NORTH DAKOTA vs DENVER
DATE:  Saturday, Feb. 23  | 11:00 AM CT
SITE:  Grand Forks, N.D. (Betty Engelstad Sioux Center)
TV: MidcoSN; Fox College Sports
(Alex Heinert, Val Sussex)
RADIO:  100.3 FM, 740 AM (Jack Michaels)
WEB VIDEO: ESPN +; Fox Sports Go
LIVE STATS:  FightingHawks.com
TWITTER: @UNDWBasketball

To view UND's complete game notes, follow this link (PDF).
 
QUICK JUMPERS
*Lexi Klabo is third in the NCAA in FTs made (154) and is UND's career leader (503).
*Only four active NCAA Division I players in the country currently have 500 made free throws.
*With 24 points versus Oral Roberts, Klabo moved into the top-10 in UND scoring history.
*North Dakota has outrebounded or finished even with its foes in 16 of the last 17 games.
*The Fighting Hawks are 2-3 in the second meeting with Summit League foes this season.
 
ON TAP
UND will host Denver in its final game of the season at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The home finale will also serve as Senior Day for the six seniors on the Fighting Hawks roster.
 
LAST ACTION
North Dakota hosted Oral Roberts last Saturday at The Betty and quickly found itself behind against a hot-shooting ORU squad that hit 61.5 percent of its shots in the final three quarters. UND fell to the Golden Eagles, 80-58, as Lakota Beatty scored an opponent season-best 35 points. Lexi Klabo led the Hawks with 24 points and nine rebounds, moving her into 10th all-time in UND scoring history.
 
THE SERIES WITH DENVER
The 2018-19 Grand Forks finale will be just fourth meeting between these two programs since the series began in 1987 and only the second since both schools joined Division I. This will be Pioneers first game at The Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
 
All-time vs. Denver
UND leads 2-1
Home: 1-0, Away: 1-1, Neutral: 0-0
12/7/87    W   78-73 (A)
12/7/88    W   94-53 (H)
1/5/19      L    66-87 (A)
 
THE LAST MEETING IN BRIEF
The second quarter proved the most significant difference in the first meeting on Jan. 5. While UND shot 50-percent from the field in 16 attempts, it was the Pioneers 10-of-12 performance that outscored the Fighting Hawks 47-37 in the first half. DU would take the contest 87-66 after an eight-point edge in the fourth quarter. Three Hawks - Jill Morton (15), Lexi Klabo (13) and Alaina Jarnot (13) - all scored in double figures.
 
SET THE EXPECTATION DAY
UND Athletics will host #SetTheExpectation Day on Saturday against Denver, promoting awareness for sexual violence on college campuses during the men's and women's games. The non-profit organization is led by survivor Brenda Tracey, who spoke at the University of North Dakota last October. The UND hockey program was the first in the country to host a #SetTheExpectation night at a college hockey game.
 
KLABO AMONGST NATIONS BEST FORWARDS
On Feb. 13, senior Lexi Klabo was named one of the top-10 finalists for the Cheryl Miller Award, given annually to one of the nation's top forwards. As the only mid-major player on the list, Klabo stacks up with the competition, ranking third in both points (18.5) and rebounds (8.3). She's only one of two players averaging 18 points and eight rebounds.

Listed alphabetically by school, here is the Top-10 list as selected by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association with points and rebounds per game averages included.
 

Player	School	PPG	RPG
Bridget Carleton *	Iowa State	21.3	8.4
Rhyne Howard	Kentucky	16.8	6.9
Erika Davenport	Marquette	11.5	9.4
Kaila Charles	Maryland	15.7	6.0
Sophie Cunningham	Missouri	17.2	5.9
Lexi Klabo *	North Dakota	18.5	8.3
Jackie Young	Notre Dame	14.4	6.7
Satou Sabally	Oregon	18.0	6.0
Rennia Davis	Tennessee	15.8	8.1
Borislava Hristova	Washington State	20.9	5.9

* - Indicates leading scorer in conference

THE 500 CLUB
Lexi Klabo went 8-for-10 at the free throw line versus Oral Roberts on Saturday, becoming the first player in University of North Dakota history to eclipse the 500 mark in makes at the charity stripe. She is one of only four players in Division I to record 500 makes in a career and one of 10 across all NCAA Divisions.
 
KLABO REACHES THE TOP-10
Scoring 24 points on Saturday, Lexi Klabo broke the top-10 in Fighting Hawks scoring history against the Golden Eagles. Scoring the first five points of the game for UND before the first media break, the Fargo, N.D., native passed  Kelli Britz's (1993-97)1,531 points for the No. 10 spot. Klabo became the first player to crack UND's career top-10 since former All-American Kierah Kimbrough (2005-09) broke through the barrier en route to a 2,000-point career.
 
LOCKING UP THE SIX SPOT
Following last Saturday's loss, North Dakota can now finish as high as the No. 6 seed for the Summit League Tournament. With one more win and a North Dakota State loss, the Fighting Hawks would lock up a date with the No. 3 seed, currently held by Western Illinois, on March 9 in Sioux Falls, S.D.'s Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. The Leathernecks, Denver or Oral Roberts could all occupy the third seed depending on how the final two weeks of the season play out.
 
EFFECTIVE ON THE GLASS
In 16 of the last 17 games, North Dakota has outrebounded its foes on the glass. The Fighting Hawks have only been outrebounded by an opponent five times this season and were previously bested on Dec. 9 at Iowa State. North Dakota State equaled UND's rebounding total (37); however, the Hawks defeated the Bison, 70-58.

UP NEXT
North Dakota will hit the road for its final games of the season Feb. 28 and March 2 at Purdue Fort Wayne and South Dakota, respectively.

To view UND's complete game notes, follow this link (PDF).