BROOKINGS, S.D.-- South Dakota State extended its home regular season winning streak to 11 with a 66-52 victory Wednesday evening over North Dakota in non-conference action.
UND junior Lexi Klabo had a double-double with game highs of 22 points and 12 rebounds. Fallyn Freije added nine points andd nine boards.
“This team had grit and moxie, but we are still young and growing,” UND head coach Travis Brewster said. “We need to make free throws. The turnover margin was high against a veteran-laden SDSU team. We need to get ourselves in a better flow offensively, but we did get tougher tonight. UMASS is next, coming up Sunday at home.”
North Dakota (0-2) made four of its first six field goals to start the game and it was tight throughout the opening quarter. UND would finish the first 20 minutes with just three more field goals, however, including a 2-for-12 second quarter, to trail, 31-22, at the break.
That would be all the cushion that Jackrabbits (3-0) would need as they survived a few Fighting Hawk runs en route to the win. After SDSU took its first double-digit advantage midway through the third, Bailey Strand would later hit a triple to trim the lead to a half-dozen with a minute and change to go in the third.
North Dakota powered it back to five a few times in the fourth, the latter on a layup from Julia Fleecs for a 49-44 Jacks' lead with 6:44 left. UND could draw no closer, however, and SDSU remained undefeated on the young season.
UND opens the home portion of its schedule, hosting Massachusetts Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at the Betty.
Notes: Mikayla Reinke and Julia Fleecs each scored their first career points ... It was Klabo's seventh career double-double (six last season) ... Klabo eclipsed the 20-point mark for the fifth time in her career ... SDSU improved to 26-6 in non-conference home games in the last five seasons.
