EDINBURG, Texas - It came down to the final minute and a half, but the University of North Dakota survived the fight, tallying a 60-58 Great West Conference win over Texas-Pan American and extending its winning streak to eight straight.
"It got down to a point where we seemed a little frightened," head coach Gene Roebuck said. "We have to be able to stay calm in these types of situations."
Trailing 55-48 with 2:03 on the clock, Bianca Torre drilled her second three-pointer of the night to pull the Broncs (10-16, 3-5 GWC) to within four. Junior guard Nicole Smart answered with a wide-open three of her own from the far side to move the margin back up to seven (58-51), but UTPA was quickly once again tight on the heels of the Sioux (17-10, 7-1 GWC).
"Nicole hitting that three for us was huge," Roebuck said.
With another three and a pair from the line from Torre, the Broncs moved to within two (58-56) with 30 seconds on the clock. On the inbounds, a technical foul was called on UTPA's Adanna Opara as she reached over the line and tried to take the ball out of the hands of sophomore Madi Buck (Bismarck, N.D.). The foul sent Smart, the team and the Great West Conference leader from the free throw line, to the stripe. She hit both, giving UND the four-point lead with 19 seconds left to go.
Back with another chance on the inbounds, UND lost control of the ball, allowing LaQuita Garner to lay it in from the paint for two with six seconds left. The Broncs went man-to-man on the ensuing inbounds, but the Sioux were able to move the ball down court and hold on for the win.
A native of Ada, Minn., Smart led the Fighting Sioux with a career-high-tying 19 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the field, including a three-pointer, and a perfect 6-for-6 showing at the line. She added three rebounds (all defensive), an assist, and a steal.
Sophomore forward Megan Lauck (Shoreview, Minn.) came away with nine points. Buck, sophomore Allyssa Wall (C, North Sioux City, S.D.) and senior Charnise Mothershed (G, Phoenix, Ariz.) finished with six apiece. Buck added a team-high eight rebounds (seven defensive).
North Dakota shot 33.3 percent (19-for-57) from the field, 36.4 percent (4-for-11) from three-point range, and 64.3 percent (18-for-28) from the line. UND scored 20 points off of UTPA's 19 turnovers and won the rebounding battle 60-58.
Torre led the Broncs with 11 points on 3-for-9 shooting from three-point range and a perfect 2-for-2 showing at the line. Opara and LaQuita Garner finished with 10 apiece.
Texas-Pan American shot 39.7 percent (23-for-58) from the field, 30 percent (6-for-20) at three-point range, and 75 percent (6-for-8) at the free throw line.
"At this point in the year, it's not a glamour show, it's about winning," Roebuck said. "We won the game. No matter how you look at it, it's a 'W,' but to be a championship team, we're going to have to clean some things up."
North Dakota will wrap up its Texas road trip with a 7 p.m. game with Houston Baptist on Saturday, Feb. 25.
- Go Sioux -
