BROOKINGS, S.D. – The North Dakota State women's basketball team topped South Dakota State, 76-68, in a matchup of two unbeaten teams in Summit League play on Saturday afternoon at First Bank & Trust Arena in front of 4,138 fans.
With the win, the Bison (16-2, 5-0 Summit) improved to 5-0 in Summit League play for the first time in program history and snapped a 24-game losing streak to South Dakota State (14-5, 4-1 Summit) that dated back to 2015. NDSU also ended the Jackrabbits' 67-game Summit League regular season game win streak, which was the longest active in the nation.
Avery Koenen guided the Bison with a game-high 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field. She also hauled in a game-best 13 rebounds with two blocks and two steals for her 13th double-double of the season.
Jocelyn Schiller added 14 points with seven rebounds, while
Marisa Frost totaled 14 points with a game-high five assists.
As a team, the Bison shot 42.9 percent (27-63) from the field and 81.0 percent (17-21) from the free throw line. NDSU scored 40 points in the paint and 16 off of turnovers. The Bison also grabbed 38 rebounds as a team with six different players posting at least two.
NDSU took advantage of 11 first half turnovers from South Dakota State and trailed at the intermission, 35-32. The Bison then used a momentum shifting 9-0 run to build a 43-39 advantage after
Karrington Asp delivered a jumper at the 5:11 mark in the third quarter. NDSU closed the frame with back-to-back triples from Frost and
Abby Krzewinski to push the lead to 56-45 at the end of the third.
The Bison started the fourth quarter opening up their largest lead of the game, 58-45, with a layup from Koenen with 9:24 to play. The Jackrabbits made one final surge assembling six straight points to cut the deficit down to six, 68-62, following a free throw from Katie Vasecka with 2:04 remaining. The Bison responded with a layup from Frost and triple from
Molly Lenz to increase the lead back into double digits, 73-62, with 1:16 to play. NDSU held off South Dakota State the rest of the way to secure the 76-68 road win.
NDSU will be back in action at St. Thomas on Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.
