DETROIT – North Dakota women's basketball fell to Detroit Mercy, 84-59, Saturday afternoon at Calihan Hall in Detroit.
The Titans (3-2) made 32 field goals to the Fighting Hawks' (1-3) 17 and did so at a 45.1 percent shooting clip. The Titans forced 25 Fighting Hawks turnovers, including 16 in the first half.
Detroit Mercy utilized its size advantage by outrebounding the Fighting Hawks 48-34 in the game, grabbing 17 from the offensive end to turn into 15 second chance points. Detroit Mercy's frontcourt stayed busy on the offensive end by scoring 40 points in the paint, compared to UND's 14.
A 51-point second half from Detroit Mercy played a major role in its win. North Dakota made the proper offensive adjustments at halftime and scored more per quarter in the third and fourth, but its defense struggled to falter UDM's five forwards and their size.
Sydney Piekny and
Addison Klosterbuer led UND's offense with 13 points apiece. For Klosterbuer, her point total marks a career best.
Ciona Wells also reached double-digits with 11 points.
Aliyah Green once again led the Fighting Hawks with eight rebounds.
Turnovers and fouls plagued the Fighting Hawks in the first quarter. North Dakota committed 11 turnovers and seven personal fouls that led to 10 free throw attempts for Detroit Mercy. Despite that, the Fighting Hawks' 3-point shot looked solid, making three in the quarter. Klosterbuer made two of them as UDM wouldn't drop any. The Titans held a 17-11 lead after the first 10 minutes.
North Dakota shifted its offensive scheme to driving to the paint in the second quarter. The opposite was true for Detroit Mercy as its 3-point shot awoke, making two before the five-minute mark of the second. However,
Lauren Hillesheim converted a layup off a dime from Klosterbuer to kickstart an 8-0 scoring run for the Fighting Hawks that lasted three minutes. In that span,
Jayden Sonnenberg made a three and Piekny converted her first and-one of the season to bring UND within three. The Titans responded by scoring six unanswered to take a 33-24 lead into halftime.
The momentum swung in Detroit Mercy's direction from the start of the third quarter, despite UND's offense scoring 19 points in the frame. The Titans went on staggered scoring runs throughout the third that North Dakota struggled to replicate or intervene on. Twenty-six points from the Titans gave them tough, but manageable 59-43 lead.
Detroit Mercy's offense wouldn't relinquish in the final frame, scoring 25 points in 10 minutes, including the first six points.
London Harris interrupted with a pair of free throws, but the Titans made back-to-back threes within 20 seconds of each other to set up their biggest lead of the game at 30 points. North Dakota put some more points on the board by the time the final buzzer sounded with Detroit Mercy in front, 84-59.
Postgame Notes
- Detroit Mercy won its first game against North Dakota, with the Fighting Hawks still holding a 2-1 all-time record.
- Aliyah Green has led the Fighting Hawks in rebounds in three consecutive games. She had eight against the Titans.
- Under Green, three other Fighting Hawks had at least five rebounds each.
- Addison Klosterbuer and Sydney Piekny were UND's leading scorers with 13 points each. For Klosterbuer, it serves as a career high for the senior.
- Piekny had a career best three steals
- The Fighting Hawks made nine 3-pointers on a 31.0 percent shooting clip.
How it Happened
Q1: North Dakota 11, Detroit Mercy 17
Q2: North Dakota 24, Detroit Mercy 33
Q3: North Dakota 43, Detroit Mercy 59
Q4: North Dakota 59, Detroit Mercy 84
Up Next
North Dakota gets back to the lab for the week as it preps for Kid's Day at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center on Nov. 20. Tipoff is set for noon CT.
For more information on North Dakota Women's Basketball, follow on social media @UNDwbasketball or visit FightingHawks.com.
--UND--
