FARGO — North Dakota State head coach Jory Collins didn't think his team played in a composed manner on offense Friday night at Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
That offensive inefficiency proved costly for the Bison women's basketball team. Denver guard Anna Jackson sank the go-ahead 3-pointer with 79 seconds remaining to lift the Pioneers to a 62-60 victory in Summit League play.
"We didn't have much patience tonight, we played really sped up and were overly excited about some things," Collins said. "On top of that, we didn't shoot well."
The Bison (10-3, 5-2 Summit) had their five-game winning streak snapped, losing for the first time since Jan. 2. NDSU was limited to nine points in the fourth quarter, unable to grab a lead during the game's final 10 minutes.
"We were really sped up on offense and we need to execute as a team and take a deep breath," said Bison senior Emily Dietz, who had nine points and nine rebounds. "We had shots we liked that didn't fall and we had some shots that we were too sped up and probably shouldn't have taken."
ADVERTISEMENT
The Bison shot 21% (3 of 14) from the floor in the fourth quarter, including 1-for-5 shooting from 3-point range. NDSU also went 1 of 5 from the foul line, unable take advantage of Denver's could shooting in the fourth. The Pioneers shot 14% (2 of 14) from the field in the final quarter.
Jackson's 3-pointer gave Denver a 62-59 lead with 1 minute, 19 seconds remaining to give her team the lead for good. Dietz sank 1 of 2 free throws to cut the lead to 62-60 with 14 seconds to play.
After a Denver dead-ball turnover near half-court with four seconds remaining, Bison guard Kadie Deaton ended up with a drive into the paint, but her shot attempt was blocked as time expired.
"They made a good defensive play," Collins said.
The Bison shot 64% (9 of 14) from the field in the first quarter and trailed 25-23 through 10 minutes. NDSU struggled to make shots after that, especially from 3-point range. The Bison shot 17% (4 of 24) from beyond the arc. They also shot 59% (10 of 17) from the foul line.
"In close games, you just can't miss all those," Collins said of the free throws.
ADVERTISEMENT
Denver shot 40% (6 of 15) from 3-point range in the opening half to help build a 36-32 halftime lead.
Jackson paced the Pioneers with nine points on 3-for-3 shooting from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes. She sank a 3-pointer from the left wing to give Denver a 34-30 lead with 1:35 to play in the second quarter.
The Pioneers led by as many as six points in the first half. The Bison struggled from the field in the second quarter, shooting 22% (4 of 18) from the floor and 0-for-9 from the 3-point line.
"We've been a really good 3-point shooting team," Collins said. "We didn't shoot it well tonight and usually you try to make up with that with defense and rebounding."
ADVERTISEMENT
The Bison held a 47-38 edge in rebounds, but they couldn't overcome their offensive struggles.
"You get yourself in rhythm by touching both sides of the floor and executing some things and we just didn't have the patience to do that," Collins said. "There's really not a lot of time to mope about it. You've really got to turn around and get your mindset or tomorrow."
The Bison host Denver at 5 p.m. Saturday at the SHAC.
DU 25 36 53 62
NDSU 23 32 51 60
DU (4-9, 2-3 Summit): Boyd 3-14 1-2 8, Jackson 5-11 0-4 14, Gritt 2-3 4-6 10, Ezeudu 5-15 2-5 12, Jeffcoat 3-4 1-2 8, Counsel 1-3 0-0 2, Hein 0-2 0-0 0, Deem 3-5 1-1 8. Totals 22-57 9-20 62.
NDSU (10-3, 5-2): Hopkins 3-10 0-0 7, Cobbins 6-10 4-4 18, Hamling 1-10 0-0 2, Schulte 2-4 2-2 6, Dietz 3-7 3-7 9, Strop 0-1 0-0 0, Deaton 4-10 1-2 9, Behnke 1-1 0-2 2, Gaislerova 3-9 0-0 7. Totals 23-62 10-17 60.
3-point goals: DU 9-25 (Boyd 1-9, Jackson 4-5, Gritt 2-2, Ezeudu 0-3, Jeffcoat 1-1, Counsel 0-2, Hein 0-1, Deem 1-2), NDSU 4-24 (Hopkins 1-5, Cobbins 2-5, Hamling 0-6, Schulte 0-1, Deaton 0-2, Gaislerova 1-5). Total fouls: DU 17, NDSU 19. Rebounds: DU 38 (Ezeudu 9), NDSU 47 (Cobbins 9, Dietz 9). Assists: DU 15 (Boyd 6), NDSU 8 (Hamling 2, Strop 2). Turnovers: DU 14, NDSU 15.
