Freshman Chad Calcaterra waits for a rebound Wednesday evening at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Photo by Carrie Sandstrom/The Dakota Student.

It was one of the final Big Sky Conference teams to begin its 2013-14 regular season campaign, but North Dakota’s wait was worth the 110-69 victory over Minnesota Morris on Wednesday evening at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

UND set the tone early as the Cougars couldn’t catch up to the home team with its 18-5 run to start the game.

Senior Aaron Anderson’s 23 points paced the team as he shot 10-for-13 from the field and 3-of-4 from behind the arc. The team shot 57.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from the 3-point range.

Troy Huff contributed 18 points while senior Jaron Nash added 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Freshman Quinton Hooker made his debut with 17 points and four assists.

“I thought defensively is where we set the tone,” UND coach Brian Jones said. “I thought we really defended their initial thrust and that allowed us to get some easy baskets in transition. I thought our guys came out in both halves with a sense of urgency and the right intensity, which is something we have been talking about a lot.”

UND claimed a 50-24 advantage at halftime, and Nash continued his efforts in the second half, scoring seven straight points in a 17-4 run to put UND up by 39.

North Dakota also turned 24 Minnesota Morris turnovers into 30 points thanks to defensive efforts led by Nash.

The Green and White will travel to Madison, Wisc., to face Wisconsin on Nov. 20 at 7 p.m.