QUICK JUMPERS

* Saturday's contest will mark the Fighting Hawks' first home game since their win against Montana State on Nov. 20.

* North Dakota returns to the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center having gone 2-1 on the East Coast. Their wins were against Brown and Siena. Their loss was a close match against Bucknell.

* This game marks the first time that UND has faced the Minnesota Morris Cougars in their histories.

* Claire Orth enters the match having scored double digits in all three matches out East. She scored 15 points against Bucknell, 17 points against Brown, and 17 points against Siena.

* Kacie Borowicz also ended the venture in the East with three double-digit games. She scored 12 points against Bucknell, 17 points against Brown, and 18 points against Siena.

* Minnesota Morris currently sits at a 1-7 record. Their only win is against Concordia College (Minn.).

 * UND currently sits third in the Summit League standings after being ranked ninth in Summit's Preseason Coaches' Poll. 

ON TAP

Returning home after three straight road games, the North Dakota Fighting Hawks will play the Minnesota Morris Cougars at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center on Saturday, Dec. 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT

The Fighting Hawks beat the Siena Saints (71-63) to end their travels on the East Coast. North Dakota started the game off strong with a 4-0 run. This set them up with the lead early, and they would keep the lead throughout the entire game. Kacie Borowicz, Claire Orth and Maggie Manson led the Hawks on offense on Tuesday night. Borowicz had 18 points, Orth had 17 points, and Manson had 16 points. Joli Daninger led the defense with nine rebounds and four steals. UND went 46.4 percent from the floor, 50.0 percent from the three and 85.7 percent at the line. Siena shot 40.3 percent from the floor, 29.4 percent from the three and 80.0 percent from the line. Although the Saints never held a lead, they held an advantage in points in the paint (30-24), points off turnovers (16-15), and fast break points (7-4). UND won the rebounding battle (38-29) and second chance points (11-6). The teams tied at 16 for points off the bench.

ALL-TIME WITH MINNESOTA MORRIS

The North Dakota and Minnesota Morris women's basketball programs have never met in their histories. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Fighting Hawks and Cougars.

MAGGIE MAKES MOVES

Maggie Manson had a double-digit (16 pts) night against Siena on Tuesday night. She started off the evening with five of the 18 points in the first quarter. She continued to help UND keep the momentum going throughout a tough second quarter where Siena cut the lead within three. She ended the half with 13 points and would add another three in the second half to join Orth and Borowicz as the third player to end in double-digits that evening.

CLAIRE COMES IN CLUTCH

Claire Orth had three double-digit matches out East. She scored 15 points against Bucknell, 17 points against Brown, and 17 points against Siena. Her 32 combined points in the Vermont Tournament earned her an all-tournament team selection. During the past three games, she has been the first to score for the Hawks in five of the last 12 quarters played. Orth has scored 99 points and has had 20 steals so far this season.
 

BOROWICZ THE BALLER

Kacie Borowicz has become one the Fighting Hawks leading scorers alongside Orth. After a big first regular season game, Borowicz has taken a spot as an official starter. She started in all three matches this past week and scored in the double-digits for all three. She ended the venture having scored 12 points against Bucknell, 17 points against Brown, and 18 points against Siena. Orth and Borowicz tied for the leader of the weekend, with Orth leading against Bucknell, Borowicz leading against Siena and both tying against Brown. Having started a few games behind Orth, Borowicz currently sits at 80 points and four steals this season.
 

SCOUTING MINNESOTA MORRIS

Minnesota Morris enters the weekend with a 1-7 overall record. The Cougars opened their season at home against Concordia College (Minn.), which ended in a 60-55 win. Since then, they have lost six straight games. The first set of losses was when they went 0-2 in the St. Ben's Tipoff Tournament against the host, College of Saint Benedictine (57-64) and Wisconsin-Oshkosh (31-82). They continued their road travels and fell to Augustana in SD (55-86), Bemidji State (58-77), and Mayville State (34-74). The Cougars then hosted Mayville State a week later for a rematch, but they fell again, 57-68. They had another loss at Dakota State (49-91) on Thursday, Dec. 2.  Minnesota Morris was picked ninth in the UMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. They currently sit ninth in the standings.

NEXT UP

Following Saturday afternoon's game, the Fighting Hawks will head to Milwaukee to play Marquette. Tip-off is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 11 at 4 p.m.