MINNEAPOLIS – The North Dakota State women’s basketball team erased a 16-point deficit before falling short in the final seconds at Minnesota, 69-65, in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) on Friday night at Williams Arena in front of 2,367 fans.
With the loss, the Bison finish the season with the most wins in the NDSU Division era with a 22-12 overall record. Minnesota (18-15) will advance to face Wyoming in the Great 8 round of the WNIT on Monday.
Minnesota shot 61.5 percent from the field in the third quarter to stretch its lead to as many as 16 points and led after three frames, 58-44. The Bison then stormed back in fourth quarter assembling a 13-0 run spanning just over five minutes to pull within one, 58-57, after a layup from Abbie Draper with 5:19 to play.
NDSU continued to apply pressure grabbing the lead, 65-62, after Elle Evans and Heaven Hamling each delivered a pair of free throws with 2:18 remaining. However, the Gophers closed the final two minutes with seven unanswered points, including five from Amaya Battle to hold off NDSU, 69-65.
Evans led the way for the Bison with a game-high 18 points to go along with six rebounds, two assists and one block. Miriley Simon chipped in 12 points off the bench, while Hamling contributed a game-high six assists with nine points and five rebounds.
As a team, the Bison shot 48.1 percent (25-52) from the field and 78.6 percent (11-14) from the free throw line.