GREEN BAY, Wis. -- UND wrapped up perhaps its toughest two-game stretch in program history Wednesday night.
UND's performance against No. 21 Wisconsin-Green Bay wasn't much different than the Sioux game against Gonzaga last week.
Wisconsin-Green Bay rolled to an 83-40 win against the Sioux before 1,521 fans at the Kress Center. The loss dropped UND to 1-4. The Phoenix improved to 7-0, a record that includes wins against Big Ten teams Minnesota, Wisconsin and Penn State.
"They're real good," UND coach Gene Roebuck said in a postgame radio interview. "They're not as talented as Gonzaga but they play harder. Gonzaga plays awfully hard, but this team plays extremely hard."
Gonzaga, a team that was ranked nationally earlier this season, beat the Sioux 83-45 last week at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
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The Sioux had trouble throughout against Wisconsin-Green Bay's defense. The Sioux managed only one shot in their first 11 possessions, which also saw UND called for three offensive fouls.
UND recently lifted the redshirt on freshman Madi Buck, and the former Bismarck Century standout led the Sioux with 11 points in her collegiate debut. She also grabbed seven rebounds. Buck was the only UND player with more than six points.
"Madi Buck was our best player tonight," Roebuck said. "She's going to keep playing. We're going to have to get her in the lineup. She plays hard."
The Phoenix, who led 41-13 at halftime, were led by Stephanie Sension's 12 points. Julie Wojta, Celeste Hoewisch and Kayla Tetschlag all finished with 10 points as Wisconsin-Green Bay connected on 22 of 62 field-goal attempts (36 percent).
The big difference came in rebounding. The Phoenix held a 50-32 edge on the boards. Wisconsin-Green Bay had 19 offensive rebounds, compared to six for the Sioux.
UND also committed 30 turnovers to 13 for the Phoenix.
"We competed at times," Roebuck said. "But we shot ourselves in the foot. We made some bad decisions."
The Sioux connected on only 10 of 40 field-goal attempts and were 16 of 26 from the free-throw line.
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UND will play Drake on Saturday at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
"These teams (Gonzaga and Wisconsin-Green Bay) will probably be the two best teams we play all year," Roebuck said. "You just have to put them in your memory bank and move forward."
