SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The North Dakota State women's basketball team led by as much as 28 on Sunday, as the third-seeded Bison women beat sixth-seeded Denver 79-67 in the Summit League Quarterfinals. The Bison moved to the Summit League Semifinals for the second-straight year.

NDSU improved to 15-8 overall, while the Pioneers dropped to 7-16 overall. NDSU moved to 2-1 all-time as the number three seed, while moving to 2-0 against Denver in the Summit League Tournament. The victory was the 225th career win for NDSU Head Coach Jory Collins, who improved to 22-4 all-time as a head coach in conference tournaments. The Bison will face second-seeded South Dakota on Monday, March 8, in the Summit League Semifinals. Tipoff is set for 2:45 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon.

Heaven Hamling led the Bison with 16 points, five rebounds and three steals. Hamling was 4-of-5 from 3-point range, tied for the most 3-pointers in a Summit League Tournament game in school history. Ryan Cobbins added 14 points, while Reneya Hopkins dropped in 11. With eight points, Emily Dietz moved over 900 points for her career. Dietz added five rebounds and three assists. Abby Schulte had a career-high five assists, the second most by a Bison in the Summit League Tournament. Emily Behnke tied a career-high with two steals. Meghan Boyd led the Pioneers with 19 points on 6-of-22 shooting.

NDSU's 79 points and 10 3-pointers were the most the Bison have ever had in the Summit League Tournament, while the 15 assists were the second most in a tournament game. The Bison were 28-of-60 (46.7%) from the field and 10-of-23 (43.5%) from downtown, including 7-of-12 (58.3%) from beyond the arc in the first quarter. Denver was 24-of-57 (42.1%) from the floor and 5-of-25 from 3-point range. NDSU was 13-of-18 (72.2%) at the free throw line, while Denver was 14-of-19 (73.7%). 

The Bison held an early 9-2 lead, but Denver used a 12-5 run to tie the game at 14-14 with 4:21 left in the first quarter. A 3-pointer by Michelle Gaislerova sparked an 11-0 run to close the first quarter. NDSU never trailed again after the 3-pointer by Gaislerova. Denver cut the lead to eight with 7:33 left in the first half, but a 10-0 Bison run put the lead to double digits for good. A 13-4 Bison run in the third quarter pushed the lead to 28 with 2:12 left in the quarter. The Bison led 75-50 with 4:59 to play when Denver closed the game on a 19-4 run.