MORRIS, Minn. Jaime Pudenz showed why she shares the UND single-game record for 3-pointers here Tuesday night.
Pudenz dropped in seven 3-pointers two short of the school record to lead the Sioux to a 69-54 win over Minnesota-Morris in a non-conference women's basketball game.
Pudenz, the team's sophomore point guard, scored 27 points to lead the 4-1 Sioux, who rebounded from a four-point loss at Michigan Tech on Saturday. Minnesota-Morris, which underwent a coaching change days before the season began, dropped to 3-4.
The Cougars, however, have played five North Central Conference teams, beating South Dakota and South Dakota State and losing to St. Cloud State, North Dakota State and the Sioux.
"We didn't exactly play as well as we wanted to, but we hung in there at the end," UND coach Gene Roebuck said. "Obviously, there a better team than there were at the beginning of the season. It took them a while to get going."
Minnesota-Morris threw a 2-3 zone defense against the Sioux and UND other than Pudenz didn't shoot well against it. Pudenz was 9 of 16 from the field including a 7 of 10 showing from beyond the arc. Overall, however, the Sioux made only 37 percent of their field-goal attempts (24 of 64).
Tiffany Pudenz added 10 for UND, but no other Sioux player was in double figures.
UND's 12-0 run midway through the first half gave the Sioux a 25-13 lead. A Casey Carroll layup at the 7:37 mark left the Sioux with a 27-14 advantage, but UND scored only one more field goal the rest of the half, that coming on a Katie Richards' layup at the 1:54 mark.
Morris cut UND's lead to 39-36 on an Anna Townsend inside basket with 13:44 to play. It was Townsend's fourth straight basket as the Cougars' inside player finished with 22 points.
But the Sioux then received a lift from Jenny Crouse. The 6-foot-3 junior, who attempted only one shot in the first half, scored three of UND's next four baskets, her third giving the Sioux a 47-38 lead.
Crouse also had 11 rebounds and 7 blocks, three blocks coming on one Morris possession.
"I thought we kicked it up in the second half when we had to," Roebuck said. "When we needed a big basket, Jaime seemed to get it. And we got the ball inside more in the second half. Jenny had a nice second half as did Kami (Winger)."
The Sioux outrebounded Morris 51-37 Elisha Kabanuk complementing Crouse's 11 rebounds with nine.
However, the Sioux committed 20 turnovers.
UND will play at Barry, Fla., on Saturday and at Lynn, Fla., on Sunday. The Sioux return home on Dec. 11 against NAIA opponent Jamestown College.