GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Host North Dakota held off first-place Montana State, 77-76, in an exhilarating finish to the regular season Friday afternoon at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. UND rallied from down 11 in the third quarter and had to stave off multiple threats in the closing seconds to escape with the win for its 12th win in the last 13 contests.

Junior Leah Szabla notched her second 20-point game of her career, returning from a bloody open lip sustained in what had the looks of a heavyweight fight on multiple occasions. She made some big free throws in the final quarter, but a pair of missed freebies may have affected the outcome differently if not for a huge Mia Loyd offensive rebound.

MSU would stay in the game with late threes from Delaney Junkermier and Hannah Caudill but UND dodged a bullet at the buzzer when Jasmine Hommes' shot was off the mark and UND emerged victorious, keeping MSU from clinching an outright Big Sky Conference regular-season title.

The key stretch that fueled the Fighting Hawks' third-quarter run was a six-point possession. It started with a tough basket by Makailah Dyer and a foul to send her to the line. Lexi Klabo corralled an offensive rebound and later a technical foul was assessed to Caudill to extend the trip. Dyer made both freebies then Klabo got the deficit all the way down to three with a jumper for a 43-40 Bobcat lead. North Dakota couldn't quite pull in front in that period, however, it tied the score on several occasions including a period-ending halfcourt swish from Samantha Roscoe to firmly place the momentum in UND's corner.

Kelsey Knox's only bucket of the game gave North Dakota a lead at 61-60. After Hommes answered on the next possession, Szabla and Jill Morton scored on back-to-back trips to put UND in front for good. The lead would grow to as many as seven in the final 1:44 but the Bobcats had ammunition for a comeback. Junkermier's three made it 70-66 with 1:14 remaining.

The lead was seemingly in good hands at 74-68 with 39 seconds to go until Lindsay Stockton hit two free throws and Junkermier added a three moments later to trim it to three. Caudill put the building on edge with another three and under 10 seconds remaining with the score 77-76 North Dakota. UND was able to maneuver around three missed free throws and a lane violation in the final 10 seconds to pick up its fifth straight win and finish the season 11-3 at home this season.

UND led 17-14 after one period of play, but MSU (21-8, 14-4) out-scored the home team, 27-15 in the second period alone for a nine-point halftime cushion. At the break, MSU had taken advantage of free throw opportunities, making 15-of-16 chances while holding the Big Sky Conference Preseason Player of the Year Loyd to just two points and two rebounds.

Loyd and her teammates went to work in the second half, garnering a 23-14 edge in the third quarter before the final-period fireworks.

UND had three players in double fugures led by Szabla's 20. Dyer chipped in 16 while Roscoe contributed 14 in the win. MSU was led by Peyton Ferris' 17 points with Junkermier adding 16, Hommes 15 and Caudill 11 for the Bobcats.

North Dakota has earned the fourth seed in the upcoming Big Sky Conference Tournament and a first-round bye. UND's quarterfinal game will be against the winner of the No. 5 and No. 12 teams Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. Central.