Kami Winger understands her role as a backup. The 6-foot-2 UND senior has played in the shadow of center Jenny Crouse -- last season's NCAA Division II national player of the year -- since first putting on a Sioux uniform.
But Winger was not an understudy Tuesday night at Hyslop Sports Center. She was in the spotlight. And she delivered.
Winger scored a career-high 24 points as No. 1-ranked UND -- at times showing last season's national title form -- overwhelmed Minnesota-Duluth 95-67 in a nonconference women's basketball game.
Winger, who scored 17 straight UND points in the first half, was forced into the starring role after Crouse landed in early foul trouble. Winger's performance in the final 13 minutes of the first half drew rave reviews from everyone.
"Usually, she plays her best when you need her the most," UND coach Gene Roebuck said. "To me, she's one of the best athletes who has been at UND. I respect her so much for playing her role. And how she plays her role is why we've been successful.
Crouse's minutes were limited in the first half because the 6-3 senior picked up two fouls. Winger's play, however, was unlimited as she scored on athletic moves inside and was the beneficiary of crisp Sioux perimeter passes.
"I thought they were trying to guard our outside players more than the inside players," said Winger, who was 9 of 11 from the field. "We got into the middle of the court and we were wide open.
"But I've scored like that before. One time, I scored 18 points in a half and didn't score in the second half. But we were playing as a team in the first half. And that was the whole game."
UND indeed looked sharp in the first 20 minutes. The Sioux ran the transition game with authority, knocked down early 3-pointers and handled the Bulldogs' man-to-man and zone defenses in opening a 49-22 halftime lead.
"They were ready for us," Minnesota-Duluth coach Karen Stromme said. "It was 15-2 before we could breathe. They jumped us right away. We were two, three, five steps slower. They beat us in every category."
Winger scored 17 straight UND points in an eight-minute stretch of the first half. During that streak, Winger scored on perimeter passes from Krissi Super, Jamie Pudenz and Katie Richards and finished one fastbreak that left the Sioux with a 37-16 lead.
UND's half-court play in the first half is what pleased Roebuck the most.
"Tonight, we hit a level that we want to keep," Roebuck said. "We wanted to prove to ourselves that we can play at this high level. We did it with the passing game. That's what we've been trying to work on this season."
UND made 19 of 34 field-goal attempts (56 percent) in the first half, a percentage backed by 13 baskets from within 15 feet.
Sophomore Mandy Arndtson (18 points, 16 rebounds) was just as dominating as Winger. Arndtson's all-out hustle underneath and her ability to run the break led the Sioux to their fifth straight win.
Minnesota-Duluth (3-4) was coming off its impressive tournament championship last weekend at Nebraska-Omaha. The Bulldogs, led Kate Madrinich's 14 points, beat No. 24 Florida Southern and host Nebraska-Omaha to win the title.
"They might have been tired. We wanted to come out and get going right away," said Pudenz, who scored 16 points and dished out 10 assists.
The Sioux play at Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday. The 28-point loss didn't discourage Stromme.
"I was pleased that we competed in the second half," said the Minnesota-Duluth coach, who saw her team go on an 11-0 second-half spurt. "Most of the second half, the players we had on the floor were freshmen and sophomores."
Freshman Jamie Bell had an impressive game in a reserve role, scoring 13 points. The 5-10 forward made all four of her 3-point attempts.