TULSA, Okla.-- The University of North Dakota women's basketball team picked up its first-ever Summit League road win with a 75-67 victory at Oral Roberts Wednesday to improve to 2-0 in conference play. UND went 34-for-38 from the free throw line in the win.
UND (7-8, 2-0 Summit) again did its damage in the paint, needing just one three-point make all game long to earn the victory. This comes after the Fighting Hawks did not score from downtown in the Summit League opening win Sunday against Purdue Fort Wayne.
"
Jill Morton was big for us tonight but I thought the real reason the game shifted was because
Lexi Klabo decided to go at it in the second half.
Melissa Dailey did a heck of a job for us and for a freshman,
Claire Orth did a tremendous job defensively out there and I thought it was a great team effort tonight," UND head coach
Travis Brewster said.
North Dakota staked itself to a 14-7 lead in the first quarter until the Golden Eagles scored the final nine points of the quarter to push in front, 16-14 through one. They made it a four-point advantage in the first possession of the second frame.
It remained there at the half as it was 37-33 Oral Roberts through 20 minutes as the Golden Eagles held the league's leading scorer,
Lexi Klabo, to just one field goal and six points in the opening half.
Klabo and the Hawks would have the last laugh as North Dakota would go on an eight-point run midway through the third period to wrestle away control with a 49-43 edge. A Kenijo Lippe three-pointer early in the fourth put the lead back in the hands of ORU until
Jill Morton answered. She scored on a pull-up jumper then converted a turnover into UND's only triple of the night for a four-point lead.
With the lead at just one, North Dakota kept ORU off the scoreboard for three-and-a-half minutes while back-to-back
Faith Dooley layups made it 68-61 Fighting Hawks and UND hung on for its second Summit League win in as many tries.
Morton's 23-point effort was the fifth of her career and first of the season for the senior from Edina, Minn. Three players were in double figures for UND with
Lexi Klabo adding 19 points and
Julia Fleecs scoring 10 first-half points, 11 for the game.
UND heads to Denver Saturday evening for an 8:00 p.m. Central tip against the Pioneers.
NOTES
*North Dakota is 14-6 against Summit League teams since joining Division I (2008-09).
*
Lexi Klabo registered her 5th double-double this season and 25th of her career with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
*Klabo (11-of-12 Wednesday) is just 14 free throws shy of the school's all-time record for free throws made in a career.
*
Claire Orth scored a career-high seven points in the win.
*UND has won four straight games for the first time since a four-gamer last season from Nov. 19 to Dec. 2.
*This was the first meeting between the schools.