North Dakota State
1-0
Harvard
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard | 33 | 39 | 72 |
| North Dakota State | 38 | 43 | 81 |
North Dakota State Opens With 81-72 Win Over Harvard
11/10/2012 1:37:00 AM | Women's Basketball
FARGO, N.D.--North Dakota State University hit 24 of 26 free throws and scored 30 points off of 23 Crimson miscues in the Bison season opening 81-72 win over Harvard University in a women's college basketball game played before 843 fans on Friday, Nov. 9.
North Dakota State (1-0) is scheduled to host Mayville State (5-2) at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11. Harvard (0-1) plays at North Dakota on Sunday.
Dani DeGagne led a group of four Bison with a game-high 19 points. DeGagne hit 7 of 8 free throws as NDSU connected on 21 of 23 from the foul line in the second half.
Katie Birkel scored nine of her 14 points in the first half to help North Dakota State build a 38-33 lead at the intermission. Janae Burich scored 8 of her 10 points in the opening period. Burich had seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
Harvard, which hit 12 of 26 three-pointers, tied the game twice the last time coming with 15:49 remaining in the second half on a Jasmine Evans three-pointer.
However, the Bison gradually pulled away. Hannah Linz hit three free throws to extend an advantage to 61-54 with 8:01 left. Linz dished out five assists and added 10 points off the bench.
Marena Whittle's offensive putback gave North Dakota State it's first double-figure lead of the game at 71-60 with 3:12 left. Whittle added nine points and nine rebounds. The Bison held a 38-36 edge on the glass.
Christine Clark led Harvard with 15 points, while Temi Fagbenle and Victoria Lippert each score 12 points. Emma Golen and Evans each added 11 points. Miriam Rutzen, Evans and Golen all hit three three-pointers apiece.
The Crimson shot 47.4 precent from the field compared to 38.5 for North Dakota State. The Bison committed only 12 turnovers and were able to cash in on 21 second chance points.
