MINNEAPOLIS (Interstat) — The Minnesota Golden Gophers opened their season with a dominant 91-47 victory over the North Dakota Fighting Hawks in a nonconference women’s basketball game Tuesday night at a half-full Williams Arena.

From the opening tip, the Golden Gophers established control, outscoring the Fighting Hawks 21-10 in the first quarter and never looking back. The home team’s offense continued to hum, adding 23 points in the second, 27 in the third, and 20 in the fourth to secure the lopsided win. North Dakota, opening its own season, was held to single digits in the final quarter.

The story of the game was written in the paint and on the defensive end. Minnesota overwhelmed North Dakota with a 44-8 advantage in points in the paint and capitalized on Fighting Hawks mistakes, scoring 26 points off turnovers compared to just four for the visitors.

Makena Christian led a balanced and efficient Minnesota scoring attack, pouring in a game-high 23 points in just 20 minutes of action. She was one of four Golden Gophers to finish in double figures. Sophie Hart controlled the interior with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Finau Tonga added 14 points and seven boards. Tori McKinney rounded out the quartet with 12 points. Amaya Battle orchestrated the offense masterfully, dishing out seven assists and pulling down 10 rebounds.

North Dakota, which fell to 0-1, was led by Ava Miller’s 11 points. Mackenzie Hughes and Walker Demers added nine and eight points, respectively, in the losing effort.

The announced attendance was 3,384 at Williams Arena.

The Golden Gophers (1-0) will look to build on the opening-night win when they host Manhattan on Friday. The Fighting Hawks continue their early season schedule at home against Youngstown State on Friday.