FARGO, N.D. – Three Bison scored in double figures to help the North Dakota State University women's basketball team (7-8, 3-0 Summit League) beat the IUPUI Jaguars (6-9, 1-1 Summit League) 68-63 on Thursday night, Jan. 8, inside the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse. With the win, NDSU improves to 3-0 in Summit League play for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

Senior guard Brooke LeMar paced all scorers in the game, scoring 17 points on 4-for-13 shooting, and dished out a season-high nine assists to go along with a 7-for-7 performance at the free-throw line. Junior forward Holly Johnson posted 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting, including a 2-for-4 clip from three-point range, and fellow junior forward Marena Whittle scored 14 points and recorded a career-high six steals. Johnson, Whittle and sophomore forward Emily Spier each snagged six rebounds to lead the Bison on the glass.

North Dakota State went 27-for-61 from the field in the game for 44 percent and were 7-for-17 from beyond-the-arc for 41 percent. The Bison excelled at the free-throw line, going 7-for-8 for 88 percent. NDSU recorded 19 assists and 16 turnovers.

The Bison used an 8-0 run from 10:34 to 8:41 in the first half to break a 16-16 tie and gain a 24-16 lead over IUPUI after freshman guard Taylor Thunstedt drilled back-to-back three-pointers and senior forward Liz Keena added a jumper. The Bison didn't relinquish the lead the remainder of the game.

IUPUI did pull within three (62-59) after a 9-2 run from 4:51 to 1:09 in the second half, but Johnson hit a jumper to push the Bison lead to 64-59 with 59 seconds left and LeMar went a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final 30 seconds of the stanza to hold-off the Jaguar rally.  

Senior center Nevena Markovic led IUPUI in scoring with 14 points while freshman forward Jenna Gunn posted a team-high eight rebounds.

The Jags shot 40 percent from the field in the contest, going 27-for-67, and were just 1-for-10 from three-point range. IUPUI went 8-for-9 at the free-throw line for 89 percent and outrebounded NDSU, 42-32.

North Dakota State returns to action on Sunday, Jan. 11, when it travels to Denver, Colo., for a 1 p.m. MT (2 p.m. CT) Summit League contest against the Denver Pioneers.