When it comes to success in any sport, you must have  a strong base to build off. For the UND women’s basketball team, they’ve done exactly that.

After an 80-69 victory over Mayville State, the Green and White played host to the Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles for its final exhibition game of the season.

UND took command early in the game, going into the half with a lead of 45-23 after outscoring Crookston 23-7 in the second quarter.

However, Crookston attempted to stop the bleeding by keeping UND to only 27 points in the second half. However, the Green and White would return the favor, as UND held Crookston to a meager 24 points.

Despite the tug of war in the second half, the first half lead was more than enough for the Green and White, as they were able to clip the Golden Eagles with a 72-47 win.

“We talked at halftime that was going to happen,” UND coach Travis Brewster said. “You want to have a 2-1 ratio when scoring. You want to keep the lead you make after two quarters and keep plugging away but keep doing it defensively.”

UND senior Mia Loyd led the way by scoring 18 points while junior Makailah Dyer posted 16 points.

With plenty to improve on as the season starts, Brewster was quick to note the positives of the team.

“Our upperclassmen are starting to reflect on the important values that make a program successful,” Brewster said. “They’re starting to take a lot of pride in what they’re doing on the floor. You can’t get that all the time. We’re lucky to have it at this time of the year. You saw the importance of rebounds in basketball today. You saw the leadership out there as well. It’s early on but it’s contagious for the team.”

UND will start its regular season on the road with two games in Iowa City, Iowa, over the course of this weekend.

Jack Harvey is a sports writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]