MOORHEAD - Danye Guinn's strong finish Saturday night helped sustain the dominance of the UND women's basketball team over Minnesota State University-Moorhead.
Guinn scored nine points in a decisive 24-6 run late in the second half to help the No. 1-ranked Sioux to a 67-58 nonconference victory against the Dragons before 578 fans at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse.
UND improved to 21-0 against the Dragons in Gene Roebuck's 22 years as head coach.
"It was probably the most hardcore we've seen," Sioux junior post Kierah Kimbrough said of the play in the paint. "Everyone was extremely physical, and we were expecting that. . . . Danye hit some big shots and that was the difference."
MSUM battled back from a seven-point halftime deficit on the backs of seniors Allison Swenson, Jessica Fesenmaier and Katie Walden.
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The trio - Swenson and Fesenmaier on the inside and Walden on the perimeter - accounted for 12 points in a 14-2 run that helped the Dragons take a 41-36 lead with 15 minutes, 4 seconds remaining.
MSUM extended the lead to 48-41 when the Sioux made their move.
Sophomore guard Jossy Bergan drilled a 3-pointer to stop UND's two-minute scoring drought.
Kimbrough, who along with Sioux center Ashley Langen was in foul trouble for most of the game, worked free inside to tie the game at 48 with 8:25 on the clock.
Guinn scored nine points in the final five minutes to help the Sioux pull away.
"Danye is definitely our go-to player on the outside," said Langen, who finished with 11 points in 20 minutes. "She's kind of a hot and cold player. But once she gets hot she's hard to stop. We look to Danye all the time for a spark."
UND received contributions from almost everyone on its roster in the first half.
Guinn and Mallory Youngblut combined for 13 points to make up for the absence of Kimbrough and Langen, who each spent more time on the bench than on the floor in the first half.
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The Dragons stayed close, despite Fesenmaier missing more than five minutes late in the first half with a bloody gash below her right eye.
Guinn finished with 16 points. Swenson led the Dragons with 18 points and seven rebounds.
"There is no moral victory in this," said MSUM coach Karla Nelson, a former Sioux player whose team had lost to UND by an average of 26 points in four previous meetings. "I think if we had maybe more toughness mentally some things might have been different. They had mental toughness. We just folded."
