CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The University of North Dakota women's basketball team will head into the Great West Conference season at an even .500 after holding off first-time opponent Harvard 60-57 this evening in non-conference action at the Levietes Pavilion.
Despite having its leading scorer, sophomore forward Madi Buck (Bismarck, N.D.), on the bench, UND (9-9) shot a season-high 50 percent (25-for-50) from the field and had four players finish in double figures to pick up its first win over the Crimson (8-7).
"This is a huge step forward for us," head coach Gene Roebuck said. "We won a game without Madi on the floor because our players stepped up. They worked very hard and they played very hard. I'm proud of the way that we played, and now it is on to the conference."
Junior guard Nicole Smart (Ada, Minn.) led the charge with 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the field and a team-high two three-pointers, sophomore forward Megan Lauck (Shoreview, Minn.) and true freshman guard Brianna Williams (Minneapolis, Minn.) finished with 11 points apiece, and senior guard Charnay Mothershed (Phoenix, Ariz.) came away with 10. Williams led on the boards with a career-high eight rebounds (five defensive) and Mothershed led with a season-high six assists.
Along with shooting 50 percent for the first time this season, UND finished 4-for-13 (30.8 percent) from three-point range and 6-for-13 (46.2 percent) at the line. North Dakota converted Harvard's 16 turnovers into 22 points and scored 15 points on second chances.
Victoria Lippert led all players with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field, including a trio of three-pointers. Christine Clark finished 3-for-8 from the field and 4-for-8 at the line to come away with 10 points.
The Crimson shot 40 percent (20-for-50) from the field, 33.3 percent (8-for-24) from behind the arc, and 64.3 percent (9-for-14) at the line. Harvard won the rebounding battle 32-31 and scored 16 points in the paint.
North Dakota opened the game with a five-point lead as Smart connected on a three-pointer (18:35) and then sophomore center Allyssa Wall (North Sioux City, S.D.) dropped one in from underneath. Brogan Berry checked in first for Harvard with a three of her own (17:55), and with a free throw from Clark, the Crimson had pulled to within one.
Following a basket trade, Smart fired in five straight points, including a trey, to extend the UND lead to 12-6 with 14:49 left in the opening half. Cashing in on a three-pointer from Lippert to end a 10-4 run, Harvard knotted the game at 16-16 (6:59). North Dakota responded quickly with a quick 8-2 run to take back the six-point lead, but a three from Emma Golen quickly cut the margin in half.
UND out-scored Harvard 7-2 in the final three minutes to lead 31-23 at the half.
North Dakota opened the second half with a quick 5-1 clip to take its largest lead of the game, a 12-point advantage, but the Crimson were quick to respond, putting together an 11-4 run to trail just 40-35 with 12:03 remaining. The run was capped by back-to-back three-pointers by Lippert and Missy Mullins.
Continuing to chip away at North Dakota's lead, Harvard pulled within four thanks to four points from Lippert and a pair from Berry at the free throw line. UND fired back with seven unanswered points to lead 52-41 (5:44), but the Crimson again came knocking.
Starting with a free throw from Golen, Harvard used another 11-4 run to trail just 58-55 with just 22 seconds remaining in the game. UND extended its lead back to five points 60 seconds later on a pair from Smart at the line, but Berry was there with a layup to knock it right back down to three.
Harvard was forced to foul on the inbounds play, sending Mothershed to the line for a 1-and-1. Mothershed's miss fell into the hands of Lippert, but Clark's three-point attempt at the other end fell short, giving the ball back to UND.
With three seconds remaining, the Crimson put sophomore forward Katie Houdek (Grafton, N.D.) on the line, but she was unable to find the inside of the net. Lippert again came down with the rebound and had a chance at a half-court buzzer beater to tie the game, but she was stripped of the ball as time expired, giving UND the victory.
North Dakota will open the 2011-12 Great West Conference season this Saturday as it hosts Utah Valley for a 2 p.m. tip at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
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