OMAHA, Neb. - University of North Dakota freshman center Allyssa Wall led all players with a career high 22 points, but her performance alone couldn't withstand Creighton as the Bluejays picked up a 96-57 win over the Fighting Sioux in non-conference action at the D.J. Sokol Arena.
With the win, Creighton (6-4) picked up its second consecutive win and it's third this season over a program from the Dakotas. The loss was the seventh in a row overall for UND (1-8) and its fourth straight on the road.
"Allyssa was playing against a senior and she was able to get her to foul out," said UND head coach Gene Roebuck. "Then she played against a couple of younger players and did a nice job on that."
UND opened the game with a 7-0 run, but the Bluejays used a pair of three-pointers and a free throw to knot the game at 7-7. Following an 11-11 tie, Creighton's Kelsey Woodard scored nine straight points to give CU a 20-11 lead - a lead the home team would never relinquish.
"Defensively we played well in the beginning of the game. We were playing really hard, but then they went on a run and pretty soon we found ourselves just standing around," said Roebuck.
Woodard led a set of five Creighton players who finished in double digits. She finished 5-for-8 from the field, 2-for-4 behind the arc, and 7-for-8 at the free throw line to record 19 points. Sam Schuett tacked on 16 points and after dumping in four baskets from beyond the arc, Ally Jensen finished third on the team with 14 points. To finish off the list of starters in double figures, Kellie Nelson was 4-for-5 from the field and 4-for-7 at the free throw line for 12 points. Off of the bench, Sarah Nelson added another 12 points.
The Bluejays shot over 50 percent in all areas finishing 33-for-54 (.611) from the field, 12-for-22 (.545) at three-point range, and 18-for-29 (.621) at the free throw line.
The Fighting Sioux shot .625 (15-for-24) at the charity stripe, but struggled from the field (.373; 19-for-51) and beyond the arc (.333; 4-for-12).
A native of North Sioux City, S.D., Wall hit 9-for-14 from the field and went 4-for-8 at the free throw line to register her first career 20-point game. She also led all players on the boards with seven rebounds (four defensive) and tallied her 20th blocked shot of the season.
"If anything right now, Allyssa Wall is the leader of the team and she is only a freshman," said Roebuck. "She wants the ball and she plays hard on every possession, so the future looks good with her."
Freshman forward Madi Buck (Bismarck, N.D.) recorded six points off of the bench and senior Corey Lof (F, Detroit Lakes, Minn.) and sophomore guard Carly Rothfusz (Eden Prairie, Minn.) finished with five points apiece.
North Dakota out-rebounded the Bluejays (35-28) and was able to score 17 points on second chances, but it was the 26 points that CU scored off of the 25 UND turnovers that may have made a big difference.
The Bluejays also tallied 15 points on fast break and 40 points in the paint.
The Fighting Sioux will close out the 2010 portion of the season as they travel to Missoula, Mont., for the Montana Lady Griz Tournament Dec. 28-29. UND will take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on the 28th and host Montana on the 29th. The Sioux will open the season
GAME NOTES: Creighton leads the series 4-1 since 1982 ... Since beginning the transition to NCAA Division I status in 2007, the Fighting Sioux have gone 0-4 against members of the Missouri Valley Conference ... In eight of its first nine games this season, the University of North Dakota has been led by a freshman in double figures ... Since the inaugural season of the Great West Conference (2008-09), UND has gone 11-1 against league foes and 7-21 against non-conferenced opponents ... The University of North Dakota women's basketball program holds a 769-289 record all-time since the first game was played in 1974. Under head coach Gene Roebuck, UND is 593-125 ... All-time, the Fighting Sioux are 419-83 (.835) when it comes to defending their own court and are 323-39 (.892) under the tutelage of Gene Roebuck ... UND is 85-14 (.859) all-time at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, which opened prior to the 2004-05 season.
- Go Sioux -
