OMAHA, Neb. (UND Athletics)–The University of North Dakota (15-13, 6-9 Summit) overcame a poor second quarter shooting performance at Omaha (7-21, 2-13 Summit) by attacking the basket and earning 33 trips to the free throw line to defeat the Mavericks, 71-67.
Julia Fleecs and Megan Zander each scored 22 points in the game, the second-straight 20-point game for Zander who went 10-for-14 at the free throw line en route to a new career-high. The Fighting Hawks finished 25-of-33 at the stripe and finished -6 on the turnover battle, but managed to outscore the Mavs in points off turnovers, 21-8.
“You got to have some grit this time of year,” said Head Coach Travis Brewster in the postgame, “I told the team flat out: it’s not anything pretty, grit is all about what you want to do and how you want to go about it. You have to do it together and that’s what we have to keep doing.”
The Fighting Hawks opened the game efficiently, committing only one turnover in the final five minutes of the quarter and tallying six assists on all six of their field goals. UND closed the period shooting 46.2-percent on 13 attempts to lead UNO, 17-16.
After making six for its first 10 shots, UND lost its touch as it shot 1-of-18 in the first eight and half minutes of the second quarter, allowing the Mavericks to take a two possession lead. A layup by Fleecs broke North Dakota’s scoreless streak inside of two minute mark but Omaha would enter the halftime locker room with a five point lead, 30-25.
Fleecs scored eight in the second quarter to give the captain 14 points in the half. UND tallied seven assists on its eight field goals to equal its assist total from its first meeting with the Mavericks in Grand Forks. North Dakota would finish with 14 assists on 21 field goals.
The Glidden, Iowa native found reinforcement in the post with Zander, who led UND with nine points in the third quarter as she went 7-of-9 at the free-throw line. Fleecs accounted for six points as the Fighting Hawks climbed out from eight-point deficit in the period.
Though they flirted with the tie and lead in the tertiary period, the Hawks punched through in the final quarter as the two teams went shot-for-shot and lead-for-lead.
In the fourth quarter, North Dakota and Omaha traded nine leads and four ties. UND took its final lead with 2:28 left on the clock as Melissa Leet nailed a jumper outside the paint to give the Hawks a 60-59 advantage. The junior finished with eight points and and seven rebounds.
Alaina Jarnot finished the game 4-for-4 at the charity stripe in the final 21 seconds to push the Fighting Hawks lead back to three points on each occasion and force the Mavericks back to the drawing board.
The University of North Dakota will close the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 29 when it takes on South Dakota in Vermillion, S.D. The two teams will tip at 1 p.m.
GAMES NOTES: The win clinches the Fighting Hawks first regular season above .500 since 2016-17 … Megan Zander has scored at least 20 points in the last two games … No Fighting Hawk player had accomplished that feat this season … North Dakota’s 33 free throw attempts tied its season-high (at North Dakota State, Jan. 19) … A UND freshman has led the team in scoring in the last five games and 13 times this season … The eight-point comeback by North Dakota ties for the largest this season (at Grand Canyon, Nov. 8) … That was the 14th-straight win by North Dakota against the Mavericks … If North Dakota defeats No. 20/12 South Dakota and North Dakota State falls to Omaha, the Fighting Hawks would enter The Summit League Tournament as the No. 6 seed and play on Sunday, March 8 … As the No. 7 seed currently, UND would play South Dakota State on Saturday, March 7.
