GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Freshmen
Mia Loyd and
Josie Dillon each notched new career highs, part of 45 bench points for UND as the hosts prevailed 73-49 over Weber State Saturday afternoon at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. The win was UND's third straight and seventh in its last nine contests.
North Dakota (7-6, 2-2 Big Sky) had a balanced attack with four players etching double-digit point totals. UND recovered from a 1-for-10 start to the game to go on a 13-point run, taking a 20-point lead before the break en route to victory.
Weber State (0-13, 0-4) led 8-4 in the early going but UND embarked on a stretch that saw it post the next 13 points, holding the Wildcats without a field goal make for over four minutes to take the lead for good. Loyd had three-point play in that run, part of a nine-point opening half for the rookie from Minneapolis, Minn.
UND went into the halftime locker room with a 37-23 advantage, its first lead at the break since a Dec. 8 home win over Drake.
Dillon's nine points came on 3-for-4 shooting from distance as she tallied new personal bests with nine points, five rebounds, two steals and 17 minutes for the home team.
Katie Houdek added 12 off-the-bench while
Madi Buck and
Emily Evers each contributed 10 points in the win.
Weber State got 14 points from leading scorer Kia Rhodes. Desiree Ramos chipped-in 11 for the visitors.
UND will take to the road for a four-game road trip beginning Thursday at the University of Montana. Tip time is slated for 8:00 p.m. Central.
Notes: North Dakota is 4-0 in games in which it leads at halftime ... UND's 45-point effort from its bench was easily a season best ... UND shot 47.5 percent from the field (28-of-59), a new season high ... North Dakota enjoyed a 24-4 advantage in points in the paint in Saturday's win ... With Loyd leading the team in scoring Saturday, six different players have been the team's leading scorer in a game this season ... UND's starting lineup of
Brianna Williams,
Nicole Smart,
Megan Lauck, Buck and Evers has combined to go 6-1 as a starting group this season.