GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Trailing by 12 points halfway through the third quarter, the University of North Dakota made a spirited surge against North Dakota State (9-2, 4-1 Summit), shooting 71-percent in the final quarter and tying the game with 13 seconds left, but the Bison outlasted UND (0-10, 0-4 Summit) in the series opener, 64-60.
 
Three Fighting Hawks scored in double figures as Maggie Manson (14) paced the team and bench, who outscored North Dakota State 26-14, while Julia Fleecs (13) and Megan Zander (12) led UND starters. Olivia Lane also added nine points, scoring all her points in the fourth quarter. UND's persistence on the glass also resulted in the Fighting Hawks outscoring the Bison on second chances, 16-3.
 
"We got hot shooting which helped us a lot tonight, I'll be honest," said Interim Head Coach Mallory Bernhard. "We put the press in a little bit and I think that intensity from the defensive side kid of carried over to our offense. We revved up the intensity in the full court press and it translated. Maggie hit a couple of shots and Olivia Lane brought a big spark inside in that fourth quarter. She just decided she was go inside and that's something we need from our posts."
 
It was a near deadlock between the two teams in the first half as each team scored six points in the paint and both benches scored in double figures, but it was NDSU that held the one-point advantage, 28-27. Only one three-pointer separated both teams as the Bison hit four to UND's three.
 
Each team responded to each other's attacks during the run of play. When North Dakota scored eight unanswered points in the first quarter, North Dakota State responded with seven unanswered of their own. After a Bison three-pointer, the Fighting Hawks responded with two of their own to turn their two-point deficit into a four-point lead.
 
With Zander moving through the UND lane with poetic flow in the first half, she was the only double-digit scorer as she finished with 10 points. Manson added points in the opening 20.
 
A defensive calibration highlighted a slow offensive start for North Dakota in the final five minutes of the third quarter and the fourth quarter as the Hawks pressed NDSU for the last 15 minutes the entire length of the floor. A 7-0 run by the Fighting Hawks changed their fortune in the fourth quarter as it played a two-possession basketball game in the final five minutes.
 
The Fighting Hawks defense only allowed the Bison to go 6-for-12 from the field while UND went 10-for-14. North Dakota's relentless press accounted for four turnovers. Lane was the cog that kept the UND offensive machine moving, finishing a flawless 4-for-4 from the field with nine points and two rebounds.
 
UND and NDSU will close the Summit League series Saturday night at 5 p.m. on Midco, 100.3 FM The Cat in Grand Forks and 740 AM The Fan in Fargo.