The North Dakota State women’s basketball team improved to 17-9 and 9-4 in the Summit as they took down Denver University by a final score of 64-59 in Colorado this past Thursday.

Abbie Draper was the high scorer of the game, netting a 28-point double-double, the third of her career, while shooting 9-16 from the field and grabbing a career-best 14 boards, including nine on the defensive end. Miriley Simon had nine points off the bench, and Avery Koenen had seven points to go along with six rebounds. 

A late eight-point unanswered run for the Pioneers made the score 61-59 with just over half a minute to go in the fourth quarter after a three-pointer from Coryn Watts. Draper answered with a layup and a free throw to complete the and-one to seal the victory for the Bison. 

The Bison shot 41.1% from the field and 78.9% from the free throw line. NDSU grabbed a season-high 44 rebounds as a team, as nine different players grabbed at least one. NDSU had the advantage points in the paint, second-chance points, and bench points. 

The second game of the week for the Bison did not go as well, as they fell to Oral Roberts by a final score of 100-84 in Tulsa on Saturday. 

Avery Koenen led NDSU’s offensive attack, notching her seventh double-double of the year with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Molly Lenz added 16 points, going 6-13 from the field. Claire Stern added 16, going a perfect eight of eight from the free-throw line. Abby Graham added 12. 

The Golden Eagles (22-6, 12-3 Summit) got out to an early 14-5 lead just over four minutes into the game following a made layup from Emily Robinson. Oral Roberts shot nearly 75% from the field in the first quarter, opening up to a 31-18 lead by the end of the frame. The Bison were able to find a rhythm, but they couldn’t overcome the slow start, leading to a 100-84 wire-to-wire win for the Golden Eagles. 

The Bison will return home as they welcome Kansas City to Fargo this Thursday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Scheels Center.