Bison Women's Basketball Battles Rival North Dakota in Grand Forks Saturday

Saturday, Dec. 14: North Dakota State Bison (3-6) at North Dakota (3-3)
Betty Engelstad Center (3,140) | Grand Forks, N.D. | 2 p.m. CT

NDSU Game Notes (PDF) | NDSU Season Stats | North Dakota Season Stats | North Dakota Game Notes (PDF) | Summit League Weekly Notes (PDF)

NDSU Faces Rival UND Saturday in Grand Forks
        After dropping a pair of games in the Air Force Classic at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, the North Dakota State women's basketball team will look to bounce back Saturday, Dec. 14, when they travel to Grand Forks to face rival North Dakota at 2 p.m. inside the Betty Engelstad Center.

Against North Dakota
        Saturday's showdown with instate rival UND will be the 80th meeting in the all-time series. The Bison trail North Dakota in the series, 42-37. Last season, the Bison fell to UND at home, 73-63. NDSU's last victory against UND was in the 2003-04 season, when the Bison defeated UND in Grand Forks, 75-74. Before the 2012-13 season, the last time NDSU and UND met was the 2003-04 season.

Scouting North Dakota
        UND enters the week with an overall record of 3-3, defeating South Dakota, Jamestown and Milwaukee while falling to Iowa State, Northern Iowa and Minnesota.
        North Dakota is paced by two players averaging double figures. Madi Buck leads the team, averaging 16.5 points per game (ppg) and 7.2 rebounds per game (rpg), while Mia Loyd is second on the team in scoring with 11.5 points per game. She leads UND in rebounding with 10 board per game.
        As a team, North Dakota is averaging 65.2 ppg while holding its opponents to 62.3 ppg. UND is out-rebounding opponents on average, 44.5 to 37.3. North Dakota is committing 17.3 turnovers per game while its opponents are averaging 14.2 per game.

Johnson's Career Game Not Enough as Bison Women's Basketball Falls to Wyoming, 72-69
        Holly Johnson scored a career-high 31 points, but it wasn't enough, as NDSU women's basketball (3-6) fell to the Wyoming Cowgirls (6-2), 72-69, Saturday, Dec. 7, on the final day of the Air Force Classic inside Clune Arena at the United States Air Force Academy.
        The Bison fell behind early in the game after Fallon Lewis hit a three to give Wyoming the 5-2 lead with 19:02 remaining in the first half. NDSU responded, going on a 14-2 run, beginning with a three from Bree Whatman to tie the game with 18:36 left in the first half.
        The Bison lead grew to nine after Marena Whittle nailed a jumper at the 14:29 mark of the stanza.
        Wyoming answered, going on a 4-0 run to cut the Bison lead to 16-11 with 13:12 remaining in the half. The Cowgirls chipped the NDSU lead to just one, 19-18, after a pair of made free throws from Kaylie Rader with 11:18 on the clock, but, the Bison responded and took a 12 point lead, 38-26, after Johnson hit a layup and was fouled and nailed the bonus free throw with three minutes remaining to play in the half. The Bison went into halftime leading Wyoming, 40-29.
        NDSU was paced in the first half by Johnson with 15 points, tying her career-high. Wyoming was led by Kayla Woodward and Kaitlyn Mileto, each with seven points.
        The Bison were 16-for-38 (42 percent) from the field and 4-for-12 (33 percent) from three in the half. NDSU made 4-of-6 free throws for 67 percent. The Cowgirls shot 33 percent in the stanza, going 11-for-33, and were 2-for-9 from three for 22 percent. Wyoming shot 5-for-8 (63 percent) from the charity stripe.
        Wyoming came out strong in the second half, cutting the Bison lead to four, 53-49, after a three-pointer from Mileto with 12:22 remaining in the half.
        NDSU was able to push the lead to nine when Kahla Becken hit a pair of free throws at the 10:36 mark, but, the Cowgirls answered, cutting the Bison lead to five with 9:33 remaining on a layup from Fallon Lewis.
        Wyoming cut the NDSU advantage to just one with 6:50 on the clock in the second half after a jumper from Kaylie Rader. The Bison were able to increase the lead back to five after a Brooke LeMar layup with 4:48 remaining.
        The Cowgirls tied the game at 69 with 1:11 remaining to play in the second half after Fallon Lewis grabbed a missed free throw from Woodward and converted a layup.
        Wyoming took the lead with 27 seconds on the clock after Woodward was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws. Lewis increased the Cowgirl advantage to three with nine seconds remaining in the half after she hit both free throws. NDSU had one final opportunity to tie the contest, but could not get a shot off.
        Johnson led all scorers in the game with her career-high 31 points. She also snagged 12 boards to pick up the double-double. Lewis paced Wyoming with a double-double, scoring 20 points, with 14 of the 20 coming in the second half, while pulling down a game-high 21 boards.
        NDSU was 27-for-71 (38 percent) from the field, 7-for-24 (29 percent) from three and 8-of-10 from the charity stripe in the game. Wyoming shot 43 percent from the field, going 27-for-63, and were 4-for-15 from three for 27 percent. The Cowgirls shot 25 free throws in the contest, making 14 of them for 56 percent.
        The Bison pulled down 41 rebounds while the Cowgirls snagged 48.

Sharing the Ball
        Brooke LeMar leads the Bison with 50 assists through nine games. She is averaging 5.6 assists per game. The Canyon Country, Calif. native leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.1. LeMar is shooting 44 percent from three and 46 percent from the field in the last nine games. She has started in all nine games so far this season.

Raising the Bar
        Holly Johnson scored a new career-high 31 points and also snagged a career-best 12 rebounds against Wyoming in the Air Force Classic Saturday, Dec. 7. The Minot, N.D., native also shot an impressive 13-for-18 from the field and was 4-for-6 from three.

Australian Connection
        NDSU's Marena Whittle and Bree Whatman are both from Victoria, Australia. Whittle is a sophomore from Vermont South, Victoria, while Whatman is a freshman hailing from Beaconsfield, Victoria.
        The duo has combined to average 16.8 of NDSU's 71 points per game so far this season.
        Whittle leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.8 per game, and is NDSU's leading shot-blocker with 12 blocks. She has started in 8-of-9 games for NDSU.
        Whatman has 27 assists, second-most on the team to only point-guard, Brooke LeMar, and has started every game so far this season.

Bison in The Summit League Statistics
        NDSU is tied for fifth in the league in scoring with 71 ppg and leads the league in rebounding, averaging 42.4 boards per game, and is tied for the lead in assist-to-turnover ratio, with a ratio of 1.1. The Bison are also tied for the league lead in blocks with 4.3 per game.
        Individually, Brooke LeMar is fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 15.7 ppg, and leads the league in assists, averaging 5.6 per game. Marena Whittle is tied for third in blocked shots, averaging 1.3 per game. Whittle is also ranked third in offensive rebounds with 2.7 per game.

Crunching the Numbers
        Through nine games, the Bison are paced in scoring by Brooke LeMar, averaging 15.7 ppg, and Holly Johnson with 11.3 ppg. LeMar also has an impressive 50 assists in NDSU's nine games. The Bison's top rebounder is currently Marena Whittle, averaging 6.8 rpg. Miki Stephenson is second on the team in rebounding with 6.4 per game. As a team, NDSU is averaging 71.0 ppg while giving up 71.1 ppg to its opponents. The Bison are out-rebounding their opponents by an average of 42.4 to 41.6.

Bison in the National Statistics
        The Bison are ranked 20th in all of NCAA Division I in turnovers per game, averaging 12.8 per game. NDSU is also in the top-50 for assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 47th with a ratio of 1.12.
        Individually, Brooke LeMar is ranked 48th in assists per game with 5.6 per game.

Road Trippin'
        After facing Northern Iowa Nov. 20, the Bison will not return home to the Bison Sports Arena until Dec. 17, when they face Mississippi State. Between then, NDSU will travel to Milwaukee, Wis. to face Milwaukee, Los Angeles to participate in the DoubleTree LA Westside Thanksgiving Classic, Colorado Springs to compete in the Air Force Classic and Grand Forks to face rival North Dakota. The Bison will travel through three time zones and a total of 6,712 miles before their next home game.

NDSU at Home
        North Dakota State has compiled a 408-76 (.843) record at home, including a 104-37 mark inside the "Friendly Confines" over the past 10 seasons good for a .738 winning percentage. The Bison are 1-1 at home this season.

NDSU Women's Basketball Inks Three on Early Signing Day
        North Dakota State women's basketball head coach Carolyn DeHoff announced Wednesday, Nov. 13, the signing of Olivia Baker, McKenna Happke and Taylor Thunstedt to National Letters of Intent to attend North Dakota State University and play basketball beginning in fall 2014.
        Baker, a 6-foot-4 post player from Minnetonka, Minn., is a four-year letterwinner on the basketball court at Minnetonka High School. She has played varsity basketball all four years at Minnetonka.
        Happke, a 6-1 forward from Coon Rapids, Minn., is a two-time all-conference selection at Providence Academy in Plymouth, Minn. Happke was part of the 2012 Class 2A state champion basketball team, a member of the team that took fourth at the state tournament in 2011 and third at state last season. Happke has been named the team captain her upcoming senior year.
        Thunstedt, a 5-8 guard from Spicer, Minn., is a three-time all-conference selection at New London-Spicer. She is also a three-time, first-team all-area honoree and garnered all-state accolades her sophomore and junior seasons after honorable mention as a freshman. Thunstedt set a new single-game scoring record at New London-Spicer her junior year, scoring 50 points in a game against Glencoe-Silver Lake. She also set a new record for 3-pointers attempted in a season (119) and broke the all-time school scoring record. Thunstedt averaged 29 points and made 104 threes that year.

Bison Eighth in Summit League Preseason Poll
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team was tabbed eighth in The Summit League preseason poll released Tuesday, Oct. 15 by the league office. The Bison received 74 points in the poll.
        NDSU returns nine student-athletes from last season's team, including one starter in sophomore forward Marena Whittle. She started 26-of-29 games in 2012-13, averaging 6.7 points and 7.1 rebounds.
        South Dakota State was picked to win the league after claiming its record fifth-consecutive Summit League tournament title and fourth regular season title in six years. The Jackrabbits collected 27-of-30 first-place votes and 319 points in the voting conducted by the league's head coaches, SIDs and media.
        IUPUI was picked to finish runner-up in the poll, collecting three first-place votes and 276 points, after finishing second in the regular season a year ago. South Dakota was third with 224 points followed by Fort Wayne in fourth with 179. League newcomer Denver, Western Illinois, Omaha and the Bison rounded out the poll.
        Fort Wayne's Amanda Hyde was voted as the league's preseason Player of the Year after garnering Player of the Year and first team All-Summit League honors last season.
        Accompanying Hyde on the first team are IUPUI's DeAirra Goss, 2013 Newcomer of the Year Western Illinois' Ashley Luke, last season's Tournament MVP South Dakota's Nicole Seekamp, Denver's Morgan Van Riper-Rose and South Dakota State's Megan Waytashek.
        The second team is composed of reigning Defensive Player of the Year in IUPUI's Dee-Dee Bellamy, South Dakota's Polly Harrington, Omaha's Ericka House, South Dakota State's Steph Paluch and Fort Wayne's Haley Seibert.

The DeHoff File
        Carolyn DeHoff begins her sixth season as head women's basketball coach at North Dakota State University. She has compiled a 69-87 record overall including a 46-42 ledger in The Summit League.
        The Bison finished the 2013 season with an overall record of 10-19 and were 6-10 in league play. Seniors Dani DeGagne and Katie Birkel were both named to the All-Summit League second team.
        NDSU once again excelled in the classroom in 2013. The Bison placed 10th on the WBCA Academic Top 25 Honor Roll in NCAA Division I and had eight student-athletes named to The Summit League Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence. Nine Bison were also selected to the Winter/Spring Summit League Academic Honor Roll.
        DeHoff was introduced as North Dakota State University's ninth head women's basketball coach in the program's 48-year history at a press conference in April 2008.
        DeHoff replaced Women's Basketball Hall of Fame coach Amy Ruley, who resigned in March 2008 to accept an associate athletic director for development position at North Dakota State.
        DeHoff completed her first season as associate head coach in 2007-08 and fifth overall on Elaine Elliott's Utah staff. The Utes finished 27-5 overall and won the Mountain West Conference regular season championship with a 16-0 record. Utah lost in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament. Her duties at Utah included coordinating recruiting efforts, point guard development, organization and planning of the schedule, coordination of academic affairs and directing summer camps.
        During her stay in Salt Lake City, the Utes won 123 games, three regular season conference championships and one MWC tournament title. Utah made three trips to the NCAA tournament including an Elite Eight berth in 2006 and a WNIT appearance in 2007. The Utes also had a pair of WNBA first round draft picks, along with second round pick in the 2008 draft.
        Her 18-year coaching resume includes a five-year stop at Weber State. The Wildcats went from a sub-.500 program to a back-to-back NCAA tournament participant. Weber State won consecutive Big Sky titles and posted back-to-back 20 win seasons.
        Prior to Weber State, DeHoff was the top assistant at Wyoming for seven seasons and also was an assistant coach at Coronado High School in Scottsdale, Ariz.
        A standout high school player at Cheyenne (Wyo.) East, DeHoff was a Street & Smith's All-America her senior year. She played at Arizona State University from 1987-90, where she was a captain.
        A native of Cheyenne, DeHoff graduated from Arizona State in 1991 with a bachelor's degree in exercise science and physical education. She was inducted into her high school athletic hall of fame during the fall of 2008.

Bison Basketball on the Radio
        Saturday's game in Grand Forks can be heard live on KVOX 740-AM "The Fan" in Fargo-Moorhead. Gary Rogers will provide play-by-play. The pregame show will begin at 1:40 p.m. CT.

Up Next
The Bison return home to the Bison Sports Arena Tuesday, Dec. 17, for a showdown with SEC member Mississippi State. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. CT. The game will be televised throughout the state of North Dakota on MeTV.

Calendar

Bison Women's Basketball Battles Rival North Dakota in Grand Forks Saturday

Next Event

Footer

Upcoming Events

Bison Women's Basketball Battles Rival North Dakota in Grand Forks Saturday

Related News

Next Event

Related Videos

Footer