GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Junior Makailah Dyer led all scorers with 21 points as North Dakota picked up back-to-back wins for the first time this season with a 78-67 victory over Western Illinois on Tuesday at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Senior Mia Loyd added 13 points and 11 rebounds for UND (3-5) to register her third double-double of the season.
Sophie Reichelt led WIU (6-4) in scoring with 17 points, while Taylor McClintock added 11 points and Taylor Higginbotham scored 10 for the visitors.
UND built an 8-2 lead on a jumper by Fallyn Freije, but the Leathernecks would get their offense going from beyond the arc. WIU made four 3-pointers in the closing six minutes of that stanza to claim a 15-12 advantage.
The Fighting Hawks would get the lead back thanks to an 8-0 run to open the second quarter and that allowed the home team to take a 32-29 lead at the break.
The Leathernecks, who came in averaging more than 85 points per game, were not shy about hoisting long-distance shots as four of their six field goals came on 17 attempts from beyond the arc, while UND went just 2-for-6 from 3-point range. Those two makes were big though coming on back-to-back possessions late in the first half to break a 24-24 tie.
Sophie Rickelt tried to keep WIU in it early in the second half with eight straight points for the visitors, but UND would never give up the lead after halftime.
The Fighting Hawks would grow their lead to as many as 20 with just under two minutes to play before WIU closed the game on a 9-0 run.
The much larger UND roster out-muscled WIU on the boards to the tune of 48-26 and scored 42 paint points in the win. Junior Stephanie Smith totaled eight points and eight rebounds while Samantha Roscoe chipped in eight points and five boards down low.
Senior Kelsey Knox filled the stat sheet with a career-high-tying seven rebounds, six points, two steals and an assist.
North Dakota hosts arch-rival North Dakota State Saturday afternoon at the Betty with tip set for 2:00 p.m.
Notes: It marked Loyd's 28th career double-double ... Dyer now has surpassed the 20-point plateau nine times in her career ... North Dakota is the only team to hold WIU under 75 points this season ... UND is 36-10 at home in head coach Travis Brewster's tenure.
