GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- North Dakota used a 13-0 run to close the game and rally past Grand Canyon for a 57-51 victory in the opening round of the Women's Basketball Invitational on Thursday. Grand Canyon led 51-44 with 6:12 to play but North Dakota held the Antelopes off the scoreboard the rest of the way en route to the win.

Senior Mia Loyd posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Fighting Hawks (19-13) to their first Division I postseason victory in program history.

Grand Canyon's Courtney Hayes hit a baseline jumper to put the visiting Lopes up 51-44 with just over six minutes to play. The seven-point spread was the largest of the game for either team, but Hayes' basket would be the final one of the game for the visitors.

The game had been close throughout, with seven tie scores and eight lead changes in the ball game. It was a quick UND (19-13) start as it was 11-4 quickly in the first quarter. 

But, GCU (16-15) rallied and answered as it ended the quarter trailing by just three at 15-12. The Lopes would out-score UND 20-11 in the second quarter, ending the half with seven unanswered points to take a lead of a half-dozen into the locker room, 32-26.

UND got the deficit within a point on several occasions in the third quarter until Makailah Dyer sank a pair of free throws for a 42-41 Fighting Hawk lead. The first freebie gave Dyer her 1,000th career point, becoming the 34th player at UND to reach that milestone.

GCU answered again with seven of the first nine points in the final period but would not score again, allowing UND to rally for its 12th home win of the season.

Samantha Roscoe, who was held scoreless until the fourth quarter, squared the game at 51-51 with her only field goal of the game, then broke the tie on the next possession with a free throw.

Loyd would put her team up by three with a free-throw line jumper and UND would never trail again.

Loyd was the only player in double figures scoring for UND, etching a dozen. Fallyn Freije had nine while Stephanie Smith added eight in the win.

Cheyenne Hendrington led three Loipes players in double digits with 16.

North Dakota will host Weber State Sunday evening at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in the second round of the WBI. The Wildcats knocked off second-seeded New Mexico Wednesday.

Notes: UND is the highest seed remaining on its side of the bracket, meaning it will have first opportunity to host any games in which it plays ... Weber State is one of just three teams to defeat UND at the Betty this season (62-56, Jan. 7).
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