QUICK JUMPERS
* North Dakota continues at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center hosting one more games before returning on the road Thursday in Denver.
*The Fighting Hawks head into Saturday's game with an overall record of 12-9 and a conference record of 6-4.
* Melissa Leet led the Fighting Hawks with ten points and six rebounds against the Jackrabbits. 
* Maggie Manson scored three three-pointers to end the night with nine points, two rebounds, a steal and a block.  
* Claire Orth and Sammiyah Hoskins ended the evening with seven points and two rebounds each. 
* Olivia Lane and Kacie Borowicz ended the evening with six points each. Lane had nine rebounds, and Borowicz had five rebounds. 
* 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. 
* Melissa Leet is currently leading the Summit in blocks with an average of 2.1 per game and a total of 44 this season. 
* North Dakota leads South Dakota in the series, 49-34. 
* The Coyotes currently sit at a 17-4 overall record. They are currently 10-0 for conference play. This has placed them as the current holder of the longest win streak in the nation.
* The Coyotes Chloe Lamb was one of 15 players named to the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year midseason watch list released last week. She was also announced to the WBCA's 'So You Want To Be A Coach' program.
* The Coyotes were picked as the preseason favorite and currently sit first in the standings. 
* 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 remain at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center to face the South Dakota Coyotes on Jan. 29. Opening tip is scheduled for 1 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The University of North Dakota fell to South Dakota State, 75-49. The Jackrabbits took the lead early scoring three three-pointers to put them up 9-0. The Fighting Hawks suffered a scoring drought until Manson hit a three pointer with 5:55 left in the first quarter to put UND on the board. SDSU responded with a three from Paiton Burckhard to start them on a 12-0 run towards the end of the first quarter.  The Fighting Hawks were not able to overcome the Jackrabbits as they led 25-9 headed into the second quarter. North Dakota entered the second quarter strong with a 7-0 run before the Jackrabbits hit a three at 6:11 (28-16). The Jackrabbits continued to attack and ended the quarter with a 6-0 run to give them a 38-19 lead at the intermission. Starting the third quarter, the teams battled back-and-forth, but the Jackrabbits went on a 12-0 run towards the middle of the quarter to extend the lead and end the quarter at 58-28. In the final quarter of the game, Hoskin started a 12-0 run for the Hawks, but they would not be able to overcome the Jackrabbits who won 75-49.

ALL-TIME WITH SOUTH DAKOTA
The University of North Dakota leads South Dakota in the series, 49-34. The last time that the two teams played each other was on Dec. 30, 2021. The Fighting Hawks fell 46-85 to the Coyotes at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, S. D. 

TRIPLES FOR NUMBER THREE
Maggie Manson had three three-pointers against the Jackrabbits on Thursday evening. She ended the night with nine points. Last Saturday, she also 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 41 three-pointers this season. 

HEATING UP HOSKINS
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 53 rebounds this season (26 OFF/27 DEF). Although originally a guard, Hoskins has had to play forward alongside Olivia Lane and Melissa Leet this season. Against the Jackrabbits, she ended the night with seven points and two rebounds. She stepped into the game off the bench to play the forward position as she has for most of the season.

LEET BRINGS THE HEAT
Melissa Leet led the Fighting Hawks in scoring on Thursday against the Jackrabbits. She ended the night with ten points. Besides her scoring ability, Leet has led the Fighting Hawks in blocks this season. Against the Jackrabbits, she tallied three blocks to add to her total, which is now 44. Leet recorded a career-high in blocks with nine against Oral Roberts on Jan. 20, 2022. She currently sits as the leader in blocks for the Summit League with an average of 2.1 per game. Leet sits 15th in the NCAA Division I stats standings for blocks. 

SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota enters the game with a 17-4 overall record and a 10-0 conference record. The Coyotes opened their season with a 71-73 loss against the University of Oklahoma. They then faced South Carolina who beat USD 72-41. Their first win came on the road against Drake, 61-46. The winning continued as the Coyotes hosted Briar Cliff at home, 83-35. The Coyotes suffered two losses to start the Paradise Jam tournament against Northwestern (57-73) and Texas A&M (44-58). They would win the final game of the tournament against Pitt in overtime, 72-61. USD continued their winning streak to end non-conference play against Wichita State (71-59), Bradley (62-39), Valparaiso (51-31), and Creighton (73-71). Their first conference game was against Oral Roberts, who fell to the Coyotes, 59-90. USD won their second conference game against Kansas City (67-57). The Coyotes continued their win-streak with a 85-46 win against North Dakota and a 65-38 win against North Dakota State at home. They hosted one more home game and gained another win against South Dakota State (65-42) before hitting the road to play Denver (79-51) and Omaha (68-45). The Coyotes rounded off the first half of Summit League play with wins against Western Illinois (70-53) and St. Thomas (70-43). Their most recent win was against the North Dakota State Bison 78-59 to give them a 10-0 conference record. 

NEXT UP
Following Saturday afternoon's game, the University of North Dakota travels to Denver to face the Pioneers on Thursday, Feb. 3. The tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT.