GRAND FORKS, N.D. – It was a neck-and-neck Senior Night battle between North Dakota and South Dakota inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, but the latter half of the fourth quarter proved to be the difference maker as the Coyotes slipped past the Fighting Hawks, 80-66, on Wednesday evening.
 
Following the game, the North Dakota women's basketball honored its five seniors in the 2025-26 class, shining a spotlight on and thanking Mikayla Aumer, Walker Demers, Mackenzie Hughes, Hanna Miller and Miranda VanderWal for their contributions and dedication to the program.
 
UND now holds a 7-22 overall record alongside a 3-12 conference showing while USD improved to 22-7 and 12-3.
 
Aumer had herself a sparkling Senior Night as she scored 15 points in her home court farewell, including three 3-pointers. Sydney Piekny also scored 15 in the affair—with a 4-of-6 showing from behind the arc—as Mackenzie Hughes dropped 13 points alongside six assists. Walker Demers led the rebounding effort with her six boards with a team-high two blocks as London Harris and Hanna Miller logged the lone two steals.
 
NoDak was 20-of-51 (39.2-percent) from the floor, 11-of-31 (35.5-percent) from behind the arc and 15-of-17 (88.2-percent) from the free throw line. The home team tallied 29 rebounds, found 32 points off the bench and helped push 15 total lead changes.
 
All five seniors for the Fighting Hawks were featured in the starting lineup, which perfectly set up Aumer for the opening 3-pointer of the contest. Despite the senior scoring the first five points—and a triple from Piekny—South Dakota jumped ahead at 13-8 with 4:54 to go. The score grew to 17-13 after an exchange of buckets, but neither team would make a field goal for the remaining 3:15 and free throws from Demers made it 17-15 at the end of one.
 
North Dakota outscored its opponent 21-20 in a tightly-contested, back-and-forth second quarter. Ava Miller took the 21-20 lead for UND off her 3-pointer, and it soon grew to a three-point advantage off free throws from a returning London Harris. The trading of baskets continued until a layup and 3-pointer from the visitors gave USD control once again, taking a 37-36 lead into the locker room.
 
Layups from Aumer and Mataeya Mathern put the Hawks in the lead by one, but South Dakota fought back and kept control for a majority of the third quarter. A 13-3 run from the visitors over the next four minutes made it a 52-43 game with 2:55 remaining.
 
Hughes stopped the rally with her layup before the Fighting Hawks knocked down two more triples off the hands of Aumer and Piekny alongside a pair of Demers free throws to make it a hard-fought 57-53 score heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
More free throws from Demers got it down to a two-point game, but North Dakota would get no closer for the remainder of play. Despite a personal and technical foul combo committed by the Coyotes, the visitors managed to push the lead back to seven at the 7:02 mark. The spread would dip down to four points three more times before nine unanswered points from UND opened up a 77-64 game. Hughes' free throws marked the final two points of the game for UND not long before VanderWal logged a stifling block, but the Hawks would fall, 80-66.  
 
Post-Game Notes 

• All five North Dakota women's basketball seniors started in celebration of Senior Day
• Mackenzie Hughes tallied her 400^th career assist in Wednesday's contest
• The grad student is now eight points away from also hitting 2000 career points
• Mikayla Aumer and Sydney Piekny combined to knock down eight 3-pointers
• The duo also each scored 15 points apiece
• The Coyotes held the 33-29 rebounding advantage
• South Dakota also dominated North Dakota in the paint, 36-16
• NoDak found 32 points off the bench
• Seven of the Hawks' 11 3-pointers came in the first half

  
How It Happened 
Q1: North Dakota 15, South Dakota 17
Q2: North Dakota 36, South Dakota 37
Q3: North Dakota 53, South Dakota 57
Q4: North Dakota 66, South Dakota 80
 
Up Next
North Dakota women's basketball will close its regular season slate on the road as the Fighting Hawks take on its in-state rival, North Dakota State, in a Saturday doubleheader. Action is set to begin at 1 p.m. inside Scheels Center.

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