Bison women absorb injury to 3rd key player amidst 'emotional week'

Zachary Lucy / NDSU Athletics By Eric Peterson Today at 10:01 PM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? FARGO — The result felt trivial by the end of the game Thursday night at Scheels Center and the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. North Dakota State was methodical in powering past Division II Augustana for an 86-60 home-opening victory in women's basketball. The Bison appeared to absorb another costly injury to a key player only two games into their regular season. ADVERTISEMENT “It’s been an emotional week for our team and then compounded again tonight," said Bison head coach Jory Collins. “I can see in their eyes that they're sticking together. It’s going to be some tough sledding here.” Junior guard Elena Lazarevic went to the floor in pain with 7 minutes, 9 seconds remaining in the third quarter. She grabbed her left knee and was eventually helped off the court. She spent the remainder of the game on the bench with a bag of ice on her left knee. Collins didn't have a further injury update on Lazarevic during his postgame press conference. “It looked to me like a typical not good thing," Collins said. Zachary Lucy / NDSU Athletics The injuries continued to mount for the D-I Bison, the preseason favorite to win the Summit League. They were already without Summit Player of the year Avery Koenen and Abby Krzewinski. Both suffered injuries earlier this week at Gonzaga and are sidelined for the "foreseeable future." That's a combined 204 games and 160 starts between the two in their Bison careers. “Those are all three really good players," Collins said. “It’s hard to see people you care about get hurt.” More than an hour before tipoff, Koenen and Krzewinksi both made their way to the Scheels Center floor. Krzewisnki was in walking boot and using a rolling scooter, while Koenen was on crutches wearing a knee brace. Lazarevic later joined them at the end of the bench in the third quarter. ADVERTISEMENT “There’s been a lot of change and we’re all trying to process what’s happening," said Bison guard Jocelyn Schiller, who had 20 points and six rebounds against Augustana. "We know it's going to take all of us.” More related coverage Koenen, Krzewinski to miss time for 'foreseeable future' for Bison women 1d ago Bison coach Collins says Karrington Asp expected to play larger role, has 'endless potential' 6d ago Bison men start to solve 3-D puzzle in season-opening victory 3d ago Lazarevic and senior post Miriley Simon started in place of Koenen and Krzewinski. Lazarevic had six points and two rebounds in 14 minutes prior to her injury. "It’s rough, but adversity happens" said Bison forward Karrington Asp, who had 18 points. "It’s part of the sport." NDSU sank three 3-pointers in the first quarter to build a 19-8 lead through 10 minutes. The 6-foot-1 Simon paced the Bison with nine points and five rebounds in the first half for a 36-25 halftime lead. Simon finished with nine points and eight rebounds. NDSU led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, pulling away from the Vikings. “The clock couldn’t run fast enough," Collins said. “We don’t have a lot of players left, but we’re going to be a really tight group," Schiller added. ADVERTISEMENT The Bison (1-1) next play Creighton at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, at Scheels Center. That game is set to be televised on WDAY Xtra. Asp said the team still has the same goals and aspirations and it had entering the season. “We’re doing it for them," Asp said, referring to the three injured players. "We’ve just got to bounce back and push forward. I love a good challenge. I’m excited for it. I want to play for them.” Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags BISON MEDIA ZONE BISON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL By Eric Peterson Peterson covers college athletics for The Forum, including Concordia College and Minnesota State Moorhead. He also covers the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks independent baseball team and helps out with North Dakota State football coverage. Peterson has been working at the newspaper since 1996. 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