GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Paced by a career-first double-double by sophomore Madi Buck (Bismarck, N.D.), the University of North Dakota used a balanced attack to defeat Idaho 84-54 in the first on-court meeting between the Fighting Sioux (1-1) and the Vandals (1-1).
"Madi was phenomenal for us tonight," head coach Gene Roebuck said. "She was on the boards consistently, both on offense and on defense. What I really liked was her offensive game. She didn't force things and was able to bring the ball down the floor against pressure. She's a forward, but it was like having another guard on the floor. She really hit the boards and made some nice plays."
Buck led both sides with a career-high 17 points and brought down a team-high 12 boards (nine defensive) to lead a Sioux squad that saw all 10 players score. Buck shot 4-for-8 from the field, including a three-pointer, and was a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line - another career high.
Also hitting double figures for the Sioux was sophomore Allyssa Wall (North Sioux City, S.D.), who finished with 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field and a 4-for-6 showing at the free throw line. She added six rebounds (four defensive) and was one of three UND players to block a shot.
With eight points and six rebounds, redshirt freshman Emily Evers (Grand Forks, N.D.) led a UND bench that combined for 36 points and 18 boards.
Wall kicked off UND's eventual win with a jumper just eight seconds into the first half. Idaho answered with a tip-in from Alyssa Charlston at 17:59 to knot the game, but that would prove to be the only time the Sioux did not hold the lead.
With an answer of her own, junior Carly Rothfusz (Eden Prairie, Minn.) dropped in a pair of three-pointers to kick start an 18-5 UND run that would push the Sioux to a 20-7 lead with 12:21 remaining in the half. Rothfusz finished the game with eight points, two rebounds, a blocked shot, and a steal.
Idaho cut the lead down to nine, but with another UND three (9:33), this time from junior Nicole Smart (Ada, Minn.), North Dakota out-scored the Vandals 22-11 over the ensuing six minutes of play to hold a 20-point advantage (42-22) as the half neared the three-minute mark.
With a strong finish down the stretch, the Sioux went into the locker-room leading the Vandals 52-30.
"I thought we played a great first half," Roebuck said. "We really worked hard, got up and down the floor, and played solid man-to-man defense.
It was a shaky start in the second half as both the teams combined for only nine points through the opening six and a half minutes of play.
"We were a little flatfooted to start the second half," Roebuck said. "We weren't as aggressive as we were in the first half. That is something that this team needs to learn. If you can play at that pace the first half, you should be able to play at the same pace the second half."
Sophomore Katie Houdek (Grafton, N.D.) broke the scoring skid with a left-handed hook shot inside the paint. Fouled on the shot, Houdek completed the three-point play to give UND the 26-point lead, its biggest advantage yet.
After trading points through four minutes of play, senior Charnay Mothershed (Phoenix, Ariz.) connected on a pair of free throws and Wall hit a quick jumper to give the Sioux a 71-41 lead inside the eight-minute mark.
As the clocked ticked away, the Sioux would find themselves holding a 32-point advantage on five occasions.
Overall, the Sioux shot 40.6 percent (28-for-69) from the field, 21.4 percent (6-for-28) from behind the arc, and 75.9 percent (22-for-29) at the free throw line. Twenty-seven points came on second chances and 21 were scored off of Idaho's 19 turnovers.
Led by Ganeaya Rogers (11 points) and Stacey Barr (10 points), the Vandals finished 18-for-49 (36.7 percent) from the field, 3-for-18 (16.7 percent) from behind the arc, and 15-for-26 (57.7 percent) at the line.
North Dakota is off until Sunday, Nov. 20 when it hosts Duquesne for the last game of this three-game homestand. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
- Go Sioux -