Huskies, however, scored five points in the final minute, cutting their deficit to 11 at the break, 43-32.
GAME NOTES: Senior Danye Guinn (St. Francis, Minn.) registered her second career double-double with 13 points and 11 assists (previous was vs. South Dakota on Jan. 24 - 12 pts, 10 rebs) ... Senior F Kierah Kimbrough (Greenbush, Minn.) scored the 2,000th-point of her career in the contest ... Kimbrough had 26 points and now has 2,002 points with one game remaining in her career ... Junior PG Jossy Bergan (Valley City, N.D.) tallied the 100th steal of her career in the contest ... Sophomore Mallory Youngblut (Davenport, Iowa) had her fourth double-double of the season and her career with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
