FARGO, ND – A strong first half by the Mayville State University Comets seemed to put the nation's 21^st ranked team in good position, but a strong second half by the home North Dakota State University (NDSU) Bison saw the road Comets fall 97-59 in exhibition play Sunday afternoon at the Scheels Center in Fargo.

"We played really well in the first half," Comets head coach Dennis Hutter said. "It's too bad, I thought the kids competed, played hard and played together."

Mayville State started quick, with Kylee Heurung nailing a three-pointer from the top of the key, giving Mayville State a 3-0 lead just 32 seconds into the game. But, North Dakota State responded in a big way.

The Bison went on a 9-0 run, paced by a Rylee Nudell three-pointer on the left corner, making it 9-3 in favor of the home Bison.

The Comets stopped the streak with a basket by Taylor Shamp, a result of a Bison turnover, pulling Mayville State to within four points with 4:40 to go in the opening quarter.

The Bison went on another run, pulling ahead by nine behind three free-throws and a layup by Danneka Voegeli.

Taylor Reilly, 30 seconds later, nailed a pair of free-throws to bring the lead back to just seven. Claire Blascziek's layup with just under 90 seconds left in the first brought the Comets back to within five points. Back-to-back threes by Mayville State, one by Blascziek and the other by Cyan Hale, edged out four free-throws by North Dakota State's Sofija Zivaljevic, making it a three-point contest, 18-15, at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was all Mayville State early—and often.

Taylor Skjordal picked up a pass on the left wing and drained a three-pointer, tying the game at 18-18 just 31 seconds into the second quarter.

NDSU took the lead momentarily on Zivaljevic's free-throw. That's when Mayville State took over. The Comets went on an 8-0 run, behind five successful free-throws—three by Heurung and two by Jordan Zrust. The run started with 7:56 to go in the half, when Taylor Reilly connected on a three from the top of the key. Mayville State held a 26-19 lead with 6:22 to go in the first half.

NDSU then went on a run of their own, as Michelle Gaislerova and Ryan Cobbins teamed up to score eight straight points, giving the Bison a one-point lead with just over four minutes left. Hale tied the game at 27-27 with 3:36 to go.

NDSU hit two more free-throws, before Mayville State took over again. Kylee Heurung hit a huge basket, was fouled, and converted for the three-point play, giving Mayville State a one-point lead with 1:47 to go in the half. Then, 31 seconds later, Nicole Bunting nailed a three from the left wing, giving Mayville State a four-point lead in the closing minute. The Comets extended the lead to six on Heurung's basket down low with 45 seconds left, making it 35-29.

Voegeli hit a second-chance layup at the buzzer, giving the Comets a 35-31 halftime lead.

The third quarter was all NDSU, as the Bison only allowed the Comets to score seven points. Four of those seven came from the hands of Blascziek. The other three were on a trey by Heurung with 7:10 to go in the third. The Comets were held off the board for more than three minutes two different times in the third quarter, and NDSU took a 69-42 lead into the fourth quarter.

"I was just disappointed in their competitive effort in the third quarter," Hutter said.

Zrust's layup with 8:46 to go brought the Comets to within 27 points. But a 7-0 run by the Bison brought the margin back to over 30.

A 4-0 run by the Comets, just over midway through the quarter, on a pair of free-throws by both Heurung and Zrust, made it 83-53, but the Bison were too much in the end.

Heurung registered a double-double, with a 16-point and 12-rebound performance. She was the lone Comet in double-figures. Blascziek finished with nine points for the Comets.

The Comets will return to the floor on Wednesday, as they'll travel to Grand Forks to take on the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

"We gotta get better," Hutter said of Wednesday's matchup against the Fighting Hawks. "We gotta find a way to play 40 minutes of good quality, competitive basketball."

Can't make it? Comet Radio will have you covered, beginning with the pregame show at 6:30 p.m. from the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks. Chris Larson will have the play-by-play of Wednesday's action, with Andrew Larson providing the color commentary.

The Comets will wrap up the 2019 calendar year in Sioux City, Iowa, as they'll take on Briar Cliff on December 28 at 7 p.m., and Morningside College on December 29 at 1 p.m. in Sioux City.

They will return to their home court at the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse on Tuesday, January 7, as they'll host the Trinity Bible College Lions.