By Wayne Nelson
Herald Staff Writer
For the first time in more than three seasons, UND was completely on the opposite end of championship-caliber basketball.
It was a feeling that UND certainly didn't expect, especially against its conference, regional and national rival.
North Dakota State controlled UND in nearly every phase of the game, taking a surprisingly easy 75-63 North Central Conference women's basketball win over the Sioux on Friday night before 4,739 fans at Hyslop Sports Center.
With the win, NDSU maintained its lead in the NCC and a two-game advantage on the Sioux. More important, the win gives the Bison -- ranked No. 1 the North Central Region -- the inside track for home-court advantage in post-season play.
UND lost the game in the first half. The Sioux played as poorly as they have in years in falling behind 21-6 after nine minutes. Even though UND made a run at the Bison in the second half, the hole the Sioux dug was too deep.
"I'm going to take the blame for not getting everyone ready to play," UND coach Gene Roebuck said. "When you don't play the way you're capable of playing, I'll take the blame because it has to start somewhere.
"We didn't come out and play together. We looked like five individuals out there going in different directions."
UND players, however, felt otherwise. They took the blame. "The upperclassmen should have set the tone and we didn't," said Sioux senior Katie Richards, who led all players with 19 points.
Point guard Jaime Pudenz, one of the architects of UND's three straight national championships, couldn't understand why the Sioux came out so flat. "Coach had us well prepared," Pudenz said. "We just didn't carry out his game plan. In Bison-Sioux games, you expect to have intensity right away."
NDSU executed its offense with precision and played solid defense in the first half. Jaime Berry's basket at 8:52 gave the Bison a 21-6 lead and capped a 15-1 run. The Sioux, meanwhile, shot only 24 percent in the first half and found themselves on the wrong end of nearly every loose basketball.
The Bison depth was a key factor. In UND's 73-61 win at NDSU last month, Bison senior Jayne Even carried the scoring load. In the rematch, four NDSU players were in double figures, led by Even's 18 points. Erin Ditty and Berry both scored 13 points while Amanda Gehrke, with two key second-half three-pointers, finished with 12.
"Early in the season, we relied too much on Jayne," NDSU coach Amy Ruley said. "In the last three weeks, other people have shouldered the scoring load, too."
That was evident in the second half, when UND awoke from its first-half funk.
Led by Richards, Theresa LeCuyer (13 points) and the spirited play of freshmen Jenny Boll (10) and Becky Moen (6), the Sioux cut NDSU's one-time 17-point lead to six (56-50) on Boll's three-point play with 7:06 left.
Gehrke, however, replied with a key three-pointer from the left corner. Her basket ended any UND hope for a comeback.
Also, NDSU's Jaye Amundson scored eight second-half points and her five offensive rebounds hurt the Sioux just as much as her points.
The Bison finished with 13 second-chance points to UND's six. Boll said the Bison were more polished in the paint.
"They'd put the offensive rebounds in and we'd just throw them up there," Boll said.
The fact that UND wasn't blown out after its poor start served as a little consolation. "As bad as we were, we hung in there," Roebuck said.
The loss changes UND's mission somewhat. With a two-game lead and eight to play, NDSU now is the favorite to win the NCC and gain home-court advantage in the six-team regional.
"I just want to get into the playoffs," Roebuck said. "I know where we're going if we go. Hopefully, we'll be playing our best basketball of the season if we get there. This team is capable of playing well."
| UND (63) | |||
| Name | FG | FT | Points |
| Pudenz | 0-4 | 3-4 | 3 |
| Jones | 1-4 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Haas | 2-6 | 0-0 | 6 |
| Hoffner | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Moen | 3-7 | 0-0 | 6 |
| Richards | 5-11 | 5-8 | 19 |
| Arndtson | 2-4 | 0-1 | 4 |
| LeCuyer | 6-11 | 1-3 | 13 |
| Boll | 4-10 | 2-4 | 10 |
| Palbicki | 0-5 | 0-2 | 0 |
| Totals | 23-64 | 11-22 | 63 |
| NDSU (75) | |||
| Gehrke | 5-8 | 0-1 | 12 |
| Even | 6-18 | 6-8 | 18 |
| Boeddeker | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Burns | 3-8 | 1-4 | 7 |
| Amundson | 2-9 | 4-4 | 8 |
| Reif | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Ditty | 4-6 | 5-6 | 13 |
| Perrizo | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Berry | 4-11 | 4-5 | 13 |
| Mayo | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2 |
| Totals | 26-64 | 20-28 | 75 |
Halftime: NDSU 32, UND 19.
Total fouls: NDSU 22, UND 23.
Fouled out: none.
Total rebouds: NDSU 44 (Berry 10); UND 46 (Richards 10).
3-point goals: NDSU 3-7 (Berry 1-3, Gehrke 2-2, Even 0-2); UND 6-17 (Richards 4-5, LeCuyer 0-2, Pudenz 0-2, Hass 2-6, Moen 0-1, Hoffner 0-1).
Assists: NDSU 12 (Berry 4); UND 13 (Moen 4).
Turnovers: NDSU 8 (Ditty 2); UND 2 (Richards 5).
A–4,739.