North Dakota
Avery Koenen leads North Dakota State to historic rout of UND
GRAND FORKS — It took roughly two and a half minutes for Avery Koenen to set the tone Sunday afternoon at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
The 6-foot-3 junior forward made a layup and a jumper on North Dakota State’s first two possessions. Sophomore guard Sydney Piekny drove to the rim for a layup in an attempt to score UND’s first points of the game.
Koenen blocked it.
The Fighting Hawks gathered the rebound and graduate guard Mackenzie Hughes made her own attempt at a layup.
Koenen blocked it again.
Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald
Thirty-six seconds later, she put in a layup of her own.
Koenen did not cool off as the game progressed. She finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks as the Bison routed the Hawks, 87-51.
“She’s a very good player,” UND head coach Dennis Hutter said. “Athletic, both shoulders, both hands, finishes well, shoots free throws well, plays hard, competes, does a very good job. She’s a very hard guard.”
North Dakota State’s 36-point win was the largest margin of victory in the history of the rivalry, according to the Hawks’
record book.
The largest margin of victory belonged to UND before Sunday’s loss. It was set in a 90-58 win on March 10, 1990.
“It’s important to our alums, it’s important to our community, it’s important to NDSU that we represent ourselves really well in this game,” Bison head coach Jory Collins said. “I’ve been fortunate everywhere that I’ve been to have a real rival, in-state rival, and have embraced that and enjoyed what that brings, the good times and the bad ones. It really is fun, I think it’s great for the state of North Dakota as well, so proud that we came out on the good end today.”
Eric Hylden / GF Herald
The 23-2 overall Bison, who have not lost a game since Nov. 16 and lead the Summit League with a 12-0 record, took off in the third quarter.
North Dakota State entered the second half with a 39-26 lead and quickly rattled off a 15-2 run. The Bison outscored the Hawks 25-10 in the third.
“It was important to come out strong,” Koenen said. “Maybe we weren’t finishing well in the first half and I think that we came out stronger in the second half, and asserted ourselves right away and it just carried on the rest of the game.”
Redshirt sophomore guard Jocelyn Schiller nailed a 3-pointer during North Dakota State’s third-period surge.
She shot 4-for-11 and scored 14 points, second only to Koenen.
It was a homecoming of sorts for Schiller. The Grand Forks Red River graduate spent her freshman season playing for the Hawks before transferring to NDSU.
“It was a little weird coming back,” Schiller said. “As soon as the game started, I kind of forgot about everything and was just excited to play with this team. … It’s a rivalry either way I think, so everyone was pumped to come into this game, and so was I.”
Eric Hylden / GF Herald
UND struggled to keep up with the Bison’s offense. The Hawks shot 32.7% from the field and 4-for-22 from 3-point range.
The offensive load was carried by a pair of upperclassmen.
Hughes shot 5-for-13 and led the way with 22 points. Senior center Walker Demers scored 15 points and shot 6-for-12.
UND’s bench provided just five points.
The Hawks, hot off the heels of a 94-48 road loss to South Dakota State on Thursday, fell to 7-20 overall and 3-10 in conference play.
They’re entering the home stretch of the regular season with just three games remaining.
“I told our team this week, you get a great opportunity,” Hutter said. “If you have any aspirations and any dreams of finishing at the top of this league, you’re going to find out this week exactly what you have to do and how you have to play, and how you have to go about it. And the fact that you’re going to play the top two teams right now, one that’s won it consistently over the years and one that’s playing at an extremely high level.
“So I do think we have some kids that are trying to figure it out. We’re playing some young kids I think that are garnering some pretty good minutes and maybe getting some tread on their tires a little bit. But I just wish we’d learn how to compete for 40 minutes. I just don’t think we know how to do that yet.”
Eric Hylden / GF Herald
Alex Faber is a sports reporter for the Grand Forks Herald. A Michigan transplant, he graduated from Michigan State University in 2024 with a degree in journalism and minors in history and environmental studies.
North Dakota
Armstrong applauds federal funding for upgrading coal infrastructure, including Antelope Valley Station
BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Kelly Armstrong today applauded President Donald Trump’s announcement of his plan to address the nation’s energy emergency with funding under the Defense Production Act, including up to $425 million for the U.S. Department of Energy for 12 projects selected to expand and reinvigorate America’s coal fleet and up to $75 million for a coal export facility.
The funding includes over $27.4 million to help pay for a $70 million proposed project to modernize two coal-fired units at North Dakota’s Antelope Valley Station, operated by Basin Electric Power Cooperative near Beulah in Mercer County. According to the DOE, the upgrades will mitigate unplanned outages, improve efficiency and increase generation capacity. The project is designed to ensure continued affordable and reliable electricity while also supporting local employment at Antelope Valley Station and Freedom Mine, the DOE said.
“North Dakota enjoys the lowest electricity rates in the nation, and investments like this will ensure our fleet of coal plants can produce clean, reliable and affordable power for decades to come,” Armstrong said. “We appreciate the continued support by President Trump and his administration for policies that support U.S. energy dominance and a more stable electric grid to serve our citizens, grow our economy and strengthen our national security. Coal country, and our entire state, will emerge even stronger from this action today.”
Prison Life in North Dakota
Every time we cross the Expressway overpass in Bismarck, you get a quick glimpse into prison life in North Dakota. Occasionally, you will see inmates in the yard doing various forms of outdoor recreation. The barbed wire that surrounds the North Dakota State Penitentiary is a sobering reminder that this is not where any sane person would ever want to spend any part of their life.
I met one of our listeners recently who works at the State Pen in Bismarck, and I got a chance to ask her some questions I’ve always wondered, mostly what life is like behind bars. “Is it like prison life in the movies?” She didn’t have a bright picture to paint, and that’s probably the way it should be, to help steer individuals away from a life of crime.
Oskari-Kauko Värä
I was surprised to find out that at least some of the inmates have tablets and are allowed to go online; their online experience is very controlled. I was also told prisoners are allowed to listen to the radio, something I already knew, as I have received calls from convicts making requests before. You kind of feel the pressure behind those requests, “play it or else”. Ha!
I plan to request a tour in the future using my media credentials and give you more insight into what it’s like behind bars at the North Dakota State Penitentiary.
Marina Nezhinkay
The 20 Worst Prisions in America
Did the North Dakota State Pen make the list? Nope. According to MoneyInc, these are the worst prisons that even the most hardened criminal would want to avoid.
20. Ely State Prison – Ely, Nevada
19. Folson State Prison – Folson, California
18. Penitentiary of New Mexico – Santa Fe, New Mexico
17. William C. Holman Correctional Facility – Atmore, Alabama
16. Sing Sing Correctional Facility – Ossining, New York
15. San Quentin State Prison – San Rafael, California
14. Louisiana State Pen – Angola, Louisiana
13. Rikers Island – New York, New York
12. Reeves County Detention Complex – Pecos, Texas
11. Julia Tutwiler Prison – Wetumpka, Alabama
10. Pelican Bay State Prison – Crescent City, California
9. United States Pen Marrion – Marion, Illinois
8. Idaho Correctional Center – Kuna, Idaho
7. United States Penitentiary Tucson – Tucson, Arizona
6. Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary – Leavenworth, Kansas
5. Orleans Parish Prison – New Orleans, Louisiana
4. Men’s Central Jail & Twin Towers Correctional Facility – Los Angeles, California
3. Tent City Jail – Phoenix, Arizona
2. Allan B. Polungky Unit – Livingtonston, Texas
1. US Penitentiary Administrative Maximum – Florence, Colorado
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Gallery Credit: Stacker
The 15 BEST Small-Town Cafes In North Dakota
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