GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Led onto the court by a tunnel of over 40 former Fighting Sioux, the University of North Dakota women's basketball team and head coach Gene Roebuck held onto their top spot in the Great West Conference with a 68-42 win over NJIT at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Coaching in his final conference game at 'The Betty,' Roebuck showed the crowd that the 25-year tradition of success that he has built at UND was still very much ongoing.
"I feel that tradition isn't something that you just start and use for a couple of years, it is something that is built over a period of time," Roebuck said. "I have been so fortunate to have been able to coach at UND all of these years.
"That's what it is all about, staying in once place, developing a tradition and having good players to help you build success. It was really neat to see all of those former players back here tonight."
The win kept North Dakota at the top of the Great West leaderboard with a record of 15-10 overall, 6-1 in the league. It marked the sixth straight victory for the Fighting Sioux, who will play out the conference schedule on the road. NJIT dropped to 9-15, 3-4 GWC.
Sophomore center Allyssa Wall led the team with her third 20-point finish in four games. The North Sioux City, S.D., native shot 10-for-17 from the field and went a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line to put up 24 points. Also hitting double figures was senior guard Charnise Mothershed (Phoenix, Ariz.), who went 4-for-8 from the field with a pair of three-pointers and 2-for-2 at the line to come away with 12 points.
Charnay Mothershed, a 5-7 guard from Phoenix, Ariz., led the team on the boards with 14 rebounds (eight defensive). On Thursday, her sister Charnise Mothershed pulled down a team-high 12 (10 defensive).
North Dakota shot 37.7 percent (23-for-61) from the field, 26.7 percent (4-for-15) from three-point range, and 66.7 percent (18-for-27) at the free throw line.
"We didn't shoot the ball very well, but we played great defense," Roebuck said. "Our defense willed us to win. We rebounded the basketball well, we kept New Jersey from getting rebounds, and we only turned the ball over nine times."
The Fighting Sioux won the rebounding battle 45-30 and held the Highlanders to just four offensive boards, two of which were team rebounds. The Sioux also converted NJIT's 19 turnovers into 25 points.
"We didn't shoot well, but if you can do all of the other things, you're going to win a basketball game," Roebuck said. "We played lockdown defense, especially in the first half."
Led by 11 points from 6-3 center Nicole Maticka, who went 3-for-3 from beyond the three-point arc, the Highlanders shot 34.9 percent (15-for-43) from the field, 43.8 percent (7-for-16) from three-point range, and 45.5 percent (5-for-11) at the free throw line. NJIT was 5-for-17 (29.4 percent) from the field in the first half.
With the help of six points from Wall, UND opened the game with a 9-0 lead. The Highlanders quickly pulled to within three as Maticka drilled back-to-back three-pointers to make it 9-6 with 13:54 on the clock.
Back on the opposite end, Charnise Mothershed took a pass from Nicole Smart (Jr., G, Ada, Minn.) and buried her first three of the night. The three-point arc stayed in the spotlight as the Highlanders hit two from distance. Wall answered each trey with a field goal of her own.
Rayven Johnson hit the first field goal for NJIT at 6:58 mark to pull the Highlanders to within two, but the Fighting Sioux responded with a game-changing 14-0 run to end the half. Charnay Mothershed opened the clip with a free throw and drive down the left side of the lane. After true freshman guard Brianna Williams (Minneapolis, Minn.) cashed in a pair from the charity stripe, Charnise Mothershed nabbed a quick steal at half court and took it in for the score. Sophomore forward Madi Buck (Bismarck, N.D.), playing in her first game since Jan. 12 against Jamestown, finished off the run with her lone three of the night.
Leading 30-14 to open the second half, the Sioux extended their run to 20-2 as Wall connected on a pair of field goals and Charnise Mothershed buried one from behind the arc.
Trailing 37-16 (17:11), NJIT's Denisa Domiterova hit from three-point range, but UND responded with a quick five points from the free throw line. Through the ensuing six minutes, UND maintained its 20-point lead as the teams traded baskets back-and-forth.
Following a pair of free throws by Kimberly Dweck, Smart capped an 8-2 run to give UND its largest lead of the game, a 26-point (60-34) advantage.
After another field goal trade, Roebuck pulled his starters, allowing his reserves to play out the final five minutes.
With 1:16 on the clock, true freshman guard Cy'erra Mills (Maple Grove, Minn.) tossed in her lone field goal of the night to give North Dakota a 28-point lead (67-39) - its largest advantage of the game.
North Dakota will play its final home game of the season on Tuesday, Feb. 14 when it takes on Mayville State. Tipoff between the Fighting Sioux and the Comets is slated for 7 p.m. CT. After the game, UND will acknowledge its three seniors: Charnay Mothershed, Charnise Mothershed and student assistant coach/former player Ashley Privratsky.
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