BOULDER, Colo.--  Host Colorado used an 8-1 start the second half to push past North Dakota, 68-59, in the first round of the Preseason Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) Saturday evening at Coors Events Center. UND senior Emily Evers etched 21 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in the regular season opener for both teams.

Sophomore Leah Szabla added 15 points, four rebounds and four assists for North Dakota. Jen Reese had 21 points and eight rebounds to pace Colorado, who will move on to host Western Kentucky Monday.

The visitors got out to a hot start, racing out of the gates to an 11-4 edge. The final points in that stretch were a Szabla conventional three-point play as UND (0-1) had the Lady Buffs on their heels early.

Colorado (1-0) responded with an 11-2 spurt for the Buffaloes' first lead at 15-13. The teams traded leads throughout the remainder of the opening half with eight tie scores and eight lead changes in the opening 20 minutes alone.

It was North Dakota that would go into halftime with the advantage as Evers scored seven of UND's final 10 points in the half, including a three-point play on the team's final possession for a 34-31 lead for the visitors at intermission.

At the break, Evers already had 14 points and nine rebounds as North Dakota outscored the larger CU roster, 22-16, in the paint.

Colorado scored eight of the first nine points in the second stanza to reclaim the lead. After Makailah Dyer hit a pair of free throws and Ellen Kiser hit on a post move to tie it at 39-all, the Lady Buffs again went on a run, building a 13-point lead over the next 10 minutes.

Evers and Szabla would pace the comeback charge with Evers stopping the run on a putback and Szabla getting five points in just over 30 seconds with three free throws and a slicing drive to the bucket for a 58-52 deficit. That CU lead would shrink to four in the final two minutes but the home team stemmed the tide, going on for the 68-59 win.

North Dakota did not hit a three-pointer (0-for-7) and shot just 29 percent in the second half but was within two possessions in the final minutes thanks to turning Colorado over 16 times and converting those into 13 points.

North Dakota will play in the consolation bracket of the tournament, beginning with St. Francis Brooklyn (at Towson) Friday at 3 pm CT. Rider is the other team in that four-team pod. There will be a second game Saturday at either 3:00 p.m. (with loss) or 5:30 p.m. (with win).

UND's next action comes Tuesday with the home opener against Milwaukee in the back end of a doubleheader with the UND men (vs. Mayville State). The men tip at 6:00 p.m. with the women to follow at 8 p.m. from the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

Notes: Bailey Strand played in her first collegiate game, going 1-for-3 with a steal and a turnover ... Szabla's nine free throw makes tied a career high ... Colorado won its 15th straight home opener.