BROOKINGS, S.D. – The North Dakota State women’s basketball team erased an 11-point halftime deficit before falling short in the final minutes at South Dakota State, 63-55, on Wednesday night at First Bank & Trust Arena in front of 4,156 fans.
The Jackrabbits (18-3, 8-0 Summit) outscored the Bison (14-7, 6-2 Summit), 18-5, in the second quarter to open up a 31-20 advantage at the half. NDSU responded with their own 14-2 run spanning almost four minutes in the third quarter to regain the lead, 39-37, with a triple from Molly Lenz at the 1:36 mark. The Bison went on to outscore the Jackrabbits, 21-8, in the frame and led after three quarters, 41-39.
Both teams then battled throughout the final frame that saw five lead changes and six tie scores. Avery Koenen put the Bison back in front, 50-49, with a pair of free throws with 6:12 to play. However, the Jackrabbits then put together an 8-0 run over the final three minutes put the game out of reach and seal the 63-55 win.
Abbie Draper led the way with a team-high 16 points to go along with eight rebounds, one steal and one block. Abby Schulte, who set the NDSU games started record with 126, also reached double digits in scoring with 11 points, three rebounds and team-high three steals, while Lenz added in nine points with two rebounds.
As a team, the Bison shot 37.5 percent (18-48) from the field and 45.0 percent (9-20) from three with seven different players in the scoring column. NDSU netted 18 points in the paint and 15 points off of turnovers.
The Bison will be back in action hosting St. Thomas on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m., inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
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