Box Score (PDF)

VALPARAISO, Ind. - The North Dakota State women's basketball team held Valparaiso without a field goal for the first 6:48 of the fourth quarter, as the Bison picked up their first road win of the season 51-48 on Sunday afternoon.

The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, as the Crusaders led 12-9 following a 3-pointer by Meredith Hamlet with :38 left to close the scoring in the opening frame. 

Danneka Voegeli hit an early layup in the second quarter, but Valpo answered with an 8-0 run in 1:55 to take a 20-11 lead with 6:52 to play in the half. The Crusaders pushed the lead to 11 with 4:07 left in the half before NDSU went on an 11-2 run to close the half. A layup by Marina Fernandez with :28 left cut the Valpo lead to 26-24 at the half.

With Valpo leading by five, Sofija Zivaljevic and Cirkeline Rimdal scored seven-straight points for the Bison, as NDSU took a 35-33 lead with 3:48 left in the third quarter on a long ball by Rimdal. A free throw by Fernandez with :27 left in the quarter tied the game at 38-38 going into the fourth quarter.

An and-one from Zivaljevic just :06 into the fourth gave NDSU a 41-38 lead. Valpo tied the game at 41-41 with 8:54 on three-straight free throws before the Bison took the game over. 

Another free throw by Fernandez with 8:16 remaining started an 8-1 run for NDSU over a 4:53 span, as the Bison took the lead for good. Michelle Gaislerova pushed the lead to seven on a layup that gave her a team-high 11 points with 3:23 to play. Valpo went on a 6-2 run over the final 3:12 of the game, but couldn't get closer than two points over the span as the Bison held on for the 51-48 victory.

With 11 points, Gaislerova scored in double digits for the 11th-straight game dating back to last season. Fernandez added nine points, while Rylee Nudell had eight. Hamlet led the Crusaders with a game-high 15 points. Fernandez and Emily Dietz each had a team-high six rebounds for NDSU. Gaislerova and Fernandez each had three assists, while Tyrah Spencer, Fernandez and Dietz each had two steals, tying a career-high for Dietz.

NDSU was 20-of-48 (41.7%) from the field and 2-of-18 (11.1%) from 3-point range. The Crusaders were 16-of-53 (30.2%) from the floor and 5-of-27 (18.5%) from downtown. The Bison were 9-of-18 from the free throw line, while Valpo was 11-of-19 (57.9%) at the charity stripe. NDSU had a 30-22 advantage in the paint, while Valpo had an 11-2 advantage in second chance points after grabbing 14 offensive rebounds. 

The Bison return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 19, as they face San Francisco in the opening day of the 31st Annual Hatter Classic in DeLand, Fla.