SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – In the opening round of the Summit League Tournament, the North Dakota women's basketball team faced off against Omaha for the third time this season, but were unable to overcome a slow first quarter, resulting in a 49-39 loss on Wednesday afternoon inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
 
The Fighting Hawks end their season at 7-24 overall and 3-13 in conference play while the Mavericks improve to 6-26 and 3-13 while advancing to play North Dakota State tomorrow afternoon.
 
Wednesday marked the final game in the careers of Mikayla Aumer, Walker Demers, Mackenzie Hughes, Hanna Miller and Miranda VanderWal, two of which led the team in scoring. Demers and Hughes each scored 10 points in the afternoon affair as Demers pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and Hughes dished two assists while knocking down the lone 3-pointer of the game.
 
North Dakota was 12-of-51 (23.5-percent) from the floor, 1-of-20 (five-percent) from behind the arc and 14-of-17 (82.4-percent) from the free throw line. The Hawks tallied 35 rebounds, 22 points in the paint and forced 15 Omaha turnovers.
 
The Mavericks took control early in the first quarter and never once relented their lead. A 5-0 advantage was cut into off a free throw from London Harris, but UND would score only once more off a late layup from Hughes, making it an 11-3 game.
 
Hughes also kicked off the second quarter with another layup and teamed up with Ava Miller to make it a 17-10 game at the 5:32 mark. North Dakota would not score again for nearly four minutes before Sydney Piekny and Demers knocked down their free throws. Those combined three appearances at the line brought the lead down to single digits at 25-16 heading into the locker room.
 
Neither team scored for the first three minutes of the first quarter, and it was Demers who broke the drought. Her bucket pulled UND with 25-18, but Omaha stormed back with seven straight points. Over the next five minutes, UND found scoring from four different Fighting Hawks—who continued to claw their way within range—to make it a 40-28 game.
 
The fourth quarter started similarly, with neither team scoring for over four minutes. Lauren Hillesheim knocked down a pullup jumper to force a 10-point game at 40-30 before hitting a driving layup to make it 43-34 with 2:47 remaining. Piekny returned to the line for a pair of free throws and Hanna Miller joined the scorebook with her lone free throw, but North Dakota's fight would come up short at 49-39.  
 
Post-Game Notes 

• North Dakota was led in scoring by a pair of seniors in Mackenzie Hughes and Walker Demers
• The duo scored 10 points apiece in the season finale
• Hughes hit the lone 3-pointer in the contest
• Demers flirted with a double-double alongside eight points
• UND was outrebounded 32-28
• NoDak found 22 points in the paint and 11 points off the bench
• The Fighting Hawks are now 2-7 all-time at the Summit League Tournament
• North Dakota is now 58-15 against the Mavericks

  
How It Happened 
Q1: North Dakota 3, Omaha 11
Q2: North Dakota 16, Omaha 25
Q3: North Dakota 28, Omaha 40
Q4: North Dakota 39, Omaha 49

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