GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND Athletics)– In the final nonconference game of the 2022-23 season, the University of North Dakota women’s basketball team rolled to an 87-66 victory over Mayville State on Monday night from the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
UND (7-3) notched its fifth straight win, improved to 5-0 on its home floor for the first time since 2017-18, posted the 36th consecutive victory over the Comets in 36 tries and grabbed the eighth straight win at home over a nonconference opponent.
For the 10th straight game, it was Kacie Borowicz who led the way on the offensive side with a game-high 28 points on 8-of-15 shooting while also dishing out six assists and grabbing three rebounds in the win. The senior turned it on after a 1-for-6 start in the first quarter from the field, exploding for a 6-for-7 clip over the next two stanzas to cross the 1,000-point plateau for her career.
Nakiyah Hurst reached double figures for the third time this season and second straight game, scoring a career-high 12 points and knocked down 50 percent (6-for-12) of her shots from the field. The freshman also played a career-high 17 minutes and grabbed a pair of rebounds. Maggie Manson notched 11 points, a season best, knocking down a trio of triples on seven attempts.
Juliet Gordon also continued her strong play with 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including a perfect 2-for-2 from distance, with adding six rebounds and a steal in 23 minutes. The graduate student now has five straight games in double figures and has at least six boards in four of those contests.
North Dakota was tested early, with Mayville State grabbing the lead a trio of times in the opening quarter, but the Fighting Hawks took control in the second quarter to carry a 47-32 lead into halftime.
Out of the break, UND kept its foot on the gas to push the lead to its largest of the night, 23, in the final minute of the third quarter, but the Comets started to rally to trim the advantage down to 13 with just three minutes to play.
UND did not allow the Comets to make another bucket from the field for the rest of the contest to polish off the 87-66 victory.
North Dakota will now turn its attention to Summit League play for the first time this season, opening up league action against St. Thomas on Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. from the Betty. Fans can catch the action on Midco Sports and on the Midco Sports Plus app, with a subscription, or can listen to the Home of Economy Radio Network through the iHeart app.
Postgame Notes
- UND improves to 36-0 against Mayville State all-time
- Kacie Borowicz scored a game-high 28 points, her fifth game with 20-plus this season
- The 87 points by NoDak are a season high
- UND shot .426 from the field while holding MSU to .396
- NoDak connected on a season-high 11 triples on 29 attempts, while MSU went 9-for-21
- The Hawks won the rebounding battle, 44-31, with Claire Orth leading the way with eight
- Four UND players reached double figures
- Hurst’s 12 points are a new career high
- UND forced 28 turnovers and scored 33 points off them
- The Hawks were 18-of-22 from the line, including a perfect 10-for-10 by Borowicz
How It Happened
- Q1: UND 22, MSU 16
- Q2: UND 47, MSU 32
- Q3: UND 66, MSU 47
- Q4: UND 87, MSU 66
Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | 12/12/2022 7:56:00 PM | Alec Stocker Johnson, FightingHawks.com
