Junior Emily Evers drives toward the net in last Saturday’s exhibition game against Minnesota Crookston. Photo by Chester Beltowski.

North Dakota seniors Megan Lauck and Madi Buck combined for 42 of the team’s 78 points Tuesday night against Bemidji State when UND won its second and final exhibition game, defeating the Beavers 78-66 at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

Lauck led the way with a game-high 25 points, also adding in four offensive rebounds and a steal. Buck wasn’t far behind with 17 points on the night, and she also contributed heavily to rebounds, grabbing 11 boards in all. Together, the senior duo pushed their team past some fundamental breakdowns and a halftime deficit into game-winning play.

“They’re tenacious players,” UND coach Travis Brewster said. “They want to get after it.”

The first half saw UND putting multiple field goals up with only 36 percent going in. Bemidji State outshot its host in the first, sinking 52 percent of its field goals.

The Beavers went on a 14-2 run early to put itself ahead for the vast majority of the first half. North Dakota was able to close in with 13 points from Lauck and 10 from Buck, but their efforts weren’t enough to tie up the game as the scoreboard read 39-37 going into halftime.

“We’re going to have to go back to some basics,” Brewster said. “That’s the problem. You have a little bit of success and you kind of go away from it; you’ve got to remember what got you there.”

Coming into the second half, North Dakota’s Allyssa Wall scored a three-point play off a foul, and soon after put in a no-look jumper from inside the paint to give UND the lead for the first time in a while.

The Green and White continued to power their way through the second half, feeding off each other’s energy and shooting with more accuracy. There were four three-point plays, the last of which came from sophomore Mia Loyd, whose enthusiasm got the crowd of over 1,300 on its feet.

The UND women shot 50 percent in field goals and made three of four three-pointers in the second half. Better defense worsened the Beavers’ shooting, which only furthered North Dakota’s lead.

At one point, UND led by a margin of 19, shutting down Bemidji State with solid shooting. The Beavers fought back to lose by 12, North Dakota again victorious.

“We’ve got to go back to doing some fundamental things and we’ll be all right,” Brewster said.

The home team’s rebounding was solid throughout the game, Loyd matching Buck for 11 rebounds. Loyd also put up 14 points for North Dakota, making her the only other player to reach double figures.

North Dakota will start off its regular season this Sunday on the road against No. 20/23 Iowa State. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.

“We’re going to put our best foot forward and we’re going to go after them,” Brewster said.

Marie Monson is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].