QUICK JUMPERS
* North Dakota heads to St. Paul to face the Tommies on Saturday, Jan. 15 before returning to the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center to host a few home games. The Fighting Hawks beat Western Illinois 76-65 on Thursday, Jan. 13 to boost them to an overall record of 9-8 and a 3-3 conference record.
* The Fighting Hawks had three players end in double figures against Western Illinois.
* Kacie Borowicz led the Fighting Hawks with 33 points, which matches her single game high that she netted against Montana State earlier this season.
* Melissa Leet followed with 13 points and eight rebounds.
* Maggie Manson ended the evening as the third leading scorer with ten points. 
* The two teams have played each other once in their histories. This was before they were both Division I in 1980. North Dakota leads the series. 1-0.
* The St. Thomas Tommies currently sit at a 6-8 overall record. They are currently 3-1 for conference play.
* Kacie Borowicz currently sits at third in scoring in the Summit League.
* North Dakota currently leads the Summit League in free-throw percentage with a .788.
* UND is currently averaging 67.8 points per game, and they are averaging 38.0 rebounds per game.
 * UND was ranked ninth in the Summit's Preseason Coaches' Poll. They currently sit fourth in the standings.

 
ON TAP
The North Dakota Fighting Hawks head to St. Paul to face the St. Thomas Tommies. Opening tip is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15.
 
 
LAST TIME OUT
The University of North Dakota flew past the Western Illinois Leathernecks 76-65 on Thursday evening. The Fighting Hawks took the initial lead going up 4-0 before the Leathernecks went on a 9-0 run to put them up 9-4 with 5:47 left to play in the first quarter. The Hawks and Leathernecks traded baskets as the first came to an end, but it was Western Illinois who led 15-10 headed into the second quarter. North Dakota came out prepared with a jumper from Orth and a jumper from Manson to bring them within one in the first minute and a half. The battle continued as Western Illinois hit a three. The teams continued the back-and-forth battle, but a layup from Daninger at 5:58 tied the game at 20. Borowicz hit a two to give UND the lead, but Evan Zars scored a layup to tie it once again. Seconds later, Leet put the Fighting Hawks in the lead but another tie would come seconds later. A three from the Leathernecks gave them the lead, but Daninger responded with a three to tie it yet again. Leet hit a jumper to give them the lead, and Borowicz extended it with a basket and pair of free throws to give the Hawks the 33-27 lead. In the third quarter, the Leathernecks came out and hit a three, but Manson hit a three in the next possession to keep them up by three. The fight continued as the teams traded twos and threes. Western Illinois brought it within one with 6:56 left in the third, but Manson hit another three to extend the UND lead. With 6:09 left in the quarter, the Leathernecks tied it. Borowicz hit a bucket and Lane added a layup to help the Hawks pull away. As the quarter wound down, the Fighting Hawks extended the lead 59-48. In the final quarter of the game, the Leathernecks scored first, but the Fighting Hawks responded to keep them up by 11. The Leathernecks continued to fight, but the Fighting Hawks defense and offense kept them in the lead. The Fighting Hawks won 76-65.
 
ALL-TIME WITH ST. THOMAS
The University of North Dakota is beating St. Thomas in the series 1-0. The two teams played each other before they entered their Division I eras. The last time that the two teams played each other was on Dec. 20, 1980. The Fighting Hawks beat the Tommies at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, 76-64.
 
BIG BUCKETS BOROWICZ
Kacie Borowicz has been a leader on the court for the Fighting Hawks since her return to play at the Montana State game. During that game, she netted a career single game high of 33 points. Twenty of those points came from free-throws, which led her to breaking a UND record. Since then, Borowicz has continued to lead the charge in some capacity. Most recently, she tied her single game high with 33 points against Western Illinois. She leads the team in points with an average of 18.1 per game.
 
LEAVE IT TO LEET
Melissa Leet had 13 points and eight rebounds against the Western Illinois Leathernecks. During two instances in the game against the Leathernecks, Leet helped the Fighting Hawks take the lead. These buckets by Leet came at crucial moments in the second quarter when the Hawks were battling to take a lead since losing it early in the first to the Leathernecks. Leet finished in double figures against the Denver Pioneers on Saturday, Jan. 8.
 
SCOUTING ST. THOMAS
St. Thomas enters the game with an 6-8 overall record and a 3-1 conference record. The Tommies opened their season on the road against Wisconsin with a loss of 51-67. They then returned home to host Illinois State (55-70).  Their first win was on the road against South Carolina State, 65-50. They continued their road streak, but they fell to Presbyterian College (62-82), Cal Poly (51-63) and the University of North Texas (54-81). The Tommies returned to St. Paul and hosted Northern Iowa, but they were unable to secure a win and fell 62-102. They secured their second win against Chicago State, 62-57. The Tommies then rounded out their non-conference play with a split at home. They fell to Idaho State (57-67) and beat Northland College (92-19). Their first Summit League opponent was the Omaha Mavericks who beat the Tommies 61-55. Their first conference win was against Denver (56-48). The winning streak continued as they headed to Macomb, Ill. to play Western Illinois. The Tommies won in double overtime, 66-64. Their last game was against the North Dakota State Bison who they beat 73- 62.
 
NEXT UP
Following Saturday afternoon's game, the University of North Dakota returns to the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center to host Oral Roberts on Thursday, Jan. 20. The tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.