NDSU moves to 6-0 on the season
The North Dakota State University women’s basketball team traveled to Reno, Nev. to take on Boise State and the University of Nevada in the 2022 Nugget Classic.
NDSU vs Boise State –
On November 25th, the Herd squared off against the Boise State Broncos. The Bison got out to a quick start, getting out to a 15-7 lead with 3:30 left to go in the first. The Herd finished the period shooting cold and the first quarter score ended at 15-11.
A layup and two free throws by senior guard Heaven Hamling and a steal and jump shot from freshman guard Abby Graham propelled NDSU’s lead to 21-11 with 8:21 to go in the half. The Bison then halted short Boise State runs to go into halftime leading the Broncos 27-22.
Coming out of halftime, Boise State quickly cut the Bison lead to three. However, NDSU shot lights out in the quarter, shooting 55 percent from the field, and hitting two three-pointers with perfect accuracy. The Herd outscored Boise State 24-12 in the third.
With the score at 51-34 to start the fourth, the Bison remained steady, getting the largest lead of the night, 62-42, off of a three-pointer by graduate student forward Taylor Brown. The Bison closed out the game and the final buzzer rung, marking NDSU’s fifth straight victory, as the Herd defeated Boise State 68-53. As a team, the Bison shot 44.4 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from the three-point line. NDSU converted 30 points off of 27 Boise turnovers. The Herd moved on to play the University of Nevada the proceeding Sunday.
Hamling scores career-high 39 en route to Bison win against Nevada –
Two days later, NDSU was back in action facing the University of Nevada Wolfpack. NDSU came out of the gates fast, netting an early 13-6 lead to force a Nevada timeout. The Herd relentlessly attacked the Wolfpack, as senior guard Heaven Hamling drained a three-pointer with 39 seconds left in the first to put NDSU up 18-8. NDSU started the second on a 6-2 run. However, Nevada slowly inched their way back into the game, ending the half on a 17-6 streak to cut the Bison lead to three. In the third, Heaven Hamling came alive for the Herd, scoring 15 in the quarter to keep the Wolfpack at bay. Hamling continued her hot streak into the fourth, stopping a Nevada surge to seal a 73-68 victory.
Heaven Hamling scored a career-high 39 points, shooting an impressive 57.9 percent from the field and 58 percent from three. She also shot a perfect 10 of 10 from the free throw line. Hamling’s performance is the third-best all-time for an NDSU women’s player. With her high-scoring outing, Hamling also passed the 1,000 points scoring mark for her collegiate career. In addition to her scoring outburst, Hamling grabbed six rebounds and had 3 steals.
In an interview earlier in the season, when asked about how she makes a defensive impact, Hamling said, “I just give it all that I got, I play with a lot of energy. I may not be as athletic as the other kids, so I just play with a chip on my shoulder and always give 100 percent effort.”
On the back of Heaven Hamling’s sensational scoring display, NDSU moves to 6-0 on the season. The Herd will look to continue their hot streak as they head to Ypsilanti, Mich. to take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Thursday, December 1st. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CST. Fans can tune into Bison 1660 or watch the action on ESPN+.