MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.-- Host Minnesota held off visiting North Dakota, 57-47, in non-conference action at Williams Arena Wednesday. UND held Big Ten scoring leader Rachel Banham in check for most of the game as the Gophers' all-time leading scorer had only a season-low 17 in the Gopher win.

"We have to develop more mental and physical toughness on the road and stop beating ourselves," UND head coach Travis Brewster. "Again, we showed signs of this numerous times this season, but now that conference season is here it's time to put it all together. Minnesota made some crucial runs. The encouraging part was our defensive effort."

Minnesota's (7-3) duo of Banham and Carlie Wagner came in as the second-leading scoring duo in all of NCAA Division I. The pair, who averages nearly 44 points per game combined, mustered just 27 points on just 10-of-30 shooting.

However, UND (4-7) couldn't take advantage, turning the ball over 28 times in the loss. The visitors were the aggressors early on, scoring the first four points of the ball game. Minnesota finally got on the board nearly two-and-a-half minutes in and sparked a 12-0 run. UND went without a field goal for 5:40 as the Gophers claimed a 19-8 advantage after the first quarter.

In the second, North Dakota held UM to just one field goal through the first nine minutes of that frame. Meanwhile, the lead began to shrink, trimming down to four a few occasions before settling at five at halftime, 24-19. UND would outscore the Gophers 11-5 in that second period to take momentum into intermission.

MInnesota got its lead back to 14 in the third quarter before facing another North Dakota rally. Leah Szabla had eight points in the final 3:13 of the frame, including a pair of triples from the right wing to make it a seven-point game heading into the final stanza.

After Stephanie Smith's bucket down low for the first score of the final quarter to make it a five-point game, Minnesota allowed it to get no closer to escape with the 57-47 win.

Senior Mia Loyd registered her 30th career double-double in the loss, recording team highs with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Makailah Dyer added eight points, nine rebounds and five assists. Leah Szabla had 10 points and six rebounds for North Dakota.

UND will head to Idaho to open league play on New Years' Eve at 4:00 p.m. Central.

Notes: Jordan Meyer played in her first career game ... Banham had scored at least 20 points in all of her team's games this season, the only NCAA D-1 player to make that claim ... UND held a 46-34 edge on the glass ... Dyer's nine rebounds tied a career high .. North Dakota's last road win came Jan. 29, 2015 against Weber State, who currently leads the Big Sky Conference through non-league play.