MISSOULA, Mont. -- The University of North Dakota women's basketball team dropped an 82-77 decision to Montana on Sunday afternoon from Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, Mont.

UND (2-2) held a 35-30 lead at the halftime break, but the Lady Griz (2-2) used a 32-22 push in the third quarter to take hold of the lead and never give it back to record the victory. 

Kacie Borowicz was dynamic on the offensive side of the ball for the Fighting Hawks, scoring a career-high 35 points on 14-of-29 from the field while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing out a trio of assists for the visitors. The senior now has three straight games with at least 20 points after dropping 19 in the season opener against Detroit Mercy. 

Claire Orth joined Borowicz in double figures with 10 points to go alongside her five rebounds, three assists and a steal in 36 minutes of action. Maggie Manson also poured in a season-high eight points off the bench on 4-of-7 shooting. 

Four players grabbed at least four rebounds, led by Sammiyah Hoskin with six, including four on the offensive glass. Joli Daninger was effective on the floor despite not finding the score sheet, collecting five boards, dishing out four assists, having three steals and a rejection. 

Both teams struggled to get it going offensively to begin the game, with the contest deadlocked at 4-4 just over five minutes into the contest. Montana jumped out to an 11-6 advantage with two minutes to play in the opening quarter, but UND responded with seven of the final eight points, capped off by a Daninger steal and Orth layup at the buzzer, to give the visitors a 14-12 lead after one stanza. 

That momentum for the green and white carried into the second quarter, as the Hawks blitzed the Lady Griz for a 13-2 run to begin the frame to grab a 27-15 lead with six minutes to play in the first half. Back-to-back triples from Borowicz extended the lead to a game-high 14 for UND, 33-19, but a late push by the hosts trimmed the deficit down to just five, 35-30, heading into the halftime break. 

Out of the intermission, it was Montana who had all the momentum as the Lady Griz scored the first 12 points of the third quarter to turn that five-point deficit into a 42-35 lead less than three minutes into the new half. UND didn't go away, however, chipping away at the lead thanks to a triple from DJ Davis followed by a steal and finish by Juliet Gordon on the ensuing possession to cut it to 50-48 midway through the frame. The teams traded buckets over the final minutes of the third, with Manson hitting a layup at the buzzer to cut the lead to 62-57 after three quarters. 

In the fourth, Montana built its advantage back up to eight early, but UND again showed its fight down the stretch. Another Manson jumper followed by a Borowicz steal and jumper trimmed it down to a 71-69 game with 4:16 to play, but a 6-2 run by the Lady Griz made it 77-71 entering the final two minutes. 

With the hosts up 78-72 with 1:26 to play, Borowicz reached a new career-high with another bucket before Hoskin came up with a steal and dish to Rakiyah Beal, who knocked down a triple to make it a 78-77 contest with 34 seconds remaining. UND had a look to tie the game, but came up just short as Montana escaped with an 82-77 victory. 

North Dakota returns to action next Friday against Grand Canyon at 3:30 p.m. from Phoenix, Ariz. to begin the GCU Thanksgiving Classic. 

Postgame Notes

• Kacie Borowicz scored a career-high 35 points and has led UND in points for every game this season
• Montana finished 26-of-52 (.500) from the field while UND was 31-of-71 (.444). 
• UND knocked down six triples, led by Borowicz's three 
• NoDak forced 22 turnovers and scored 32 points off them 
• Montana won the rebounding battle, 37-32
• The Hawks were 9-of-10 from the charity stripe

How It Happened

• Q1: UND 14, UM 12
• Q2: UND 35, UM 30
• Q3: UM 62, UND 57
• Q4: UM 82, UND 77