Fighting Hawks dominate the glass, down Eastern Michigan 64-56

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND Athletics)– The North Dakota women’s basketball team dominated the glass in Sunday’s 64-56 win over Eastern Michigan, outrebounding the Eagles 52-31. The Fighting Hawks 34 defensive rebounds and 52 total boards were both season highs.

After posting a career high 26 points Tuesday night, Kiyah Hurst followed that performance up with a double-double against the Eagles. Hurst led the Hawks with 20 points and hauled in 10 boards, including three offensive rebounds.

Holding a 32-22 lead at halftime, North Dakota soared in the opening minutes of the third quarter knocking down four straight three-pointers to grab its largest lead of the night, 44-24. Hurst connected on the first and third triple of the run, while Owen knocked down the other two threes. A bucket from Hurst, assisted by Sammiyah Hoskin, was answered by an Eagle layup at the end of the quarter with the Hawks taking a 56-40 lead into the final 10 minutes.

EMU began to chip away at the Hawks lead in the fourth quarter, pulling within single-digits 58-51 with 5:42 remaining. A layup from Kiera Pemberton ended a 11-2 EMU run and gave the Hawks a 60-51 lead with 4:12 on the clock. Following a Pemberton basket with just over three minutes left in the game, both offenses would go cold, as neither team recorded a point to close out the 64-56 UND win.

The Fighting Hawks crashed the offensive boards in the opening period with 10 offensive rebounds to EMU’s five defensive boards as they built up a 19-12 advantage. The Hawks cashed in on the extra possessions, scoring 12 second chance points with eight points in the paint. Miranda VanderWal secured four offensive boards and scored six points, while Sammiyah Hoskin had three offensive boards.

Eastern Michigan kept the Hawks off the glass in the second period, limiting UND to just one offensive rebound. A 10-2 run late in the second quarter gave the Hawks their largest lead of the first half, 32-20. The Hawks rebounded by committee in the first half with five players securing three or more rebounds. Hurst paced NoDak in the opening 20 minutes with 10 points.

The Fighting Hawks will travel to Charleston, Ill. Thursday for their next game against Eastern Illinois.

Postgame Notes 

• UND grabbed a season-high 52 rebounds
• Kiyah Hurst posted her first career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds
• Kiyah Hurst led the Hawks in scoring for the second straight game
• Miranda VanderWal set new career-highs with 12 points and five offensive rebounds
• Jayla Owen’s nine points and three treys are both career highs
• Three Hawks hit double-digit scoring
• Eight players from UND grabbed three or more rebounds
• NoDak scored more points in the paint 26-18 and had more second chance points 14-2
• UND nearly led wire-to-wire, holding the lead for just over 39 minutes
• North Dakota moves to 3-1 all-time against EMU

How It Happened 
Q1: UND 19, EMU 12
Q2: UND 32, EMU 22
Q3: UND 56, EMU 40
Q4: UND 64, EMU 56

Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | 12/3/2023 4:50:00 PM | Ethan Erdman, FightingHawks.com