Minneapolis MN (UND) – The University of North Dakota women’s basketball team fell on the road, 91-47, to Minnesota on Tuesday evening inside Williams Arena in the season opener of the 2025-26 slate.

Ava Miller led the charge offensively with 11 points off of 3-for-4 shooting from behind the arc and a perfect 2-for-2 showing at the free throw line alongside her four rebounds. Walker Demers led on the glass with six rebounds and eight points as Mackenzie Hughes dished in nine points and two assists.

The Hawks collected 36 total rebounds compared to the Gophers’ 58 and went 19-for-24 from the charity stripe. Turnovers proved to be lethal, as UND committed 21 while Minnesota only gave up seven while the Gophers scored a striking 53 points off the bench.

Minnesota scored first but Ava Miller struck back to make it an early 3-2 lead for UND. The Gophers would quickly respond with nine straight points to take control, which they would not relent for the rest of the evening. The Hawks rattled off five points in response, but Minnesota continued to push, taking the 21-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

A 16-3 streak from UMN combined with over two minutes of a UND scoring drought broke the game wide open. The 24-point differential was slowly whittled down by the Hawks to 17 as the score sat at 44-27 at the half, courtesy of a nearly-buzzer-beater triple from Hughes.

Behind a 27-point third quarter, Minnesota took firm control and slowed any semblance of a UND rally as it pieced together multiple scoring runs. The Hawks continued to find a way to get to the free throw line, but the lead grew to 34 and kept climbing at the beginning of the fourth quarter until the eventual final score of 91-47.  

Postgame Notes 

  • Seven new Fighting Hawks made their UND debut in the contest
  • UND scored 12 points off the bench
  • NoDak held the lead once, opening the game up with a 3-2 advantage
  • Minnesota now takes the 5-1 series lead
  • North Dakota falls to 3-14 in season openers in the Division I era
  • The Gophers out-shot the Fighting Hawks 40.7% to 21.2%

How It Happened 
Q1: UND 10, Minnesota 21
Q2: UND 27, Minnesota 44
Q3: UND 38, Minnesota 71
Q4: UND 47, Minnesota 91

Up Next
North Dakota will now return to the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center for its home debut against Youngstown State. Game time is currently set for 7 p.m. on Friday, November 7.