MISSOULA, Mont. - In its first test against a Big Sky opponent since announcing that it will become a league affiliate at the start of the 2012-13 season, the University of North Dakota fell 69-59 in a hard-fought battle against Montana in the final game of the Lady Griz Holiday Classic.
"I thought our players really responded and played very hard," said UND head coach Gene Roebuck. "We played with a lot of heart, a lot of emotion and really went after them. We didn't come up with a win, but we can build on this game.
The Fighting Sioux (2-9) were led by freshman forward Megan Lauck, who tallied a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double off of the bench to mark the first collegiate double-double for the Arden Hills, Minn., native and the first for the Fighting Sioux this season.
"I didn't even know that I had that many rebounds, to be honest," said Lauck. "We all need to rebound and just go at it and that's what I did."
Lauck was 4-for-7 one of three Sioux players to finish in double figures.
Also coming off of the bench, redshirt freshman Katie Houdek (Grafton, N.D.) topped the Sioux in scoring with 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the free throw line. Senior forward Mallory Youngblut (Davenport, Iowa) added 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
"I give Katie a lot of credit for coming off of the bench and having the kind of game that she had," said Roebuck. "Megan had a great game and Mallory has found her groove again."
Overall, UND shot .356 (21-for-59) from the field and out-shot the Grizzlies with a .455 (10-for-22) shooting percentage at three-point range. The Fighting Sioux also led the rebounding battle with a 40-35 advantage.
Led by 15 points and seven rebounds from Sarah Ena, Montana (5-8) finished with four players in double figures. Katie Baker finished with 14 points and six rebounds, Stephanie Stender scored 13 points - nine from three-point range, and Alyssa Smith rounded out UM's top scorers with 10 points.
The Grizzlies finished 20-for-51 (.392) from the field, .421 (7-for-17) from beyond the arc, and .710 (22-for-31) at the free throw line.
In front of over 2,700 fans at the Dahlberg Arena, home of the Montana Grizzlies, the Fighting Sioux overcame a pair of 10-point deficits in the first half to go into halftime trailing just 34-28. Sophomore guard Nicole Smart (Ada, Minn.) led UND's attack in the latter minutes of the opening half going 3-for-4 from beyond the three-point arc to score nine points.
"I told them at half time that this was the first time this season that I have seen them play as the Fighting Sioux," said Roebuck.
Back out of the break the Sioux used an 11-3 run to tie the game at 37-37. With 15:04 on the clock, Youngblut nailed a jumper to tie the game. In the two minutes that followed, Lauck nailed a three-pointer and Houdek dropped in a pair of free throws to give UND the 42-37 lead.
The game was knotted twice more until a big 10-2 run pushed Montana into a 55-50 lead. All but four of UM's points in that run were scored at the free throw line.
With a quick five points from Baker and two from Smith, the Fighting Sioux found themselves trailing 59-50 with just over five minutes remaining in the game. UND stayed within range, but with late-game free throws, the Grizzles managed to stave off another Sioux comeback.
"We played a lot better as a team tonight," said Lauck. "And that's what coach Roebuck was most proud of."
UND shot very well from the free throw line going 7-for-8 (.875), but it may have been the 21 points scored off of UM's 31 free throw attempts that proved to be a major factor in UND's loss.
"It was their floor and calls are calls," said Roebuck. "We weren't in the bonus for a while and that kind of hurt us a little bit. We got in foul trouble and had to move some players around a little bit."
For her performance during the tournament, Youngblut was named to the all-tournament team. The Davenport, Iowa, native finished with 43 points and nine rebounds. She shot .583 (14-for-24) from the field, .600 (6-for-10) at three-point range, and .900 (9-for-10) at the free throw line.
North Dakota will open the 2011 portion of the season the same way it ended the 2010 season - on the road. On Saturday, Jan. 1 the Fighting Sioux will take on Toledo. Tip-off between the Sioux and the Rockets is scheduled for at Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio.
GAME NOTES: Montana now leads the all-time series 2-1 ... Since the beginning the transition to NCAA Division I status in 2007, the Fighting Sioux have gone 3-1 against members of the Big Sky Conference ... Since the inaugural season of the Great West Conference (2008-09), UND has gone 11-1 against league foes and 8-22 against non-conferenced opponents ... The University of North Dakota women's basketball program holds a 770-290 record all-time since the first game was played in 1974. Under head coach Gene Roebuck, UND is 594-126 ... All-time, the Fighting Sioux are 419-83 (.835) when it comes to defending their own court and are 323-39 (.892) under the tutelage of Gene Roebuck ... UND is 85-14 (.859) all-time at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, which opened prior to the 2004-05 season.
- Go Sioux -
