GRAND FORKS, N.D. – North Dakota heads to Charleston, Ill. to face Eastern Illinois Thursday at 12:00 p.m. It will be the first meeting between the two teams on the hardwood.
 
This will be the third first-time opponent the Fighting Hawks have faced this season. UND faced Southern Miss and North Texas for the first time in program history at the Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic.

Watch the Hawks
All UND women's basketball games, home and away, can be heard on stations across the Home of Economy Fighting Hawks Radio Network, as well as through the iHeart Radio app, with Jack Michaels calling the action. Saturday's game can be heard on 100.3 FM (Cat Country).
 
A live stream of Tuesday's game can be found on ESPN+.

Follow the Hawks
Receive live updates during all UND women's basketball games by following @UNDwbasketball on Twitter. Fans can also follow the Fighting Hawks on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @UNDwbasketball as well as go to FightingHawks.com for up-to-the minute stories, stats and more.
 
Series History vs Eastern Illinois
This will be the first meeting between the Hawks and Panthers.
 
Last Time Out: vs Eastern Michigan
North Dakota dominated the glass against Eastern Michigan and earned their first win over a Division I opponent this season, 64-56 over the Eagles. UND outrebounded the Eagles 52-32, grabbed 18 offensive rebounds and had 14 second chance points.
 
The Fighting Hawks won the opening five minutes of the second half, expanding their lead to 20 points, 44-24, following four straight three-pointers courtesy of Kiyah Hurst and Jayla Owen.
 
Hurst recorded her first career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. It was Hurst's second 20-point performance of the week. Kiera Pemberton added 13 points and seven boards, while Miranda VanderWal scored a career-high 12 points to go with eight rebounds.
 
Hurst So Good
Kiyah Hurst hit double-digits for the first time with 12 points against North Texas on Nov. 25 before exploding for a career-high 26 points against Minot State. Hurst connected on 11-of-16 attempts in the 82-53 UND win and corralled eight rebounds. Hurst was one of the main facilitators of the Hawks offense against Eastern Michigan, leading the team with 20 points and three assists.
 
Hurst has knocked down a three-pointer in all five games she's played in, including a career-best three against Eastern Michigan. Hurst has been one of the top Hawks at drawing fouls with 18. She's taken advantage of her trips to the free throw line, going 12-for15 over the last three games on freebies.
 
The former four-star recruit out of high school has increased her scoring output by nearly six points per game through the first five games of 2023 from 8.1 to 14.3 points per contest.
 
After averaging 3.8 rebounds per game in her freshman campaign, her rebounding production has also seen an uptick to 7.4 boards per contest. Hurst has led the Hawks in rebounds in three of the last five games and has grabbed 10 boards twice.
 
Crashing the Glass
The Fighting Hawks posted a season-high 52 rebounds against Eastern Michigan, including 18 offensive rebounds. The Hawks scored 12 of their 19 first quarter points on second chance opportunities after securing 10 offensive rebounds in the opening period. Miranda VanderWal and Sammiyah Hoskin were active on the boards with a combined seven offensive boards in the first.
 
UND ranks second among Summit League teams with 40.1 rebounds per game.
 
For more information on North Dakota women's basketball, follow on social media @UNDwbasketball or visit FightingHawks.com.