GRAND FORKS, ND – The Comets made the quick trip up north to the Betty Engelstad Arena to face off against the University of North Dakota in exhibition play on Wednesday night. A strong second quarter from Mayville State put Head Coach Dennis Hutter's team within striking distance in the second half, but UND was too much down the stretch for the Comets. Mayville State fell to the NCAA D-I opponent 83-52. 

The #21 Comets had plenty of open looks against the Fighting Hawks in the first quarter, but shots were just not falling. MSU shot 14 percent from the floor and went 0-6 from beyond the arc to fall behind 18-7 after the first, but they were able to turn that around and find their shot in the second quarter. 

Mayville State came out with an 11-3 run to start the second and had UND fans a little uncomfortable after a Jordan Zrust made it 21-18 with 6:57 to play in the half. UND responded with a quick run of their own to put them back up 29-18, but the Comets would continue to hit shots.

Zrust would add another trey in the quarter, and 3-point connections from Nicole Bunting, Taylor Skjordal, and Claire Blascziek kept the Comets right behind UND throughout the second. Coach Hutter's team battled for a key run in the closing minutes, outscoring UND 7-2 to head into half and pull the Comets back into the game. A layup from Kylee Heurung at the buzzer made it 42-30 at the halftime break. 

The second half couldn't have started any better for the Comets. Kylee Heurung was able to steal the ball from Melissa Leet on UND's first possession, then turned it into two points on the other end after hitting a 10-foot jump shot. But, the Fighting Hawks responded with an 11-0 run to push them up by 21 with 7:42 to play in the third. 

UND was able to keep that gap throughout the remainder of the quarter and game by taking advantage of second chance opportunities and playing strong defense. A strong defense that forced the Comets to shoot 33 percent from the floor and 18 percent from the 3-point line in the second half.  

Every time it seemed like the Comets would be able to get something going in the final two quarters, UND would have an answer and come back with a quick run of their own. UND continued to lean on Mayville State in the fourth quarter, but the Comets fought hard down the stretch and didn't make anything easy for the Fighting Hawks. Mayville State eventually fell to UND 83-52.  

Kylee Heurung led the way for the Comets with 16 points, Claire Blascziek and Jordan Zrust added 10 points each. Zrust also grabbed eight rebounds to lead MSU in that category, Heurung added another five. 

Olivia Lane had the big night for the Fighting Hawks, she led all players with 17 points after going 8-9 from the field, Lane also grabbed eight boards to lead her team. Maggie Manson had 14 points and Julia Fleecs added another 10 for UND. 

The Comets will return to the floor on Saturday, December 28 when they head to Sioux City, Iowa to take on the Briar Cliff Chargers in the Holiday Classic Tournament hosted by Briar Cliff. The next day, the Comets will face off against Morningside College on Sunday afternoon before heading home.

MSU will return to action on their home court at the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse on Tuesday, January 7, as they'll host the Trinity Bible College Lions for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.