Jan. 21, 2012
Box Score
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Utah Valley began Great West Conference play with a bang Saturday afternoon, knocking off North Dakota at UND's Betty Englestad Sioux Center, 58-54. UVU trailed by as many as 10 in the second half before taking control after a 16-6 run late in the frame.
"This is a big win for us, going on the road and competing like we did" said UVU head women's basketball coach Cathy Nixon. "We'll celebrate this one tonight, but we've got to regroup because we have two more tough conference games on the road coming up. But this definitely gets us off to a great start."
After a 10-5 North Dakota (9-10) run midway through the second half put the home team ahead 41-31 at the 12:45 mark, Sammie Jensen led the Wolverine (9-9) comeback effort, scoring back-to-back buckets to spark what would become a 16-6 run to give UVU its first lead of the game.
The rally featured nine points from Jensen, three of which came when she buried an NBA-range three as the shot clock expired to tie the game at 46 with 5:46 to play. A free throw from Alle Finch just seconds later would cap the run and give the Wolverines their first lead of the game, 47-46. Abbie Beutler also scored five points during the stretch.
Despite surrendering the lead, UND fought back, jumping ahead after Charnise Mothershed broke a 51-all tie with a step-back three at 2:54. But that was the last point North Dakota would get, as another jumper from Jensen cut the deficit to one, then Finch buried another pair of freebies to recapture the lead at 55-54. Beutler went 1-of-2 from the line to make the score 56-54 with 1:16 left, and UND failed to convert two chances to overcome the deficit, missing a three on one possession and missing the front end of a one-and-one on the next. Jensen would close out the game at the foul line, dropping in two free throws to seal the result.
Jensen led the way with her ninth double-double of the year, scoring 15 of her game-high 17 points in the second half and grabbing 10 boards. Beutler also finished in double figures, scoring 11 in her first game back after missing the last three with an injury, and Finch added 10 points with six rebounds.
Whitney Jenkins and Erika Newbold pieced together nice games as well, the former scoring seven points in the final eight minutes of the first half, and the latter finishing with six points and a game-high three blocks.
"Erika (Newbold) had probably her best game defensively," said Nixon. "But as a team we were really good on the defensive end. We had breakdowns but the kids did a good job of sticking with the game plan and executing it. We didn't shoot the ball particularly well and turned it over a little too much, but our stellar defense kept it close."
Charnise Mothershed was the lone player for North Dakota in double figures, scoring 11 points.
UVU concludes its GWC-opening road trip next week when it travels to Chicago State, the reigning GWC champion, for a Thursday night contest, and then on to Newark, N.J., to face NJIT the following Saturday.
