GRAND FORKS, N.D.-- Senior Emily Evers scored 17 points and added 13 rebounds as the University of North Dakota recovered from a sluggish start to post a 70-50 win over Minnesota Crookston in exhibition play Sunday afternoon at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. UND trailed by three at the break but outscored the Golden Eagles 42-19 in the second half to cruise to the win.

UND looked to its captains to re-focus in the second half and they produced. Junior Mia Loyd added nine points and 14 rebounds for UND while senior Siri Burck chipped in 12 points for the home team.

Minnesota Crookston would not go away in the first half, making timely buckets and benefitting from some costly missed free throws and close-range shots in the early going. After UND took a 14-8 lead, UMC immediately answered with a 7-0 run to take the lead. The Golden Eagles were able to outscore UND in the opening 20 minutes, taking a 31-28 into the halftime locker room.

North Dakota went to work to take control of the game and Burck was key in that stretch. UMC took a four-point lead on a three from Ebony Livingston, but the senior from Fargo, N.D., had the answer with a nifty three-point play of her own on the other end in the ensuing trip.

Burck had two more free throws a few inutes later and added a jumper at the 13:15 mark to put North Dakota in front, 44-38.

It was only a two-point game midway through the second half until Evers scored on back-to-back possessions to jumpstart a 24-6 run to finish the game. UND only allowed one field goal in a nearly six-minute span to pile up a double-digit lead.

Starting guard Leah Szabla had eight rebounds and five assists while Kelsey Knox produced threee points, four dimes, three steals and two boards off the bench.

North Dakota opens its regular season schedule next Saturday at the University of Colorado in the opening round of the Preseason Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT).