Bison Women Host Northern Colorado in First Game of 2014

Thursday, Jan. 2: Northern Colorado Bears (5-5) at North Dakota State Bison (3-10)
Bison Sports Arena (5,830) | Fargo, N.D. | 7:05 p.m.

NDSU Game Notes (PDF) | NDSU Season Stats (PDF) | Northern Colorado Season Stats (PDF) | Northern Colorado Game Notes (PDF)

NDSU Welcomes Northern Colorado to BSA to start 2014
        NDSU women's basketball will host Northern Colorado in its first game of 2014 and the final game before beginning Summit League play Thursday, Jan. 2, inside the Bison Sports Arena beginning at 7 p.m.

Against Northern Colorado
        Thursday's showdown against the Bears will be the 33rd meeting all-time. NDSU leads the series 29-3. Last season, the Bison fell to Northern Colorado in Greeley, 75-61.
        The Bison are 11-10 all-time against Big Sky Conference opponents and 1-1 against the Big Sky this season, defeating Montana Nov. 29 and falling against North Dakota Dec. 14.

About the Bears
        Northern Colorado enters Thursday's contest with an overall record of 5-5 after falling to North Dakota at home Dec. 21, 68-65.
        The Bears are paced by two players in double figures. Stephanie Lee leads the team, averaging 21.2 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game, while Jamie Derrieux averages 11.9 points.
        As a team, Northern Colorado is averaging 63.1 points per game while giving-up 68.4 to its opponents.

Last Time Out: NDSU Women's Basketball Falls to Northwestern State in UTSA Holiday Classic, 57-50
        The NDSU Bison women's basketball team (3-10) fell to the Northwestern State Lady Demons (7-5), 57-50, in the UTSA Holiday Classic in San Antonio Sunday afternoon.
        The first half saw the Bison jump out to a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes. Holly Johnson started the early run, draining a three about a minute into the game, before Kahla Becken and Alisa Brown both nailed jump shots to extend the NDSU advantage.
        Northwestern State responded though, going on a 7-2 run to pull within 12-9 with 12:03 remaining in the opening half.
Brown extended the Bison lead back to five, 19-14, after she drilled a three with 8:17 remaining, but the Lady Demons answered, trimming the lead to two, 22-20, with 4:25 to go in the half.
        Northwestern State took its first lead of the game with 42 seconds remaining, 26-25, but the Bison quickly regained the advantage after a Marena Whittle jumper at the 28 second mark. NDSU went into halftime leading, 27-26.
        The Bison were 10-for-30 (33 percent) from the field and 3-for-9 (33 percent) from three in the opening stanza. NDSU made 4-of-6 from the free throw line for 67 percent.
Brown led the Bison in the first half, scoring a career-high eight points on 3-for-4 shooting.
        The Lady Demons went 10-for-32 (31 percent) from the field and 3-for-9 (33 percent) from long range in half number one. Northwestern State was 3-for-4 from the charity stripe for 75 percent.
        Keisha Lee led the Lady Demons, scoring 14 points.
        The Bison increased their advantage to five, 33-28, at the beginning of the second half after a Johnson layup at the 17:16 mark, but Northwestern State quickly responded, taking a 36-35 lead with 15:05 to go in the second stanza.
        The Northwestern State lead grew to six, 41-35, at the 13:49 mark, but back-to-back threes from Bree Whatman and Johnson allowed the Bison to tie the game at 41 with 11:53 remaining in the second half.
        The Lady Demons pushed the advantage back to five, 46-41, with 9:14 to play. Brown buried a three to pull NDSU within 46-44 with 7:53 on the clock, however, Northwestern State increased its lead back to seven, 53-46, with 5:10 remaining.
        NDSU again cut into the lead, pulling within 53-50 after a pair of back-to-back fastbreak layups from Brooke LeMar and Becken with 2:21 to go, but the Lady Demons responded, drilling a three with 1:06 remaining in the second half to extend the lead back to six, 56-50.
        The Lady Demons would maintain the lead the final two minutes to claim victory.
        NDSU was led by Johnson with 13 points. Brown scored a career-best 11 points while Whittle also reached double figures, scoring 10 points, respectively.
        The Bison were 19-for-60 (32 percent) from the field but just 6-for-20 (30 percent) from three in the contest. NDSU made 6-of-8 foul shots for 75 percent.
        Northwestern State was paced by Lee, who scored a game-high 22 points.
        The Lady Demons were 20-for-61 (33 percent) from the field and 6-for-13 (46 percent) from long range. Northwestern State went 11-of-14 from the free throw line for 79 percent.

Brown's Brilliant Weekend
        Alisa Brown averaged 7.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game this past weekend in the UTSA Holiday Classic in San Antonio, Texas.
        The sophomore scored four points and had a team-high six boards in the contest against UTSA Saturday before netting a career-high 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting against the Lady Demons of Northwestern State Sunday.
        Brown shot an impressive 71 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point range.

Johnson Garners All-Tournament Team Honors
        Holly Johnson was selected to the UTSA Holiday Classic All-Tournament team after averaging 14 points and 3.5 rebounds in NDSU's pair of games.
        Saturday against UTSA, she scored 15 points and tallied four boards. Sunday, versus Northwestern State, Johnson posted a team-high 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting and also pulled down three rebounds.

20 Times Four
        Brooke LeMar scored 21 points in the loss against Mississippi State Tuesday, Dec. 17. It marked the fourth time this season she has eclipsed the 20-point threshold.
        LeMar previously scored 20 or more points against Montana (21), Milwaukee (25) and Northern Iowa (24).

Sharing the Ball
        Brooke LeMar leads the Bison with 68 assists through 13 games. She is averaging 5.2 assists per game. The Canyon Country, Calif., native leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.8. LeMar is shooting 45 percent from three and 44 percent from the field. She has started in all 13 games so far this season.

Crashing the Boards
        Marena Whittle and Miki Stephenson lead the Bison in rebounding, each averaging 6.4 boards per game.

Australian Connection
        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 17.4 of NDSU's 69.4 points per game.
        Whittle is tied for the team lead in rebounding and is the leading shot-blocker, with 12 blocks in 13 games. She has started in 12-of-13 games.
        Whatman has 35 assists, second-most on the team to only point-guard, Brooke LeMar, and has nine steals. She has started 11 of NDSU's 13 games this season.
        The duo has a combined 21 steals in NDSU's 13 games.

Bison in The Summit League Statistics
        NDSU is sixth in the league in scoring with 69.4 ppg, fourth in rebounding, averaging 39.9 boards per game, and is third in assist-to-turnover ratio, with a ratio of 1.0. The Bison are third in the league in block shots, averaging 3.5 per game. The Bison rank second in free throw percentage, making 74 percent of their shots from the charity stripe.
        Individually, Brooke LeMar is fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 14.9 ppg, and is second in the league in assists, averaging 5.2 per game. She is fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio, with a ratio of 1.8. Marena Whittle is tied for third in blocked shots, averaging 1.1 per game. Whittle is tied for sixth in the league in rebounding with teammate, Miki Stephenson, averaging 6.4 per game.

Crunching the Numbers
        NDSU is averaging 69.4 ppg while giving up 72.0 ppg to its opponents. The Bison are being out-rebounded by their opponents, on average, 42.3 to 39.9. NDSU is shooting 40 percent from the field and 34 percent from three. The Bison are shooting 69 percent from the free throw line.
        Individually, NDSU is paced by Brooke LeMar, averaging 14.9 ppg., Holly Johnson, averaging 11.6 ppg and Marena Whittle, averaging 11.3 ppg. Whittle and Miki Stephenson lead the Bison in rebounding, each averaging 6.4 per game.

NDSU at Home
        North Dakota State has compiled a 408-77 (.841) record at home, including a 104-38 mark inside the "Friendly Confines" over the past 10 seasons good for a .732 winning percentage. The Bison are 1-2 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 69-91 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
        Thursday's game can be heard on "The Mighty" KFGO 790-AM in Fargo-Moorhead beginning at 6:40 p.m. Jack Michaels will provide the play-by-play.

Following The Herd

NDSU women's basketball games can be heard live on KVOX 740-AM "The Fan" or KFGO 790-AM throughout the season.
Free live audio is also available for every NDSU women's basketball game at GoBison.com/Showcase.
The Bison's home games against Mississippi State, Dec. 17, and South Dakota State, Jan. 25, will be aired throughout the state of North Dakota on MeTV. In addition, all games in The Summit League Women's Basketball Championship, Mar. 8-11, will be televised on Fox College Sports and Midco Sports Network.
All home North Dakota State women's basketball games will be streamed live on a pay-per-view basis at GoBison.com/Showcase. Live stats are available free of charge for every home basketball game. Postgame video highlights and interviews will also be available at GoBison.com following each home game.

Up Next
NDSU opens Summit League play at home, hosting Fort Wayne Jan. 9 and IUPUI Jan. 11, at the Bison Sports Arena.

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