GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Led by 18 points from sophomore center Allyssa Wall, the University of North Dakota women's basketball team defended its home court against Great West Conference foe Chicago State with an 80-46 win over the Cougars at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
The win put top-ranked North Dakota (14-10, 5-1 GWC) on a five-game winning streak while the Cougars dropped to 5-19, 3-3 GWC.
"I thought that we really worked hard, and that's the main thing," head coach Gene Roebuck said.
Wall, a native of North Sioux City, S.D., hit 7-for-10 from the field and 4-for-7 at the free throw line to tally her fifth straight double-figure game. She added seven rebounds (five defensive) and a season-high-tying four blocked shots.
Junior guard Carly Rothfusz (Eden Prairie, Minn.) went a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range en route to a career-high-tying 15 points. With a 2-for-2 performance from long distance on Saturday against Texas-Pan American, Rothfusz is a perfect 5-for-5 behind the arc through the past two games.
"Carly hit a big shot for us in the first half," Roebuck said. "We were struggling a little bit, but she hit that shot down in the corner and then we started to take off a little bit."
After a slow start to the beginning of the season, sophomore forward Megan Lauck (Shoreview, Minn.) is averaging 7.5 ppg since the conference season got underway. With 11 points tonight, she tied her season-high for the third time and put herself on a two-game double-figure scoring streak.
"Megan has really settled down," Roebuck said." She is a high-energy player, and early on, she was really nervous and had put too much pressure on herself. She is one of those players that can see the play before it happens, and she was just passing too soon early on. Now she's settled down."
Wrapping up the high scoring list was sophomore forward Katie Houdek. The Grafton, N.D., native finished 5-for-10 from the field for a season-high-tying 10 points.
Hitting a double-figure mark of her own was senior Charnise Mothershed, who led both sides with 12 rebounds, including 10 defensive boards. The 5-7 guard from Phoenix, Ariz., led the Fighting Sioux to a 49-24 rebounding advantage over CSU.
"We played a zone to make them shoot from the outside, but when you play a zone, you're susceptible to giving up the offensive boards," Roebuck said. "I talked earlier about our guards having to rebound, and tonight we had Charnise Mothershed finish with 12 boards. We also had Nicole Smart going in for rebounds as well."
UND shot 51.8 percent (29-for-56) from the field, 36.4 percent (4-for-11) at three-point range, and 81.8 percent (18-for-22) at the free throw line. This marked the second game in a row that the Sioux have shot over 50 percent from the field.
Jasmine Collins led the Cougars with 12 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the field, Paris Williams finished with 11 points, and Tierra Williams knocked down 10, including a pair of three-pointers. The Cougars shot 32.3 percent (20-for-62) from the field, 21.4 percent (3-for-14) from behind the arc, and 60 percent (3-for-5) at the free throw line.
North Dakota opened the game with an early lead as Wall set out on a 7-0 run of her own. After pulling its starters, UND allowed Chicago State to move within two, but the Sioux reserves fought back. Following a timeout at the 11-minute mark, North Dakota used a lengthy 25-4 run to turn its 12-10 lead into a 37-14 advantage (4:29).
Not only did six different players score during the six and a half minute clip - Emily Evers, Wall, Rothfusz, Brianna Williams, Lauck, and Smart - but one player, Rothfusz, chipped in her own personal 7-0 run. Rothfusz scored from every angle, hitting from the charity stripe, behind the arc, and on a transition layup.
With Chicago State unable to pull together an answer, UND took a 44-22 lead into the break.
Back on the floor, the Cougars went with a different lineup, but the Sioux, who had much success in the opening 20 minutes, started just as they had in the first. With the go-ahead from Wall and the foul shot to follow, UND scored six unanswered points. With CSU netting just one free throw in the first five and a half minutes, the Sioux led 54-23 with 14:30 on the clock.
The Cougars ended their second half scoring slump as Caneka Davis turned a Natalie Marlowe steal into her first and only field goal of the night. Following back-to-back buckets from Houdek, Chicago State used a brief 6-2 run to knock the margin down to 28 (60-32).
Again, UND fired back as Lauck netted her first and only three of the evening. Wall added another two, and after a quick basket trade, the Cougars posted six unanswered points.
Holding a comfortable 67-40 lead with 5:58 remaining, the Fighting Sioux didn't let up one bit.
With the reserves back on the floor, UND out-scored the defending GWC champions 13-6 through the final five minutes, 7-2 in the last minute and a half.
North Dakota is back at 'The Betty' on Saturday at 7 p.m. as it takes on NJIT. It is set to be an exciting evening as the University of North Dakota honors legendary women's basketball head coach Gene Roebuck as he winds down his 25th and final season at the helm of the Fighting Sioux.
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