DELAND, Fla.-- North Dakota rallied in the second half but host Stetson converted 30 free throws to help stave it off as the Fighting Hawks fell, 74-63, Wednesday afternoon in the opening game of the Hatter Classic. UND (3-8) trailed by as many as 22 but chopped the deficit down to five on several occasions but no further as Stetson held on for the win. 

Senior Melissa Dailey came off the bench to knock down six triples-- all in the second half-- as the Hawks hit a season-high 10 from distance. Fellow senior Jill Morton added 12 points and eight rebounds before fouling out, one of four UND players to pick up five fouls in the contest.

"I thought the first two quarters we were very lethargic with how we handled things on the defensive end on the floor," UND head coach Travis Brewster said. "We only gave up 10 in the third and only one field goal so that's something we can do, we just have to be consistent with it. 

"It was great to see Morton knock down those shots and obviously what Dailey gave us in the second half. We've got to talk about a couple things to get us ready for a quick turnaround tomorrow."

Stetson (2-8) used a late first-quarter run to pile up 13 straight points and an 18-10 first-quarter edge. That continued into the second quarter as the Hatters out-scored the Fighting Hawks, 23-11, in the second frame to take a commanding 20-point lead at the break, 41-21. 

UND then went to work on the deficit, squandering only one field goal the entire third quarter to see Stetson's lead cut in half. In the early stages of the fourth, Dailey connected from deep then Lexi Klabo scored on back-to-back trips to see the Hatters' lead evaporate down to just five with still 7:23 to play. Later, another Dailey bomb got it to 58-50 with 3:47 remaining. Stetson was able to build that lead back to 11 with under two minutes left to seemingly take control but Dailey wasn't finished. 

She'd hit on the next trip then buried another one from 25 feet out with just under a minute to go and the deficit was manageable again at five, 66-61. That would be the final UND field goal, however, as Stetson made 8-of-10 free throws in the final minute and was 30-for-42 for the game to help ice it. 

Three players were in double figures for North Dakota with Dailey pouring in 20, Klabo adding 14 and Morton with 12. 

North Dakota faces Western Michigan in the second of the three-game tournament Thursday. Tip is slated for 3:00 p.m. Central. 

NOTES
*Dailey's 20 points marked the most she's scored as a Fighting Hawk in one game.
*Junior Alaina Jarnot had a career-high 10 assists
*She became the first UND player with double-digit assists since Chastity Franklin's 11 in a Jan. 7, 2017 win at Southern Utah. 
*North Dakota recorded 18 assists on 22 made baskets (season high).