GRAND FORKS, N.D.--Senior center Ashley Langen scored 23 points to lead the top-ranked Fighting Sioux to a 73-64 win over Mayville State tonight at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
UND improves to 9-0 on the season.
The Sioux found little breathing room in this one, due largely to the red-hot shooting of Mayville State guard Cassie Leraas, who went 7-of-11 from 3-point range en route to a 29-point night.
Leraas' three-pointer from the top of the key with just over a minute remaining in the first half tied the game at 33-33, then teammate Jamie Wheeler knocked down a triple with 30 seconds left in the period to send the NAIA Comets to the locker room with a 36-35 lead.
Neither team was able to distinguish itself with any sort of sustained run in the early moments of the second half, with several lead changes occurring.
The Sioux briefly regained the lead on their opening possession of the second half when sophomore Alys Seay (Grand Forks) hit a baseline jumper to make it 37-36, but Leraas, as she did all night, came right back with a big three-pointer to put the Comets back on top.
A Danye Guinn (Jr., St. Francis, Minn.) three-pointer followed by a Langen bucket briefly put the Sioux on top by four two minutes into the half, but the Comets answered with a 7-0 run - highlighted by another Leraas three - that made it 49-45 Mayville with with 14:38 remainng.
Leraas would hit two more threes to tie the game againat 57-57 with 7:20 remaining, but UND's Jossy Bergan (So., Valley City, N.D.) countered with a three of her own to give UND a 60-57 with 7:06 left, and this time UND would not relinquish the lead.
Junior forward Kierah Kimbrough buried a jumper from the right elbow to stretch the lead to five with 5:43 remaining, then Mallory Youngblut (Fr., Davenport, iowa) followed with a jumper of her own with 4:39 left to make it 66-60.
With the Comets refusing to go quietly trailing by six, Youngblut made the key play for the Sioux with 2:30 remaining. Youngblut came off a screen at the top of the key and nailed another three-pointer to give UND a nine-point lead, its largest cushion of the evening.
Kimbrough finished with 16 points and Guinn added 11.
Wheeler was the only Comet other than Leraas to reach dobule figures, scoring 11 points.
The Sioux shot 42 percent from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc, while the Comets shot 43 percent from the floor and 40 percent from long distance. While Leraas went 7-of-11 on three-pointers, the rest of the team went just 1-for-9.
UND returns to action this weekend when the Sioux travel to Brigham Young University Hawaii on Friday and Hawaii Pacific on Saturday.
