“We were trying to be aggressive defensively, and the key was being able to rebound,” stated SUU head coach JR Payne. “So many of their points come from their tremendous offensive rebounding. We felt that we could limit their scoring if we limited their offensive rebounding.”

North Dakota scored the first six, including a 3-pointer by Madi Buck, before Parkinson worked inside for a lay-in to get the Thunderbirds on the board. Baskets from Desiree Jackson and Jessica Richardson helped to make it a 9-0 run as SUU rallied for a 9-6 advantage.

Parkinson put in six consecutive points for the T-Birds to extend the lead to 16-11 approaching the halfway mark of the opening period. Mandelko then scored five straight of her own with a pair of free throws and straightaway three that pushed the margin to 21-13.

North Dakota pulled back within three after back-to-back scores by Makailah Dyer, but Mandelko drove inside for a layup to make the difference 23-18. Two more baskets from the junior guard had Southern Utah up 28-20 late in the half.

The visitors narrowed the deficit with a couple of trips to the foul line but a step-back three by Mandelko and a fast break layup for Parkinson gave the T-Birds a 33-24 advantage heading into the break.

Mandelko finished the half with 15 points and Parkinson added another 11. SUU shot 44.8 percent from the field in the early going while North Dakota ended the period at 20 percent.

Mandelko intercepted the inbounds pass to start the second half and Parkinson dropped in a jumper to increase the margin to 11. The Thunderbirds opened on a 14-5 run to go up 47-29. Senior Carli Moreland scored six points during the streak and Ashleigh Munns connected from beyond the arc for her first basket.

“We talked about being aggressive in everything we are doing, so anytime you can start the half like that I think it lifts everyone spirits and you get a little burst of adrenaline,” commented Payne.

UND guard Siri Burck knocked down a shot from the corner just after the nine-minute mark and Buck and Wall added four more at the foul line to pull the visitors back within 15. Three quick baskets from Andrea Jones and an assist in transition to Marissa Robbins had SUU in front 68-46.  The Thunderbirds cruised to a 73-53 final from there, with late scores from Richardson and Maylinn Smith.

Southern Utah shot 50 percent from the field (28-56) and outscored UND inside by a final count of 42-8. The visitors held a 38-33 rebounding edge and went 32-44 at the foul line. North Dakota recorded the lowest shooting-percentage of any SUU opponent this season and gave up 24 turnovers.

Parkinson finished with 19 points to lead all scorers and collected a game-high seven rebounds. Mandelko and Moreland also finished in double-figures with totals of 15 and 12, respectively. Buck led North Dakota with 12 points, but scored just two in the second half.

“I think we feel really confident right now, we feel very good about our preparation,” explained Payne. “The fact that everyone is dialed in to the next opponent, that we can go back-to-back and play a lot of people helps in the tournament, so I think we feel good about whoever we play.”

The Thunderbirds wrap up the regular season this Saturday by hosting Northern Colorado at 7:30 p.m. A win would give Southern Utah a share of the Big Sky Conference regular season championship. Coverage of the game is available online at www.suutbirds.com.