MISSOULA, Mont. - With a career-high 31 points from senior co-captain Mallory Youngblut, the University of North Dakota picked up a 77-66 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in game one of the Montana Lady Griz Holiday Classic.
With the win, UND (2-8) put an end to a seven-game slump and picked up its first win since mid-November. The loss put the Islanders at 0-11 heading towards the end of 2010.
"A win helps a lot, said head coach Gene Roebuck. "You start feeling good about yourself and it can start a snowball effect."
The Fighting Sioux led the majority of the first half and went into the break holding a 30-28 lead over TAMUCC. Back out of the break, the Islanders used a 12-3 run to move into a six-point lead and maintained their lead until a late second half run by the Sioux helped UND to regain the lead and eventual control of the game.
"You look at the scoreboard and you're down by 10 points in the second half and it could go one way or another," said Roebuck. "You can either get blown out or you can battle back and our players battled back. I give them credit for that."
A native of Davenport, Iowa, Youngblut scored the first six points of the game for UND and finished the first half with 13 points. She notched 18 more points in the second half thanks to a 4-for-5 shooting performance from beyond the three-point line. In sum, Youngblut shot 9-for-14 from the field, 4-for-5 from three-point range, and 9-for-10 at the free throw line.
"Mallory is capable of having this kind of game all of the time," said Roebuck. "Hopefully, this gives her some confidence as we move toward the conference schedule."
"I've really need this game," said Youngblut. "The whole team was hungry for a win. It has been since our Vermont game back home and we wanted to win desperately. I think we really proved that tonight."
Three other players in double digits helped lead the Sioux to victory. Freshman center Allyssa Wall (North Sioux City, S.D.) shot 9-for-14 from the field to finish with 12 points and junior guard Charnay Mothershed (Phoenix, Ariz.) tabbed her first collegiate game in double figures with 10 points. Mothershed also added a personal-best nine assists.
Off of the bench, freshman forward Megan Lauck (Arden Hills, Minn.) scored 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting from the field and a 2-for-4 performance beyond the arc.
As a team, the Sioux shot .825 (19-for-23) at the free throw line, .425 (26-for-61) from the field, and .400 (6-for-15) beyond the three-point line. They out-rebounded the Islanders 44-29 on the boards and scored 25 points off of TAMUCC's 21 turnovers.
Freshman forward Madi Buck (Bismarck, N.D.) led the Sioux on the boards with a career-high 16 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. She also added seven points to UND's total.
"Its all about hard work and Madi really goes hard to the board," said Roebuck. "She was 3-for-11 from the field, but she got 11 shots. A couple of times she was a freshman and turned the ball over trying to force stuff, but she played a heck of a game. Same with Megan coming off of the bench and Allyssa in the lane."
"Madi just dominated the boards tonight," said Youngblut. "Rebounding is all effort and she really laid it on the line for us tonight."
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi finished with three players in double figures. Adrienne Scott led the team with 17 points and Jessica Jammer notched 15 points and eight rebounds. Lauren Smith rounded out the trio with 12 points and six rebounds.
The Islanders shot .632 (12-for-19) from the field, .435 (24-for-55) from the field, and .353 (6-for-17) at three-point range.
North Dakota will be back in action Wednesday evening when it faces host Montana in the Lady Griz Holiday Classic finale. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. (central). A link for the live audio/video webcast is available on FighitngSioux.com.
GAME NOTES: Tuesday's game marked the series opener between the Fighting Sioux and the Islanders ... Since beginning the transition to NCAA Division I status in 2007, the Fighting Sioux have gone 2-0 against members of the Southland Conference ... Since the inaugural season of the Great West Conference (2008-09), UND has gone 11-1 against league foes and 8-21 against non-conferenced opponents ... In eight of its first 10 games this season, the University of North Dakota has been led by a freshman in double figures ... The University of North Dakota women's basketball program holds a 770-289 record all-time since the first game was played in 1974. Under head coach Gene Roebuck, UND is 594-125 ... 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 -
