GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Three Fighting Hawks finished in double figures as North Dakota stormed back from a one-point first quarter deficit to dismantle the Omaha Mavericks, 75-54, inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center on Thursday night.
 
It marks the first conference win of the season for UND, who improves to 4-12 overall and 1-2 in the Summit while Omaha drops to 2-16 and 0-3.
 
Walker Demers led the offense with a powerful 23 points—dropping 14 in the fourth quarter alone—alongside eight rebounds and four assists. Mackenzie Hughes and Mikayla Aumer joined her in double figures, scoring 16 and 12 points, respectively, while combining for six 3-pointers. Ava Miller again flirted with a double-double with her eight points and team-high 11 rebounds.
 
As a team, North Dakota shot 47.1 percent from the floor (24-of-51), 80 percent from the free throw line (20-of-25) and hit seven total triples. The Hawks dominantly outrebounded their opponent 40-26 and forced 18 Maverick turnovers compared to their own 15. UND also held the visitors to only eight free throw attempts and a 36.4 percent-showing from the floor.
 
The first four field goals of the game all came from three-point land, first coming off the hands of Hughes. A driving layup from Aumer gave the home team its first lead of the game before seven straight points put UND ahead at 15-8 at the 4:03 mark. Despite the rally, Omaha would reply with the final eight points of the quarter to stifle the Hawks and go ahead 16-15 at the end of the first quarter.
 
North Dakota, though, would not be deterred.
 
It was an 11-0 run for the home team to open up the second quarter, beginning with back-to-back triples from Aumer and Finley Ohnstad, who also collected a three-point play near the end of the rally. The Mavericks replied with seven straight points of their own to cut the once 10-point deficit down to three with 5:30 remaining, but the Hawks continued to shoot…and score. Hughes knocked down two triples and Demers collected two free throws and a layup as Ava Miller hit her second bucket of the night to take the 40-29 lead at the break.
 
Skyler Volmer hit a pair of free throws to kick off third quarter scoring and Demers soon followed that up with back-to-back layups to push the lead to 14 with 6:17 remaining. The Fighting Hawks would fight off any attempt at a rally from Omaha by going 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the third quarter alone. Ava Miller knocked down the only other field goal of the period with under a minute remaining while taking the 53-41 advantage into the final 10 minutes.
 
London Harris struck on the first possession of the fourth to reclaim the 14-point lead as the free throw line continued to benefit the Hawks. The combined 8-of-8 effort from UND was backed by Demers nailing all six attempts from the stripe while from the floor, she collected another set of back-to-back layups off the assist from Aumer.
 
The lead first hit 20 off a driving layup from Aumer at the 2:40 mark after a pair of free throws from Volmer. Demers scored six straight points to further the lead while a bucket from Hughes secured the first conference win of the season at 75-54.
 
Postgame Notes 

• Walker Demers' 23 points is the most by a Fighting Hawk this season
• It is also the season's first 20+ point game by a Hawk
• Thursday marked just the third time this season that UND committed less turnovers than its opponent
• Demers led the scoring for UND for the fourth time this season
• All seven of North Dakota's 3-pointers came in the first half
• NoDak is now 15-5 against Omaha all-time and is 8-1 on home court
• Thursday marked UND's first conference win of the season
• It also marks the first win of the 2026 calendar year for the Fighting Hawks

  
How It Happened 
Q1: North Dakota 15, Omaha 16
Q2: North Dakota 40, Omaha 29
Q3: North Dakota 53, Omaha 41
Q4: North Dakota 75, Omaha 54
 
Up Next
The closer of the conference homestretch for North Dakota women's basketball will be played against Kansas City on Saturday, January 10. Game time inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center is currently set for 1 p.m.

For more information on North Dakota women's basketball, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDwbasketball.