Preview: North Dakota State Bison at North Dakota Fighting Hawks GRAND FORKS, N.D. (Interstat) — A surging North Dakota State women’s basketball team, ranked eighth nationally, visits rival North Dakota on Sunday in a Summit League matchup at Engelstad Arena. The Bison (20-2, 10-0 Summit) enter on a 12-game winning streak and have dominated conference play, winning by an average margin of 31.2 points. They are coming off a 102-51 road rout of Omaha on Feb. 7, where they shot 58% from the field. NDSU leads the all-time series 54-41. North Dakota (7-19, 3-8) has struggled this season but is 5-7 at home. The Fighting Hawks are looking to rebound from a 94-48 loss at South Dakota State on Thursday. A key matchup will feature NDSU’s versatile forward Avery Koenen against UND’s rim-protector Walker Demers. Koenen is averaging 18.9 points and 7.2 rebounds over her last seven games, including a 25-point, 13-rebound performance against Oral Roberts on Jan. 31. Demers, a defensive presence, has recorded 11 blocks in her last four contests. The Bison’s high-powered offense, which has scored 90 or more points seven times this season, will test a North Dakota defense allowing 74.2 points per game. NDSU’s balance was evident in the win over Omaha, with Avery Koenen (16 points), Karrington Asp (14 points) and Abby Krzewinski (16 points) all contributing efficiently. North Dakota’s path to an upset likely requires a standout performance from Demers defensively and improved scoring from guards Mackenzie Hughes and Mataeya Mathern, who combined for 13 points in the last outing. This is the first of two regular-season meetings between the in-state rivals. They will play again in Fargo on Feb. 28. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CST Sunday.