By Wayne Nelson
Herald Staff Writer
FARGO -- Sioux senior Tiffany Pudenz kept waiting for one of UND's overpowering runs to come. UND's transition game has smothered nearly every Sioux opponent this season, so she figured it wouldn't be any different against North Dakota State.
"We knew we'd get a big run. We just didn't know when," she said.
When was in the final six minutes of the first half. A 24-3 run then carried UND to an 85-59 North Central Conference women's basketball win over North Dakota State before 6,523 fans at the Bison Sports Arena on Friday night.
The Sioux wrapped up their regular season on a high note, beating their top rival with ease heading into next week's North Central Region postseason tournament -- which is virtually guaranteed to be played in Grand Forks. No. 2-ranked UND finished 18-0 in the NCC and 26-1 overall. The Bison closed their regular season at 14-4 and 22-5.
"There was a lot on the line for us," insisted UND point guard Jaime Pudenz, even though the Sioux clinched the league title last week. "We didn't want to go into the playoffs on a down note. We have to play good basketball from now on."
The Sioux certainly played good basketball the last six minutes of the first half and all of the second as their transition game hit high gear.
NDSU, confining UND to a half-court game, forged a 28-22 lead early. Leading the way was the inside play of Amy Ornell and Heidi Smith, who had 11 of her 15 points in the first 13 minutes.
UND missed at least four layups and its perimeter shooting wasn't sharp in the early going, two factors that gave the Bison hope for an upset.
The spark UND was looking for came from freshman Mandy Arndtson, whose all-out hustling play helped the Sioux deliver their devastating run.
Arndtson scored 12 of UND's 24 points in the final 6:18, including a 3-pointer and a fast-break basket. She finished with 18 points, making 6 of 9 from the field.
"You'd better write something about Mandy," UND coach Gene Roebuck said. "In our run, Mandy was outstanding."
With Arndtson on the floor, UND's game was on fast-forward. "She got us going," Jaime Pudenz said. "That's the type of player she is. She isn't afraid of anything."
UND never let up after leading 46-31 at the break. The Sioux continued to run the floor, and generally made life miserable for the Bison offense. An 8-0 run gave UND a 60-39 lead with 11:14 to play.
Ornell said her team's lack of patience on offense helped the Sioux in their 24-3 run. "They were able to shoot so well (during the run) because we quit making them play defense," said Ornell, who tied Smith for team scoring honors with 15 points. "We didn't work the ball around enough."
For Arndtson, the Sioux-Bison game was her first in Fargo. She battled a case of nerves early, badly missing her first two shots before making four of her next five.
"I don't know if it was nerves or what," Arndtson said. "I bombed my first two shots, but once I got into the flow, the crowd was out of my mind."
And the Sioux then were out of NDSU's sight.
Arndtson was one of five UND players in double figures. Jenny Crouse, with another standout performance inside, led the Sioux with 22 points, followed by Arndtson (18), Tiffany Pudenz (17), Jaime Pudenz (11) and Kami Winger (10).
"(UND) got out in transition more than we wanted," NDSU coach Amy Ruley said. "And our shot selection (during UND's run) was not the best. And we had some dumb turnovers. We know what we have to do. It's just a matter of doing it."
The last time UND visited the Bison Sports Arena, the Sioux went on the most memorable run in their program's history -- a 19-2 blitz in the final six minutes of the regional championship game. That run carried UND to a 73-66 win over NDSU, a win that vaulted the Sioux to the Division II national championship.
Before the game, it was announced that Nebraska-Kearney, ranked No. 2 in the North Central Region, had lost its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference playoff game to Mesa, Colo.
NDSU is ranked third in the region. The Bison could have made a case for No. 2 -- and a first-round bye in the regional tournament -- with a win or good showing against UND, the top-ranked team in the region.
But the Bison, who made only 38 percent of their shots, aren't likely to impress the regional voters when the final poll is released Sunday.
"I think we needed to have a closer score," Ruley said.
| UND (85) | |||
| Name | FG | FT | Points |
| J. Pudenz | 5-12 | 0-0 | 11 |
| Jones | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 |
| T. Pudenz | 6-12 | 2-2 | 17 |
| Hoffner | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Winger | 4-10 | 2-5 | 10 |
| Super | 0-1 | 2-2 | 2 |
| Kabanuk | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3 |
| Carroll | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Richards | 1-5 | 0-1 | 2 |
| Arndtson | 6-9 | 4-4 | 18 |
| Crouse | 8-12 | 6-9 | 22 |
| Totals | 31-65 | 16-23 | 85 |
| NDSU (59) | |||
| Name | FG | FT | Points |
| Lang | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Ornell | 6-10 | 3-7 | 15 |
| Even | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Boedekker | 3-8 | 2-4 | 8 |
| Berry | 1-1 | 1-3 | 3 |
| Otto | 1-9 | 5-6 | 7 |
| Ditty | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Amundson | 0-3 | 1-2 | 1 |
| Smith | 7-14 | 1-3 | 15 |
| Stefonowicz | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Hayden | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Totals | 21-55 | 17-31 | 59 |