FARGO, N.D. – The North Dakota State women’s basketball team came up short in overtime, 97-88, against Troy in the Great 8 round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) on Monday night inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex in front of 2,462 fans.
With the loss, the Bison finish the season with a 21-12 overall record and appeared in the WNIT Great 8 round for the first time in program history. Troy (23-13) will advance to face Illinois State on Wednesday night.
Both teams fought through a season-high 15 lead changes before Troy opened up its largest lead of the game, 77-68, with a layup from Zay Dyer with 3:40 to play in regulation. The Bison pulled their way back with five straight points to cut the deficit to four, 77-73, after Abby Graham knocked down a triple with 2:41 on the clock. The Bison then continued to chip away until Molly Lenz connected on a clutch triple with 14 seconds on the clock to tie the contest and force overtime, 81-81.
Abby Krzewinski carried the energy into the extra frame knocking down a three on the first possession before the Trojans assembled a momentum-shifting 10-0 run to open up a 91-84 lead with 1:01 to play. Troy went on to hold off NDSU the rest of the way for the 97-88 victory.
Avery Koenen paced the Bison with a game-high 23 points, 14 rebounds and five assists over 39 minutes. Abby Schulte also filled her stat line with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Molly Lenz added in 11 points, while Abbie Draper and Marisa Frost each added 10 points apiece.
As a team, the Bison shot 40.5 percent (32-79) from the field and 78.3 percent (18-23) from the free throw line. NDSU netted 50 points in the paint and the bench contributed 24 points.
https://gobison.com/news/2025/3/31/womens-basketball-troy-edges-ndsu-womens-basketball-in-overtime-in-wnit-great-8.aspx