NDSU Women’s Basketball Triumphs Over St. Thomas in Summit League Debut, 73-59

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The North Dakota State women’s basketball squad commenced their Summit League journey with a 73-59 triumph against St. Thomas on Saturday afternoon at Schoenecker Arena.

Following this victory, the Bison now stand at 9-5 (1-0 Summit) for the season, having secured wins in their last four Summit League openers. In contrast, St. Thomas drops to 8-7 (0-2 Summit) overall this season.

Avery Koenen achieved her third double-double of the season, leading the team with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Abby Krzewinski contributed 12 points along with four rebounds, while Abbie Draper just missed out on her own double-double, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds.

As a unit, NDSU recorded a shooting percentage of 51.1 percent (23-45) from the floor and 42.9 percent (6-14) from beyond the arc, with nine players contributing to the scoring. The Bison matched their season-high of 40 points in the paint and accumulated 23 points from turnovers. NDSU also secured 40 rebounds compared to the Tommies’ total of 19.

After establishing a six-point lead of 51-45 at the end of three quarters, NDSU initiated the fourth quarter with a critical 9-2 run lasting just over three minutes, extending their lead to 60-47 with a layup from Draper at the 5:57 mark. The Bison then executed another run, this time 8-1, reaching their largest margin of the game at 70-54 with 2:04 left after a layup from Claire Stern. NDSU subsequently managed to maintain their lead and secured the 73-59 win.

NDSU will return to the court to face Denver on Thursday. The game is slated for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off at Scheels Center.