Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — Katie Ohm scored 17 points and Emily Fox added 15 to lead Minnesota to a 68-56 win over North Dakota State at Williams Arena Wednesday night.
Ohm’s three-point basket early in the first half put the Gophers in the lead for good, and her shot from behind the arc midway through the second half gave Minnesota breathing room after the Bison had cut a 16-point deficit to ten.
Minnesota (2-1) has won all seven of its regular season home openers under head coach Pam Borton.
North Dakota State got a career-high 14 points from Abby Plucker and 12 from Ashley Samuelson in losing its second straight game to start the season under first-year head coach Carolyn DeHoff.
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For the second time in as many games, Minnesota relied on its defense to set the tone. The Bison were forced into 23 turnovers by the Gophers, who created 38 turnovers in their win Sunday at Santa Clara.
Jackie Voigt sparked Minnesota in the middle of an 11-0 first-half run with a pretty feed to Zoe Harper for a basket, then making a pair of layups off passes from Fox to build a 20-9 lead. The Gophers held the Bison without a field goal for 9:57, pushing their margin to 26-11 following a pair of three-point baskets by Kiara Buford.
North Dakota State (0-2) closed the gap to 54-44 on a basket by Abby Plucker, but Ohm made a three-point basket from the deep corner and added a pair of free throws to push the Gophers’ lead back to 62-45.
Fox moved into 12th place on the all-time Gopher scoring list at 1,077 points, passing Kelly Roysland, who’s in her first season as a North Dakota State assistant coach.
