QUICK JUMPERS

* North Dakota continues the homestand at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center hosting two more games before returning on the road next Thursday.

*The Fighting Hawks beat Kansas City 53-34 on Saturday, Jan. 22 to improve to an overall record of 12-8 and a 6-3 conference record.

* The Fighting Hawks had three players end in double figures against Kansas City. They have had at least three players end in double-figures in the last six games.

* Kacie Borowicz led the Fighting Hawks with 27 points. She had seven assists, secured five rebounds, and three steals. Borowicz scored all 12 points in the fourth quarter.

* Maggie Manson scored three three-pointers in the third quarter. She ended the afternoon with 13 points.

* Melissa Leet narrowly missed a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds. She scored ten of her points in the first quarter.

* Claire Orth was the final Fighting Hawk to end the afternoon in double figures with ten points, six rebounds and one steal.

* Sammiyah Hoskins was a factor on the boards with nine rebounds. She scored two points and had five assists.

* Kacie Borowicz earned Summit League TicketSmarter Player of the Week again. This is the first time this season a player has won it back-to-back in the Summit. She scored 48 points between the two games played this past week. She currently sits as the leading scorer in the Summit as she averages 18.8 points per game.

* North Dakota leads South Dakota State in the series, 41-31.

* The Jackrabbits currently sit at a 12-8 overall record. They are currently 8-1 for conference play. 

* North Dakota is currently averaging 67.5 points per game, and they are averaging 38.4 rebounds per game.

 * The Fighting Hawks were ranked ninth in the Summit's Preseason Coaches' Poll. They currently sit third in the standings.

 

ON TAP

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks will remain at home to host the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Jan. 27.

LAST TIME OUT

The University of North Dakota beat the Kansas City Roos, 78-66. The Roos took the initial lead, but a 6-0 run early in the quarter gave the Hawks the lead. At 7:35, Paige Bradford hit a three to bring the Roos within one. A second three from Kansas City gave them the lead, but Borowicz tied it with a hook shot. The back-and-forth battle continued as Kansas City took the lead once more, the Fighting Hawks tied it and took the lead, the Roos tied it, but it was North Dakota who came out with the lead (14-12, 2:10). The Roos hit a three late in the quarter, but North Dakota led it 17-15 headed into the second. North Dakota started the second quarter with momentum as Daninger hit a three, but the Roos responded with a three of their own to tie it once more. The Fighting Hawks proceeded to go on a 6-0 run. The two teams continued to battle as the clock wound down, but the Fighting Hawks were able to maintain the lead and extend it to nine headed into intermission (40-31). Manson stepped out of halftime with a three to help the Hawks extend their lead to 12. North Dakota hit another basket to force the Roos to call an early timeout (8:34). The Roos continued to fight and went on a 14-2 run towards the middle of the third to cut the difference to four. Daninger netted a three at 3:52 to extend the lead for the Fighting Hawks, but the back-and-forth battle continued until Orth jump started a 12-0 run for UND to put them up by double-figures at the end of the third (66-52). Kansas City stepped out of the quarter break prepared to attack and went on a 12-4 run until the media timeout was called at 4:50. Exiting the media timeout, the Roos scored their last basket of the game (4:19). North Dakota went on a 7-0 run to give them the 78-66 win over Kansas City.
 

ALL-TIME WITH SOUTH DAKOTA STATE

The University of North Dakota leads South Dakota State in the series, 41-31. The last time that the two teams played each other was on Jan. 1, 2022. The Fighting Hawks fell 54-72 to the Jackrabbits at Frost Arena.

TRIPLES FOR NUMBER THREE

Maggie Manson stepped up and hit three three-pointers in the third quarter against the Kansas City Roos. She ended the evening with 13 points. Manson currently has 38 three-pointers this season. She currently averages 8.0 points per game.

BIG BOARDS OFF THE BENCH

Sammiyah Hoskin has been a factor on the boards for the Fighting Hawks this season. She secured nine rebounds against Kansas City on Saturday, which is her single-game high since she transferred to North Dakota. She currently has a total of 51 rebounds this season (24 OFF/27 DEF). Although originally a guard, Hoskins has had to play forward alongside Olivia Lane and Melissa Leet this season.

BACK-TO-BACK FOR BOROWICZ

Kacie Borowicz leads the Fighting Hawks on offense this season. She averages 18.8 points per game, which has led to her being the leading scorer in the Summit. After scoring 48 points this past week against Oral Roberts and Kansas City, she earned the Summit League TicketSmarter Player of the Week Award after winning it last week as well. She is currently the only player across the league to have won it twice in a row this season. Borowicz is also the only player at North Dakota to have won it twice in a row since joining the Summit League.

 

SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA STATE

South Dakota enters the game with a 7-7 overall record and a 3-0 conference record. The Jackrabbits opened their season with a 70-49 win against Green Bay at Frost Arena. They then hit the road and faced losses to Mississippi State (71-76) and Iowa State (56-75) before returning to Frost Arena. The Jackrabbits hosted Montana State and beat them 78-49 before returning to the road.  They suffered their third road loss against Creighton, 55-76. The Jackrabbits traveled south and forced a split in the Gulf Coast Showcase where they lost to UMass (63-81) and beat UCLA (76-66) before their game against Charlotte was canceled. Before returning to Frost Arena, SDSU traveled to Northern Iowa where they fell 50-59. Upon their return to Frost, they fell to Missouri State (52-55) and Kansas State (73-79). Before heading into conference play, the beat Dakota Wesleyan 90-43. Their first conference game was against Kansas City, who fell to the Jackrabbits, 85-78. SDSU won their second conference game against Oral Roberts, 71-51. They then hosted North Dakota State and beat them 77-60 to give them a 3-0 conference record. They continued their winning streak with a win against North Dakota at home (72-54). Their first conference loss came when they visited Vermillion to play the South Dakota Coyotes (42-65). They then traveled to Omaha and beat the Mavericks (72-49) before heading to Denver and winning 87-43. The returned home to host St. Thomas, who they beat 88-47. Their last game was against Western Illinois, who they defeated 114-50.

NEXT UP

Following Thursday night's game, the University of North Dakota will finish off the home stand against the University of South Dakota. The tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 29.