The UND women's basketball team is off to a 4-0 start and remains at the top of the NCAA Division II coaches poll.
But if there's one thing tripping up the Sioux this season, it's been 3-point shooting. UND is shooting just 26.8 percent from beyond the arc and has only cracked the 30 percent mark once. The only Sioux player shooting better than 27 percent from the 3-point line is point guard Danye Guinn.
Things may be coming around for the Sioux, though. UND had its best outside shooting game last Saturday in a 67-58 win over Minnesota State-Moorhead, shooting 40 percent from the field.
"It's getting better," UND coach Gene Roebuck said. "Teams are going to try to double our posts as much as they can. We need to be able to free up our posts."
The absence of perhaps the team's best outside shooter, Kayla Bagaason, who hasn't played a game this season, hasn't helped. The junior is rehabilitating a knee injury.
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"We've missed her out there," Guinn said. "She definitely adds an extra element."
Bagaason, a former Fosston (Minn.) High School athlete, made 36 percent of her shots from 3-point land last year.
"(Her return) is on a wait-and-see basis right now," Roebuck said.
To fill the void, the Sioux have relied on a platoon of guards.
Guinn, Jossy Bergan, Karla Beck and freshman Mallory Youngblut have all had their moments this season. Against Minnesota State-Moorhead, Guinn and Bergan combined to hit 4 of 8 shots from 3-point land.
"Danye is a player who will hit big shots," Roebuck said. "And I thought Jossy hit some big shots when we really needed it."
In its first three games last season, UND shot 25 percent or less from 3-point range. The Sioux rebounded to finish at a 36 percent clip for the season.
With the tandem of 6-foot-2 Ashley Langen and 6-1 Kierah Kimbrough, freeing up posts will be vital. Langen is averaging a team-high 15.5 points per game, while Kimbrough is next at 12 points per game.
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The Sioux play in the Adams State tournament on Saturday and Sunday in Alamosa, Colo. UND faces Adams State on Saturday and Oklahoma Panhandle on Sunday.
Adams State, 2-2, has wins against familiar opponents to UND. The Grizzlies beat Mayville State 61-53 and South Dakota 83-79.
Reach Miller at 780-1121, (800) 477-6572 ext. 121 or tmiller@gfherald.com .
