QUICK JUMPERS

* North Dakota hosts their second game at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center this week against the Denver Pioneers. The Fighting Hawks beat Omaha 71-57 on Thursday, Jan. 6 to boost them to an overall record of 7-8 and a 1-3 conference record.

* The Fighting Hawks are 4-2 at the Betty this season. They are 1-1 for conference play at home.

* The team are neck-in-neck for the series, but North Dakota currently leads against Denver, 5-4.

* UND is currently averaging 66.5 points per game, and they are averaging 367.1 rebounds per game.

* The Fighting Hawks had four players end the game against the Mavericks in double figures.

* Kacie Borowicz led the Fighting Hawks against the Mavericks. She scored17 points, secured eight rebounds, and had four assists.

* Claire Orth ended the evening with 15 points, eight rebounds, and three steals.

* Olivia Lane netted 12 points, secured eight rebounds, and had four assists.

* Maggie Manson was the final Hawk to hit the double-digits with ten points.

* The Denver Pioneers currently sit at a 5-9 overall record. They are currently 0-3 for conference play.

 * UND was ranked ninth in the Summit's Preseason Coaches' Poll. They currently sit seventh in the standings.

ON TAP

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks continue play at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center hosting Denver. Opening tip is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 8.

LAST TIME OUT

The University of North Dakota flew past the Omaha Mavericks, 71-57. The Fighting Hawks took the lead early, but Omaha battled throughout the first quarter causing a multitude of lead changes. The Mavericks ultimately took the 20-16 lead as the first quarter wound to an end. The Fighting Hawks came out in the second quarter led by Maggie Manson who hit a three and jumper to give them a 21-20 lead. North Dakota extended the lead with a jumper from Hoskins, but the Mavericks responded with a layup in the next possession. UND hit a stride, which resulted in a 6-0 run towards the middle of the second. Grace Cave netted a three to attempt to stop the run, but North Dakota's offense continued to attack as they went on a 15-2 run. Cave hit yet another three at 3:07, which helped shift the momentum to the Mavericks who went on a 10-0 run late in the quarter to bring them within three. North Dakota maintained a 38-35 lead headed into halftime. The Hawks came out hot and went on a 10-2 run early in the third. The battle continued throughout the quarter, but North Dakota ended it up by ten (54-44). The teams traded baskets early in the fourth. The Mavericks continued to battle, but they were unable to catch up to the Hawks. UND won the game 71-57. Kacie Borowicz led North Dakota with 17 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Claire Orth ended the evening with 15 points, eight rebounds, three steals and one block. Olivia Lane was the third Fighting Hawks to end the night in the double-digits with 12 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Maggie Manson rounded out the four ending in double figures netting ten points. The Fighting Hawks finished the evening shooting 50.0 percent from inside the arch, 42.9 percent from outside, and 88.9 percent from the free throw line. The Mavericks hit their shots at 35.6 percent from the field, 27.3 percent beyond the arch, and 90.0 percent from the line.

ALL-TIME WITH DENVER

The University of North Dakota leads Denver in the series, 5-4. The last time that the two teams played each other was on Feb. 6, 2021. The Fighting Hawks beat the Pioneers in Denver, 75-70.

BUCKETS AND BOARDS

Kacie Borowicz and Claire Orth both finished in the double figures against the University of Nebraska at Omaha. They narrowly missed double doubles with points and rebounds. Borowicz ended the evening with 17 points and secured eight rebounds, which is a career high on the boards. Orth was not far behind with 15 points and matched the eight boards, which was also a career high for her.

HAWKS FROM THE LINE

The Fighting Hawks are led by Kacie Borowicz from the line with a .962 free-throw percentage. The rest of the team does not rest far behind as North Dakota currently sits at a .786 percentage from the line. Joli Daninger currently comes in second with a .774, Claire Orth comes in third with a .769, followed by Olivia Lane and Jodi Anderson with a .759 percentage. The Hawks opponents currently sit at a .739 percentage for free-throws.

SCOUTING DENVER

Denver enters the game with a 5-9 overall record and a 0-3 conference record. The Pioneers opened their season on the road against Air Force with a loss of 62-79.  They returned home to host Missouri S&T and had their first win (70-61) of the season. They dropped two home contests to Wichita State (61-76) and Colorado State (43-67) before hosting the University of Denver Classic. During the University of Denver Classic, they went 1-1 winning their first game against Texas A&M Corpus Christi, 87-65. They then lost to Wyoming, 51-81. They returned on the road against Santa Barbara with a loss of 80-89. They played one more game in California and secured the 75-63 win against Cal Poly. This sparked a winning streak as they hosted Colorado Christian (89-62) and traveled to Butler to secure a 100-94 overtime win. They fell in their final non-conference game against Purdue, 68-101. Their first conference game was against Western Illinois, who beat the Pioneers, 66-72. The Pioneers then traveled to St. Thomas where they fell, 48-56. Their most recent conference game was against North Dakota State, which resulted in their third conference loss (68-74). They will play the Fighting Hawks before returning home to host their first home conference game.

NEXT UP

Following Saturday afternoon's game, the University of North Dakota travels to Macomb, Ill., to face Western Illinois on Thursday, Jan.  13. The tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.