FARGO, N.D. – The North Dakota State women’s basketball team picked up its eighth straight win over North Dakota, 81-76, on Saturday afternoon at Scheels Center in front of 1,691 fans.
After trailing by as much as 11 points in the first half, NDSU (9-4, 3-0 Summit) battled back in the third quarter regaining the lead after Heaven Hamling drained a jumper to make the score 43-42 at the 7:30 mark. The Bison outscored the Fighting Hawks (9-4, 2-1 Summit) in the frame, 28-17, and led after three quarters of play, 60-55.
The Bison carried the momentum over into the final quarter as Hamling created a steal and finished with a layup to open up the largest lead of the game, 68-56, with 6:55 to play. North Dakota fought back trimming the deficit down to two, 76-74, with 1:01 on the clock after a layup from Nakiyah Hurst. Hamling and Behnke answered for NDSU closing the game out at the free throw line shooting a combined 5-of-6 to seal the 81-76 win.
Hamling logged her fourth 20-point game of the season with a game-high 28 points. She connected on a career-high 14 free throws on 15 attempts, which is tied for the third-most in a single-game in NDSU history. Hamling also passed out a game-best six assists with six rebounds and four steals. Taylor Brown narrowly missed a double-double with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Behnke also contributed 13 points and nine rebounds.
As a team, NDSU shot 37.3 percent (22-59) from the field and 89.2 percent (33-37) the free throw line. NDSU drained a season-high 33 free throws with seven different players contributing at least one. The Bison also netted 32 points in the paint and added 17 second chance points.
NDSU, who is off to its first 3-0 start in Summit League play since the 2014-15 season, will be back in action at South Dakota State on Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.
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