Bison almost nip Big Sky champ
NDSU women shoot just 38 percent from the foul line as they lose in overtime to NAU
In overtime games, one point can make all the difference.
The Bison women’s basketball team had problems getting one point all afternoon Sunday.
The Bison shot 11-29 from the foul line as Northern Arizona defeated NDSU 55-50 in overtime Sunday afternoon at the Bison Sports Arena.
“ We should be better than that,” Bison head coach Amy Ruley said. “That shot has been the same since they started playing the game.”
Despite the problems at the line, the Bison played an extremely close game against last season’s champion of the Big Sky Conference.
Jerri Penley led NDSU with 12 points and eight rebounds, both career highs for the sophomore.
Penley and the Bison did that for most of the game as Wahl was held to just 12 points and only two in the first half.
The Bison held the lead for most of the first half, stretching that lead to eight with 13:09 remaining but the Lumberjacks came back and were within two at halftime.
Northern Arizona took charge in the second half on the back of Megan Porter’s 11 points after the break. She finished with a game-high 15.
Freshman point guard Inger Hodgson gave the Bison a spark in the second half with three points, three rebounds and three steals in just 12 minutes on the floor.
“ She’s getting more confidence as time goes on,” Ruley said. “From last week to this week there was a big improvement.”
The Bison used quite a bit of a 2-3 zone defense in this game, something they felt kept the team in the game.
“ We took them out of their offense with the zone defense,” junior guard Lisa Bue said.
The bench of the Bison also made a large contribution in this game.
Ali Sonstelie led the charge off the bench with 8 points while Katie Dahlen and Danni Heintzelman each chipped in 5 as NDSU outscored Northern Arizona 22-8 in bench points.
The Bison did all of this against a team that lost to powerhouse Baylor last year in the first round of the NCAA tournament after earning their bid with that Big Sky championship.
“ If they are the best team in the Big Sky and Oral Roberts is the best team in the Mid-Con, we’re not far off,” Ruley said.
The Bison will be in Bozeman, Mont., for their next action this weekend in the Montana State Wingate Inn Classic on Friday and Saturday.