GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- The Pudenz decade is coming to a close at the University of North Dakota.

Jaime Pudenz, now a senior, followed sisters Tracey and Tiffany to UND, where the three helped turn the women's basketball program into one of the nation's best, with three NCAA Division II titles.

Jaime played her last home game Saturday night. Her departure from the court, after UND's victory over Northern Colorado, marked the end of an era for Sioux athletics.

For the past 10 seasons, the Pudenz first name changed, but the Pudenz style of play never did. The three sisters took turns making crucial 3-pointers, stealing the basketball with lightning-quick moves and entertaining thousands of Fighting Sioux fans while generally making life difficult for opposing players.

Tracey came to UND at the start of the 1990-91 season. Tiffany followed in 1994 before Jaime enrolled in 1996. In the 10 seasons the sisters played, the Sioux posted a 264-37 record, captured five North Central Conference titles and won three national championships.

"This is my 13th year at UND and in 10 of those years, I've coached a Pudenz," UND coach Gene Roebuck said. "It's going to be like a loss in the family for me next year. As a coach, you move on. But those three have been such an important part of our program and success.

"I don't know of any other record or situation in college athletics that can compare to what those three have accomplished at UND."

To better understand the impact the sisters have had on UND basketball, consider this statistic: The sisters rank 2, 3, and 12 in career scoring and 1, 2, 6 in career assists. Outside of Jenny Crouse and Sheri Kleinsasser, both Division II national players of the year, few players have made more of an impact on UND's program than the three Pudenz sisters.

At the family home in Jeffers, Minn., Alan Pudenz made a basketball court for his daughters, complete with lights and stripes. Games at the Pudenz home would continue until well past dark on countless summer nights.

"There were times when neighbors threatened to call the cops, because they could hear the sound of the bouncing ball at 2 or 3 in the morning," Jaime said.

Known for their competitive nature, which Jaime says comes from Alan, playing against each other didn't always turn out the best.

"We'd get mad at each other and wouldn't finish the game," Jaime said of a few games with Tiffany. "The competitiveness between us is too high."

Said Tiffany: "I hate losing. I hate losing even board games. There is a lot of competitiveness in our family."

So, Jaime and Tiffany usually played on the same side, using their competitive nature, quickness, ball-handling skills and shooting to win their neighborhood pickup game as well as turning Red Rock Central into a Minnesota state high school power.

When the pair reunited at UND, the Sioux won the first of their three straight national titles.

Jaime's senior year of high school (1996) was the last year that Tracey played at UND.

Tracey left the Sioux program without a national title, though the Sioux fielded strong teams in all four of her years. Tracey remembers what Jaime, who had committed to the Sioux, told her after UND's 1996 loss to North Dakota State University in the regional championship.

"I was crying and my mom was crying," Tracey said. "But Jaime came up and said something like, 'Don't worry, we're going to win it all next year."'

A year later, Jaime delivered on that prediction -- UND beat Southern Indiana in the national championship game in Grand Forks. Seconds after the final buzzer, Jaimie went over to Tracey.

"Jaime ran over to me, gave me a hug and said, 'This one is for you,"' her sister recalled.

Jaime said fans usually ask which of the Pudenz sisters is the best player.

"I usually say my sisters," she said.

"Tracey is the oldest and is very structured," Roebuck said. "On the floor, she was very structured at what she did. She never was in the wrong spot.

"Tiffany, to me, was a very emotional player who would hit the big shot when we needed it. She took a lot of pride in hitting the shot. When the offense would break down, she'd take the ball to the basket. She was the feisty one.

"Jaime has a little of Tracey and Tiffany in here. She's feisty and structured."

Tracey's decision to play at UND didn't necessarily mean Tiffany and Jaime would follow.

"UND was one of my last choices," said Tiffany, now a teacher in Grand Forks. "All through high school, I was compared to Tracey. That's why I wanted to go somewhere else. I wanted to go to Augustana or South Dakota State. But, at the last minute, I changed my mind and came here. I kind of got nervous about their basketball programs. I just think I fit in better here."

Jaime, too, thought about going elsewhere. "I was proud of what my sisters did," she said.

"The only thing was that I was scared I wouldn't be as good as them. But, in the back of my mind, I always knew I'd probably come here," she said. "I want to win. I don't like losing."