DENVER -- The University of Denver women's basketball team fell to the North Dakota State Bison, 81-44, on Saturday afternoon in Hamilton Gymnasium.

Laia Monclova led the offense with 15 points while Karolina Padilla and Jocelyn Medina each tacked on eight. Tori Baker had seven points and four assists while Anna Rosenberger grabbed four rebounds.

The Bison opened with a quick 12-0 run, forcing Denver into early foul trouble and turnovers as the Pioneers struggled to get into an offensive flow. Monclova finally ended the drought with a driving layup at 4:24 of the first quarter, and later scored six straight points to trim the deficit, but Denver trailed 19-8 after the first frame.

In the second quarter Denver's shooting woes continued. NDSU grew its advantage to 28-16 before Tori Baker hit Denver's first three-pointer at 4:47 and Monclova's buzzer-beating triple trimmed the deficit but the Pioneers found themselves down 39-24 at the intermission. 

Denver showed resilience in the third, but could not sustain offensive momentum. After a scoreless stretch for both teams, the Bison still led, 55-34, entering the fourth. 

Physical play persisted in the final quarter as NDSU capitalized on Pioneer miscues and stretched the lead with a 10-2 run early in the period. Denver was held scoreless for nearly two minutes late, allowing North Dakota State to close out the 81-44 victory. 

Up Next: The Pioneers travel to Minnesota to take on the St. Thomas Tommies on Thursday, January 8.

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