Box Score (PDF)

FARGO, N.D. - The North Dakota State women's basketball team closed the first half on a 21-0 run Friday night, as the Bison beat Purdue Fort Wayne 70-54 in the Summit League opener for both teams.

Neither team scored in the first two minutes until Anna Lappenkuper hit a layup for the Mastodons with 7:33 left in the quarter. A 3-pointer by Michelle Gaislerova with 7:18 left in the quarter sparked a 10-0 run that gave NDSU the lead for good. Cirkeline Rimdal hit a jumper in the lane at the buzzer, giving NDSU a 16-9 lead after the first quarter. 

After the Mastodons got buckets from Hannah Hess and Ellie Dykstra in the first 2:42 of the second quarter, it was all Bison. A free throw by Emily Dietz with 6:56 to play in the half started the 21-0 run. The Bison hit just one 3-pointer during the run, while eight of the points came at the free throw line.

A jumper by Gaislerova with 5:52 left in the third quarter pushed the lead to 28, the largest of the season for the Bison. Purdue Fort Wayne went on a 14-0 run over a 3:48 span from the third to fourth quarters. A layup by Sh'Toya Sanders with 7:41 to play cut the Bison lead to 52-39. NDSU pushed the lead back to 17 with 4:31 to play. The Mastodons cut the lead to 11 on three different occasions in the final two minutes, but couldn't get any closer in the 70-54 Bison victory.

Sofija Zivaljevic led the Bison with a career-high 16 points. Rylee Nudell added 13 points off the bench, while Tyrah Spencer joined them in double figures with 12 points. De'Jour Young led the Mastodons with a game-high 19 points. Marina Fernandez had a team-high eight rebounds, while Dietz, Nudell and Danneka Voegeli each had five boards. Spencer had a team-high four assists and two blocked shots, while Zivaljevic had a career-high two steals.

The Bison were 22-of-52 (42.3%) from the floor and 5-of-16 (31.3%) from 3-point range. Purdue Fort Wayne was 22-of-63 (34.9%) from the field and 5-of-14 (35.7%) from downtown. NDSU was 21-of-29 (72.4%) at the free throw line, while Purdue Fort Wayne was 5-of-10 at the charity stripe. The Bison had a 13-6 advantage in points off turnovers.

NDSU will have a quick turnaround, as the Bison will host South Dakota at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 30 at the Scheels Center.