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It was a disappointing end to a disappointing season for the University of North Dakota women’s basketball team, who were ranked fourth in the Summit League in pre-season polls.
The UND women’s basketball team fell 91-68 to Oral Roberts in the first round of the Summit League Tournament on March 10. Oral Roberts previously blew out UND 102-57 in the Fighting Hawks’ final game at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center Feb. 17.
It was the final UND game for fifth-year senior Kacie Borowicz, who became the third-highest scorer in UND women’s basketball history with 2,034 career points. She led the team in scoring against Oral Roberts, scoring 26 points. It was her 16th game this season in which she scored 20 or more points. In her five years as a Fighting Hawk, Borowicz has never won a post-season game.
UND got an early lead, up 12-9 at the first five-minute media timeout. However, once the timeout was over, Oral Roberts would go on an 11-point run to give them the lead. While UND tried to answer back, it was not enough to regain the lead, and UND went into the second quarter down 24-18.
The Hawks continued to battle in the second quarter, with sophomore Kiyah Hurst and Borowicz scoring 13 of UND’s 17 points combined. However, even with their offensive push, they could not overcome Oral Roberts. UND was outscored 20-17 in the second quarter but managed to keep Oral Roberts’ lead within reach, down nine points going into halftime.
Oral Roberts put the nail in UND’s coffin in the third quarter. The Golden Eagles scored 27 points to UND’s 15 and went on a 19-point scoring run to end the third, up 71-50 going into the final quarter.
UND tried to find a way in the fourth quarter, even bringing the game to within under 20 points, but they could not get past Oral Roberts. They were only outscored by two in the fourth quarter, but it was too little, too late, and the Hawks’ season ended at the final buzzer.
Kiera Pemberton, a first-year student, also had a double-digit game. She and Hurst, the top two scorers after Borowicz, will likely return next year as the young team continues to grow.
Maeve Hushman is a Dakota Student Sports Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].
