"This was a great game for Jenny to set the record," UND coach Gene Roebuck said after the Sioux struggled to a 62-53 women's basketball win against Nebraska-Omaha on Friday night. "This proves Jenny is the best-ever player in the conference to date. When you need her the most, that's when Jenny steps up and plays her best basketball.
"That's the way she'd been throughout her career."
The No. 1-ranked Sioux (16-1 NCC, 25-1 overall) needed Crouse the most in the final two minutes. Nebraska-Omaha, which trailed by 17 points early in the second half, took a 53-52 lead on two Kim Birkel free throws with 2:13 remaining.
On UND's next possession, the Sioux went to Crouse inside. The 6-foot-3 senior was fouled and she converted both free throws for a 54-53 lead. Those free throws also started UND's 10-0 run to close the game. Crouse scored six of the 10.
And Crouse's soft-touch jump shot on the baseline proved to be the biggest of her points down the stretch. That basket gave the Sioux a 57-53 lead with 1:10 left.
The Sioux certainly did not earn any style points with the win. UND shot only 31 percent from the field, missing layups, short-range jumpers and 3-pointers with consistency.
"Obviously, we weren't happy with the way we played," Sioux point guard Jaime Pudenz said. "It was ugly but we won."
The Sioux won because they went to Crouse with the game on the line. "Coach (Roebuck) told us to play to our strengths," Pudenz said. "And we got the ball to Jenny down the stretch. Earlier in the game, we were doing too much one-on-one. We didn't make enough passes and we weren't working together."
Though UND led 29-17 at the break, the Sioux weren't playing well. They shot only 25 percent in the first half. But Nebraska-Omaha's shooting (18 percent) was worse.
Back-to-back transition baskets by Tonia Jones gave UND a 39-22 lead with 16:50 left. It seemed the Sioux were on the verge of another blowout though their overall game was lacking.
A 12-0 Nebraska-Omaha run, however, got the Mavericks back into the game. Jennifer Mitchell (17 points) keyed the run. And when Birkel gave the Mavericks their only lead of the game with her free throws, the Sioux were on the ropes.
"I just don't think we were mentally prepared," Crouse said. "We didn't overlook them. You can work as hard as you want but if you're not mentally prepared it won't be pretty."
Crouse broke the NCC record with a free throw with 2:37 to play. She needed 21 points to break the old record of 1,328 points set by former North Dakota State standout Kasey Morlock. With 11 rebounds, Crouse also became the NCC career leader in that category, too. She now has 642 NCC rebounds.
"It's pretty cool," Crouse said of the records.
The Sioux weren't feeling too cool about their overall performance, especially with the North Central Region tournament next weekend.
"Obviously, we're not happy with the way we played," Pudenz said. "We don't want to go into the playoffs on a down note."
Crouse was the only Sioux player in double figures, a testament to UND's poor shooting. Crouse had 11 of her points in the final six minutes, the stretch that UND needed her the most.
"It was a great game for Jenny," Pudenz said.
| UND (62) | |||
| Name | FG | FT | Points |
| J. Pudenz | 2-9 | 4-5 | 9 |
| Jones | 3-4 | 1-4 | 7 |
| Leno | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Hoffner | 2-6 | 0-0 | 5 |
| Winger | 0-5 | 1-3 | 1 |
| Super | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Carroll | 2-7 | 0-0 | 5 |
| Richards | 2-11 | 3-4 | 8 |
| Crouse | 7-13 | 13-17 | 27 |
| Totals | 18-58 | 22-33 | 62 |
| UNO (53) | |||
| Birkel | 4-7 | 5-6 | 13 |
| Novotny | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Soenen | 2-9 | 0-0 | 5 |
| Kerkhoff | 1-4 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Desmet | 3-6 | 1-2 | 7 |
| Larson | 2-13 | 1-2 | 7 |
| Mitchell | 6-16 | 4-4 | 17 |
| Malone | 1-6 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Owens | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Totals | 20-64 | 11-14 | 53 |
Halftime: UND 29, UNO 17.
Total Fouls: UND 16, UNO 28.
3-Point FG: UND 4-17 (Hoffner 1-3, Richards 1-5, Pudenz 1-7, Carroll 1-1, Leno 0-1), UNO 2-9 (Soenen 1-4, Mitchell 1-1, Larson 0-3, Birkel 0-1).
Rebounds: UND 45 (Crouse 11), UNO 47 (Larson 10).
Assists: UND 15 (Pudenz 4, Jones 4), UNO 13 (Soenen 4).
Att: 900.