The UND women's basketball team went more than seven minutes without a point against Missouri of the Big 12 last week, falling behind 21-0.
Although it didn't affect the outcome, North Dakota went on to outscore the Tigers the rest of the way.
The abysmal start in Columbia, Mo., has UND's attention as it hosts Northern Iowa of the Missouri Valley Conference today at 2 p.m. at The Betty.
"That (start) is not acceptable," UND coach Gene Roebuck said. "We have to start games better."
The problem has been in shooting percentages. UND has held its own in terms of rebounding and limiting turnovers.
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North Dakota was 1-for-11 from the 3-point line against Missouri. On the season, UND is shooting 26 percent from the 3-point line.
UND has just two players that shoot better than 25 percent from the 3-point line. Madi Buck is hitting 47 percent from deep, while Nicole Smart is knocking them down at a 35-percent clip.
"We're a better shooting team than that," Roebuck said. "We're getting open looks. We have to make shots that are there. When we don't make shots, it doesn't matter who you play, you're not going to win."
The shooting woes aren't a result of a lack of effort, Roebuck said.
"The one thing that sticks out in my mind about (games against Missouri and Colorado State) is that we worked extremely hard," Roebuck said. "The Colorado State game could have gone either way. We didn't shoot well, but we kept scrapping."
Righting the ship against Northern Iowa will be no easy task. The Panthers have run the Dakota gamut of late, knocking off South Dakota by 10 and beating North Dakota State by 19.
"We have to make baskets," Roebuck said. "Athletically, I don't think they'll be any quicker than us. If we shoot the ball well, we'll be in the game."
The Panthers, who advanced to the national tournament last season, beat UND 78-54 last year in Cedar Falls.
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UNI, which was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley this year, was 27-6 overall and 17-1 in conference play last season. The Panthers return six players from that squad.
Katelin Oney, a 5-foot-7 guard, leads UNI in scoring with a 13.0 points-per-game average.
Miller reports on sports. Reach him at (701) 780-1121; (800) 477-6572, ext. 121; or send e-mail to
Today's game
Who: Northern Iowa at UND.
When: 2 p.m., The Betty.
TV/radio: Cat Country (100.3 FM).
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Records: UND 4-5; Northern Iowa 7-2.
Of note: Northern Iowa's losses have come against Iowa and nationally-ranked Wisconsin-Green Bay.
