NDSU Closes Out Three-Game Road Trip at No. 23 Mississippi State Tuesday

Tuesday, December 2

Starkville, Miss.

7 p.m.

North Dakota State

Mississippi State

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Photo by: Richard Svaleson

NDSU Closes Out Three-Game Road Trip at No. 23 Mississippi State Tuesday

12/1/2014 7:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Game 6: at No. 23 Mississippi State (6-0)
Tuesday, Dec. 2 | 7 p.m. CT
Humphrey Coliseum (10,500) | Starkville, Miss.
Live Stats | Free Live Audio | Live Video (SEC Network +)
Radio: KFGO 790-AM (Jack Michaels, play-by-play), 6:40 p.m. CT airtime

Complete NDSU Notes (PDF) | Mississippi State Notes (PDF) | NDSU WBB on Twitter

NDSU Closes Out Three Game Road Trip at No. 23 Mississippi State Tuesday
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team will conclude a three-game road swing at 23rd-ranked Mississippi State on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Tip-off inside Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss., is slated for 7 p.m. The game will air live on SEC Network Plus.

The Series Against Mississippi State
        Tuesday's contest in Starkville, Miss., will mark the second meeting, all-time, between the Bison and Bulldogs in women's basketball. NDSU lost the inaugural meeting in Fargo last season, 72-62.
        The Bison are 1-3 against SEC opponents all-time.

About Mississippi State
        The Bulldogs enter Tuesday's game with an overall record of 6-0 after claiming an 85-45 win at New Orleans on Saturday, Nov. 29. Mississippi State is ranked 23rd in the latest Associated Press (AP) women's basketball top 25 poll released Monday, Dec. 1.
        MSU, a Southeastern Conference (SEC) member, is led by three players averaging double-figure scoring. Freshman Victoria Vivians (Carthage, Miss.) leads the team in scoring with 16.3 ppg, while freshman Morgan William (Birmingham, Ala.) is averaging 14 ppg., and sophomore Ketara Chapel (Temple, Texas) is averaging 11 ppg and six rebounds per game. Chapel leads the team in offensive rebounds with 22. Sophomore Chinwe Okorie (Lagos, Nigeria) leads MSU in rebounds with an average of 6.8 per game.
        As a team, Mississippi State is averaging 86.2 ppg while holding its opponents to just 63.0 per game. The Bulldogs have out-rebounded their opponents, 42.8 to 36.0, so far this season.
Mississippi State is under the direction of third-season head coach Vic Schaefer (Texas A&M, 1984), who has a 41-31 record at MSU. In 10 seasons as a head coach, Schaefer has compiled a career-record of 121-141.

Catching Up With The Bison

The Bison enter Tuesday's game at 3-2 overall after capturing the Florida Atlantic Thanksgiving Tournament Championship with a 60-48 win over NJIT Saturday, Nov. 29, in Boca Raton, Fla.
Through five games, senior point guard Brooke LeMar leads the Bison with 18.6 points per game (ppg) and 3.4 assists per game (apg), while junior forward Marena Whittle is averaging a double-double with 11.4 ppg and a team-high 10.2 rebounds per game (rpg). Junior forward Holly Johnson is averaging 12.4 ppg and 7.8 rpg, and junior guard Kahla Becken is averaging 8.6 ppg and 2.0 steals per game (spg).
As a team, NDSU is averaging 69.0 ppg while holding its opponents to 67.8 ppg. The Bison are shooting 39 percent (123-317) from the field, compared to 43 percent (124-287) for their opponents.

Last Time Out: NDSU Women's Basketball Captures FAU Tournament Title with 60-48 Win over NJIT
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team (3-2) captured the Florida Atlantic Thanksgiving Tournament Championship with a 60-48 victory over the NJIT Highlanders (3-4) inside FAU Arena on Saturday night, Nov. 29.
        Senior Brooke LeMar paced the Bison with a game-high 21 points on 6-for-16 shooting, with 19 of her 21 points coming in the second-half, and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Junior Holly Johnson tallied a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Marena Whittle snagged a game-high 11 rebounds.
        LeMar and Whittle were selected to the Florida Atlantic Thanksgiving Tournament All-Tournament team for their performances in the two-day event.
        The Bison shot 38 percent from the field, going 23-for-61, and were 5-for-20 from three-point range for 25 percent. NDSU made nine of 12 free-throw attempts for 75 percent. The Bison posted a 45-38 rebound advantage over NJIT and pulled down 11 offensive boards compared to nine for the Highlanders. North Dakota State controlled the paint, outscoring NJIT inside, 30-14.

Last Time Against MSU: LeMar Tallies 21 Points, but Bison Women's Basketball Falls to Mississippi State
        Junior Brooke LeMar scored 21 points, eclipsing the 20-point threshold for the fourth time during the 2013-14 season, but it wasn't enough, as the NDSU women's basketball team (3-8) fell to Mississippi State (11-1) Tuesday evening, Dec. 17, inside the Bison Sports Arena, 72-62.
        The Bison shot 38 percent from the field in the game, going 23-for-60, but were just 4-for-17 (24 percent) from three-point range. NDSU made 12-of-15 free throws attempted for 80 percent.
        LeMar paced NDSU in scoring, tallying 21 points on 9-for-18 shooting. Whittle scored 17 points while fellow sophomore Kahla Becken tallied 10 to round out the Bison in double-figures.
        Martha Alwal led Mississippi State, scoring a game-high 25 points, with 19 of her 25 occurring in the second half.

Breaking the 20-point Threshold
        Brooke LeMar has eclipsed the 20-point threshold twice this season after scoring more than 20 points nine times in 30 games last season. LeMar netted 25 in the regular season opener against Kent State Nov. 16, before tallying 21 versus NJIT on Nov. 29 in the FAU Thanksgiving Tournament.

Back-to-Back-to-Back Double-Doubles
        Marena Whittle tallied back-to-back-to-back double-doubles in NDSU's games against Milwaukee, Western Michigan and Northeastern. Against Milwaukee and at Western Michigan, the Vermont South Victoria, Australia, native scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Against Northeastern, Whittle tallied 19 points and 12 boards.

Into the Record Books
        Marena Whittle holds the career record for defensive rebounding average at NDSU with 5.0 boards per game and ranks eighth in overall career rebounding average with 7.4 per game.

From Downtown!
        Kahla Becken is a team-best 11-for-24 (46 percent) from three-point range through five games. Freshman Taylor Thunstedt is 7-for-17 (41 percent), and Brooke LeMar is 8-for-22 (36 percent).

Defending the Perimeter
        NDSU is holding its opponents to just 29 percent shooting (18-for-63) from three-point range through five games. The Bison are averaging 6.8 made threes per game, compared to 3.6 for their adversaries.

Sharing the Basketball
        The Bison have tallied double-digit assists in three of five games this season. NDSU posted 12 against Kent State, 17 against Milwaukee and 14 against Northeastern.

Taking Care of the Basketball
        NDSU has turned the ball over 74 times so far this season, compared to 85 miscues from its opponents. The Bison have scored 109 points off turnovers in their five contests.

NDSU in the NCAA National Statistics (As of Nov. 30)
        Through five games, the Bison rank 71st out of 343 in three-point field goals per game with an average of 6.8 and 84th out of 343 in three-point field goal percentage with a mark of .347.
        Individually, Marena Whittle is 22nd out of 30 in defensive rebounds per game (8.0), 22nd out of 50 in double-doubles (3.0) and 49th out of 250 in total rebounds per game (10.2). Brooke LeMar is 65th out of 250 in points per game (18.6) and 83rd out of 250 in free-throw percentage (.868). Kahla Becken is 64th out of 250 in three-point field goal percentage (.458).

NDSU in The Summit League Statistics (As of Dec. 1)
        After five games, NDSU ranks third in The Summit League statistics in steals with 8.6 per game and turnovers with 14.8 per game. The Bison are fourth in points per game (69.0) fifth in three-point field goal percentage (.347) and rebounding (40.2) and sixth in free throw percentage (.699). North Dakota State is eighth in field goal percentage (.388).
        Individually, Brooke LeMar leads the league in minutes played (36.4) and is second in scoring (18.6 ppg). She is tied for seventh in steals per game (1.6) and is fifth in assists per game (3.4). Marena Whittle is third in total rebounds per game (10.2) is tied for sixth in blocks per game (1.0). She ranks second in defensive rebounds per game with 7.6. Kahla Becken is third in steals per game (2.0).

New Home
        The Bison will compete in the historic Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse for the next two seasons as the Bison Sports Arena is renovated into the new Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.

NDSU Women's Basketball Signs Two High School Standouts on Early Signing Day
        North Dakota State women's basketball head coach Maren Walseth announced Wednesday, Nov. 12, the signing of high school standouts Kennedy Childers and Megan Gamble to National Letters of Intent to attend North Dakota State University and play basketball beginning in the fall of 2015.
        Childers, a 5-foot-9 guard from West Des Moines, Iowa, has enjoyed a standout prep career at Iowa 5A powerhouse Dowling Catholic High School.
        A three-star athlete who was the 31st-ranked guard in her position by ESPN, Childers has helped Dowling Catholic to two 5A state championship appearances and one state championship. She was limited to only seven games her junior season due to injury.
        Childers has also excelled in the classroom, having earned Academic All-Conference for the Central Iowa Metropolitan League the past two seasons and Presidential Honor Roll honors each semester at Dowling Catholic.
        Childers played AAU basketball for Kingdom Hoops Elite. This past summer she helped her team win the 2014 USJN National Championship in Augusta, Ga.
        She is the daughter of Chris and Kris Childers.
        Gamble, a 5-foot-7 guard from Omaha, Neb., is a two-time all-state honorable mention selection at Central High School.
        A three-year starter for Central, she helped her team to a Class A state championship appearance in 2012 and a third-place state finish in 2013. Gamble averaged 13 points per game and dished out five assists per game during her junior season. The 5-foot-7 guard also earned all-Metro Team accolades and was selected as a team captain twice by her teammates.
        She is the daughter of Teri Murphy and Dexter Dawson.

Bison Ninth in Summit League Preseason Poll
The North Dakota State University women's basketball team was picked ninth in The Summit League preseason poll released Tuesday, Oct. 7, by the league office.
        The Bison tallied 158 points in the poll.
        South Dakota State was selected to capture the 2014-15 Summit League women's basketball championship after winning its third consecutive regular season title a year ago. The Jackrabbits collected 27-of-32 first-place votes and 513 points in a vote of the league's head coaches, SIDs and select media.
        South Dakota, last season's tournament champion, earned four first-place votes and 420 points to place second in the poll. Regular season runner-up IUPUI was in third place followed by Western Illinois in fourth with the final first-place tally. Denver, which finished second at the tournament a year ago, came in fifth while Fort Wayne placed sixth. Oral Roberts, which returns to the league for the first time since 2011-12, Omaha and the Bison rounded out the poll.

Preseason Honors
        Senior guard Brooke LeMar, the reigning Summit League Newcomer of the Year and a second team all-league selection in 2013-14, was named to the preseason Summit League first team after averaging 15.1 points and 5.3 assists per game last season.

Three NDSU Women's Basketball Games to be Televised during the 2014-15 Regular Season
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team will be featured on television three times during the upcoming 2014-15 regular season, NDSU athletics and The Summit League announced Tuesday, Oct. 14.
        NDSU's non-conference game at Scheels Arena against North Dakota on Dec. 6 will be televised throughout the state of North Dakota on MeTV. The television network is available via over-the-air channels in Bismarck (5.2), Minot (10.2), Williston (8.2) and Dickinson (7.2) as well as through additional providers.
        The Bison will also have a pair of Summit League contests carried on Midco Sports Network and ESPN3 through the league's television package. The home game at Scheels Arena on Jan. 4 and the road contest at South Dakota on Jan. 15 will be broadcast.
        The Summit League announced a composite 2014-15 basketball television schedule that includes over 100 regional or national broadcasts. Included in that total are at least 70 games that will be available across the ESPN Family of Networks with nearly all of those available across multiple platforms via WatchESPN.
        Highlighting the schedule is a package of games on Midco Sports Network and ESPN3 that includes the first two rounds of The Summit League Basketball Championships and an additional 21 regular season men's and women's basketball broadcasts. All 14 Summit League Tournament games, including ESPNU's telecast of The Summit League Women's Basketball Championship game and ESPN/ESPN2's broadcast of the men's title game, will also be available on WatchESPN.
        The 2014-15 season will mark the first year of the new national distribution for the MidcoSN telecasts that allows fans everywhere to watch online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on television through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Up Next
            North Dakota State returns home to host North Dakota on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. inside Scheels Arena in Fargo. The game will be televised statewide on MeTV.

Head Coach Maren Walseth
        Maren Walseth was named the 10th head women's basketball coach in NDSU history Monday, April 14, 2014.
        Walseth joined the Bison after spending seven years as an assistant coach at Big Ten power Penn State University in State College, Pa., where she helped the Lady Lions to three Big Ten championships, four NCAA tournament appearances and two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances.
        At Penn State, Walseth was primarily responsible for coaching the post players while also playing a significant role in recruiting and opponent scouting efforts. She was the lead academic liaison for the Lady Lions and coached 32 Academic All-Big Ten recipients.
        Prior to becoming an assistant at Penn State, Walseth spent three years as an assistant coach at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. While at Navy, she assisted with recruiting as well as on-court player development and scouting, and was also the academic liaison for the Midshipmen.
        A native of Bloomington, Minn., Walseth was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree as a forward at Penn State from 1997-2002. She was also a key member of the 2000 Lady Lion team that advanced to the Final Four and claimed the Big Ten conference championship. Walseth also was a member of the 1998 WNIT championship team. She graduated from Penn State in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in communications.
        Walseth was drafted by the Sacramento Monarchs in the third-round of the 2001 WNBA draft and spent four years playing professionally. She played for the Washington Mystics of the WNBA in 2002 before spending two years playing professionally in France. Walseth also spent a season with the Women's National Basketball League's (NWBL) Colorado Chill.
        Walseth's sister, Annika, played for NDSU during the 2007-08 season.