Herald Staff Writer FARGO -- In past UND-North Dakota State games, peaks and valleys for both teams have been traditional.
The key in gaining the upper hand in the nation's best NCAA Division II women's basketball rivalry has been to climb a few peaks and avoid the valleys.
On Sunday, UND never did hit Mount Everest. But they didn't fall to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, either. Instead, the Sioux stayed at sea level for nearly 40 minutes. And that wasn't a bad place to be.
UND's consistent play, which turned rock-solid in the final seven minutes, led the Sioux to a 73-61 win over NDSU before 4,367 fans at the Bison Sports Arena.
The win improved UND to 2-1 in the North Central Conference and 11-2 overall. More importantly, the Sioux apparently have shaken some of their erratic tendencies that surfaced during games before the league season and in its NCC loss at Northern Colorado.
"We've been up and we've been down," UND coach Gene Roebuck said. "Today we were steady for 40 minutes.
"Sometimes we get too excited and try to do too many individual things. But I'm so proud of everybody the way they played today. They stayed focused and we played together."
No player was more focused than UND's Theresa LeCuyer, who played in her first Sioux-Bison game after transferring from the University of Minnesota. LeCuyer, a 6-foot-1 junior, scored 23 points, nine coming in the final 3:20.
No more than five points separated the No. 2 Sioux and No. 3 Bison until UND pulled away in the closing minutes.
The Sioux went on a 12-0 run in the final 2:23, and held the Bison to only one point in the final 7:14 as their defense and big-game savvy took over.
"In the end, we felt like we could outwork them," LeCuyer said. "Our defense is quick and that's a huge asset. We feel like we can stop any team."
Jayne Boeddeker's free throw with 2:38 left tied the game at 61-61, but that would be NDSU's last point.
LeCuyer used her quickness to draw a foul on UND's next possession. She sank two free throws with 2:23 left, giving the Sioux a 63-61 advantage.
From there, LeCuyer, Katie Richards and Jenny Hoffner combined to make eight free throws in the final 1:55. And a Tonia Jones steal and layup with 1:12 left was the only UND field goal in its decisive 12-0 run. The Bison, meanwhile, self-destructed with turnovers and missed shots.
UND's defense intensified in the final minutes, much like it has in other big games during the program's past three national championship seasons.
"We knew that if we could hold on defensively, we'd be OK," said UND's Jaime Pudenz. "We did the right things at the end and that basically won the game for us."
NDSU stayed with or ahead of the Sioux for 33 minutes because of its ability to rebound and come up with loose basketballs. That scenario changed in the final seven minutes.
"Down the stretch, we took over," Roebuck said. "We started getting the loose basketballs and the rebounds. And we got to the free throw line, too."
NDSU (2-1 NCC, 10-2 overall) was led by Jayne Even's 26 points. Amanda Gehrke added 17 but no other Bison player scored more than six points. "We need a lot more people to contribute than we had today," NDSU coach Amy Ruley said. "We have to learn from this game. We have to find out why we gave this one away."
UND's balance won out over the play of Even and Gehrke. Besides LeCuyer's 23 points, Pudenz and Mandy Arndtson each scored 13 while Jones, scoring on drives to the basket, added 10.
The intensity and magnitude of the rivalry made it difficult for either team to make a run or develop a rhythm offensively. The Bison held UND to 33 percent shooting in the first half, yet the Sioux led 32-30 at the break. "They didn't let us get many good looks at the basket in the first half," Jones said.
But the Bison committed 18 first-half turnovers, which helped compensate for UND's poor shooting. "I give credit to (the Sioux) because they were able to throw us off of our game," Even said.
UND now has won six of the last seven meetings with NDSU.
"It seems like there is so much electricity in the air and the intensity is so high every time these teams play," Roebuck said. "That's why these games are always hard-fought. They may not be pretty, but they're still fun to watch."
Key play: UND's 12-0 run in the final 2:38.
Key player: UND's Theresa LeCuyer, 23 points, 9 rebounds.
Key stat: UND holds NDSU to 26.3 percent second-half shooting.
| UND (73) | |||
| Name | FG | FT | Points |
| Pudenz | 4-12 | 2-3 | 13 |
| Jones | 5-8 | 0-0 | 10 |
| Haas | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Hoffner | 0-2 | 1-2 | 1 |
| Richards | 2-10 | 4-6 | 9 |
| Arndtson | 5-8 | 3-4 | 13 |
| LeCuyer | 7-15 | 8-10 | 23 |
| Boll | 2-2 | 0-0 | 4 |
| Palbicki | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Totals | 25-61 | 18-25 | 73 |
| NDSU (61) | |||
| Gehrke | 6-15 | 3-5 | 17 |
| Even | 11-21 | 2-2 | 26 |
| Boeddeker | 2-8 | 2-5 | 6 |
| Burns | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Amundson | 1-5 | 0-2 | 3 |
| Reif | 1-3 | 0-0 | 3 |
| Perrizo | 0-5 | 2-4 | 2 |
| Berry | 0-4 | 4-4 | 4 |
| Totals | 21-64 | 13-22 | 61 |
Halftime: UND 32, NDSU 30.
Total fouls: UND 21, NDSU 20.
Fouled out: Burns.
Total rebounds: UND 45 (Richards, LeCuyer 9); NDSU 50 (Even, Gehrke 10).
3-point goals: UND 5-19 (LeCuyer 1-1, Pudenz 3-9, Hass 0-1, Hoffner 0-1, Richards 1-5, Arndtson 0-1); NDSU 6-21 (Burns 0-1, Reif 1-1, Amundson 1-2, Gehrke 2-7, Even 2-6, Perrizo 0-2, Berry 0-2).
Assists: UND 16 (Richards 5); NDSU 8 (Amundson 3).
Turnovers: UND 22 (Richards 6); NDSU 26 (Burns 7).
A-4,367.