GRAND FORKS, N.D. – North Dakota junior forward Lexi Klabo told the assembled media following the Fighting Hawks' 82-52 win over UMass on Sunday that UND prefers to play a physical game.
Good thing, too, as Klabo and her teammates withstood a third-quarter body slam, a punch and an ejection on their way to victory over the Minutewomen in UND's regular-season home opener. Klabo was the key player, scoring a game-high 23 points to go with 13 rebounds for her eighth career double-double and second in a row.
Klabo also hauled in eight rebounds, including one that started the game's signature sequence with 6:29 left in the third quarter.
With UND leading 43-29, Klabo grabbed a rebound in front of the home bench and was wrestled down from behind by UMass' Bre Hampton-Bey. As the melee was breaking up, Hampton-Bey then landed a punch to the cheek of UND's Fallyn Freije. Hampton-Bey was assessed a pair of fouls and ejected from the game after a lengthy video review.
Klabo and Freije promptly hit all four of their free throws and Melissa Dailey followed with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, blowing the doors open on a game that UND hadn't quite been able to pull away from to that point despite leading comfortably throughout.
UND head coach Travis Brewster said his team's reaction to the third-quarter scuffle was critical.
“We talked [in the huddle] about how we're going to focus on this. We need to make our free throws, we need to make the next play. We've got to be smart,” said Brewster. “I thought we handled ourselves well. We were a little rattled at first, we were a little shook, but we calmed down and dialed it back in.”
Dailey and Jill Morton combined for three more treys to close out the period to give the Fighting Hawks a 63-41 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
“It was for sure a physical, scrappy game but that's kind of the way we like to play it,” said Klabo, with a smile, following the game.
The Fargo, N.D., native was a pedestrian 4-11 from the field but augmented that with a brilliant 15-16 effort from the free-throw line. She received plenty of help from Freije (16 points), Morton (16) and Dailey (11) as UND rebounded from consecutive losses at South Dakota State and Oregon State.
We moved the basketball a lot better,” said Brewster. “Better than what we did in Brookings, better than what we did at Oregon State. It's just a process for this group. We're still young, still figuring out our identity. I thought we kept our composure out there, that was the biggest thing.”
A fast start was key for the Fighting Hawks, who opened the game on a 15-4 run on the way to a first-quarter lead of 22-10 and a halftime edge of 39-24.
“I thought we came out with good energy and intensity,” said Klabo. “We were just attacking them and attacking their zone. We got a little stagnant there at the end but we did some good things – we rebounded well – and I think we got better.”
UND shot 41.8 percent from the field, including 8-18 on three-pointers and held a decisive advantage (55-37) on the glass.
Klabo was the pivotal player at both ends of the court for UND (1-2).
“We've known that she's had this ability,” said Brewster. “The biggest thing now is she's got to understand that people are going to be saying, 'Hey, we can't let her do that.' That's going to be her next challenge. But that's a heck of a night for her.
“You've got to credit her teammates for getting her the ball in the right spots. It's a good night for her, but if you talk to her she's probably more excited for how her team did,” continued Brewster.
Hampton-Bey and Hailey Leidel led the Minutewomen with 11 points each. The Minutewomen shot just 28 percent from the field.
UND returns to the road this week for a pair of games in San Antonio, where the Fighting Hawks will face Lamar (Nov. 24) and UT-San Antonio (Nov. 25).
