NDSU Women’s Hoops Travels to New Mexico State Sunday

Sunday, December 14

Las Cruces, N.M.

3 p.m.

North Dakota State

New Mexico State

NDSU Women’s Hoops Travels to New Mexico State Sunday

12/13/2014 5:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Game 10: at New Mexico State (2-5)
Sunday, Dec. 14 | 2 p.m. MT (3 p.m. CT)
Pan American Center | Las Cruces, N.M.
Live Stats | Free Live Audio | Live Video
Radio: 740 "The Fan" (Jack Michaels, play-by-play), 2:40 p.m. CT airtime

Complete NDSU Notes (PDF) | New Mexico State Notes (PDF) | Summit League Weekly Notes (PDF) | NDSU WBB on Twitter

NDSU Women's Hoops Travels to New Mexico State Sunday
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team (4-5) travels to Las Cruces, N.M., for a 2 p.m. MT (3 p.m. CT) contest against New Mexico State University (2-5) on Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Pan American Center. The Bison are coming off a 56-41 loss at Northern Iowa Thursday while the Aggies have been idle since a 70-59 victory over in-state rival New Mexico on Sunday, Dec. 7, at home.

The Series Against New Mexico State
        Sunday's showdown in Las Cruces will be the third meeting between the Bison and Aggies in women's basketball all-time. The series is tied, 1-1. NDSU fell to New Mexico State in Las Cruces during the 2009-10 season, 71-65, before claiming an 88-79 victory in Fargo in 2010-11 to even the series at one.

About New Mexico State
        The New Mexico State University Aggies enter Sunday's game at 2-5 overall after claiming a 70-59 win over New Mexico on Sunday, Dec. 7, at home. The Aggies have won two consecutive games after beginning the season 0-5.
        Through seven games, New Mexico State is paced by junior guard Sasha Weber (Lacey, Wash.) with 14 points per game, while junior guard Shanice Davis (Killeen, Texas) is averaging 13.1 points per game and has a team-high 31 assists. Sophomore forward Tyler Ellis (Antelope, Calif.) leads the Aggies on the glass with 5.7 rebounds per game.
        As a team, New Mexico State is averaging 71.4 points per game, but giving up 73.9 per game to its opponents. The Aggies are being outrebounded, on average, 44.7 to 38.4.
        New Mexico State is under the direction of fourth season head coach Mark Trakh (Long Beach State, 1981).

Catching Up With The Bison
        North Dakota State enters Thursday's game with an overall record of 4-5 after falling at Northern Iowa on Thursday, Dec. 11, 56-41.
        Through nine games, senior guard Brooke LeMar leads the Bison and The Summit League in scoring with 19.7 ppg. Junior forward Holly Johnson is averaging 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and has a team-high 21 offensive boards, while fellow junior guard/forward Marena Whittle is averaging 10.1 points and a team-best 8.6 rebounds per game to go along with 15 steals and 12 blocks. Junior guard Kahla Becken and LeMar lead the team in steals with 16 takeaways apiece.
        As a team, the Bison are averaging 68.2 points per game and allowing 73.3 ppg from their opponents. NDSU is being outrebounded, on average, 42.1 to 39.9.

Last Time Out: Second Half Scoring Drought Dooms Bison Women in 56-41 Loss at Northern Iowa
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team (4-5) fell at Northern Iowa (2-6) on Thursday, Dec. 11, inside the McLeod Center, 56-41. The Bison scored just 16 points in the second half and struggled shooting the basketball in the stanza, going 6-for-26 from the field for 23 percent.
        Senior Brooke LeMar led NDSU with 12 points, while junior forward Holly Johnson netted 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting. LeMar matched her career-high with nine boards in the contest, and junior Marena Whittle also pulled down nine rebounds. Whittle also matched her career-high with a game-high five steals.
        North Dakota State shot 32 percent from the field in the game, going 18-for-56, and failed to connect from three-point range, going 0-for-10. The Bison went 5-for-7 at the free-throw line for 71 percent. The Bison outrebounded UNI, 41-40, and posted a 30-20 scoring advantage in the paint.
        Freshman Ellie Herzberg paced the Panthers, netting a game-high 14 points on 6-for-12 shooting, and sophomore Madison Weekly also reached double figures for UNI with 10 points. Sophomore Alyssa Johnson led Northern Iowa on the glass with a game-high 10 rebounds.
        UNI shot 34 percent from the field in the contest, making 21 out of 61 attempts, and were 6-for-31 from beyond-the-arc for 19 percent. Northern Iowa converted eight free-throws on 13 attempts for 62 percent.

The Last Time Against New Mexico State: Burich, Birkel Career Highs Lift Bison Past Aggies
        Janae Burich dropped in a career-high 27 points and Katie Birkel matched her career best with 25 as North Dakota State University defeated New Mexico State University 88-79 in a women's college basketball game played Friday, Nov. 12, 2010 before a crowd in 1,274 in the Bison Sports Arena. It was the season opener for both teams.
        Burich hit 8 of 13 from the field and 11 of 14 from the foul line. She grabbed five rebounds, blocked four shots and added a career-high three steals.
        Overall, the Bison made 31 of 43 free throws attempts compared to 12 of 21 for the Aggies. Abby Plucker scored 17 points for NDSU including a 13 of 17 effort from the charity stripe. Plucker handed out a career-high six assists.
        North Dakota State never trailed in the game and led by as many 16 points in the first half.
        All five starters reached double-figures for New Mexico State led by Jasmine Lowe's 13 points. Tabytha Wampler notched a double-double with 10 points and game-high 11 rebounds.
        Dani DeGagne scored nine of her career best 13 points in the first half, netting 6 of 8 field goal attempts. Whitney Trecker matched a career-high with four assists.
        The Bison connected on 44.1 percent from the field compared to 42.9 percent for New Mexico State. The Aggies made 7 of 17 three-pointers led by Danisha Corbett's perfect 4 of 4 showing from behind the arc. NDSU made only 5 of 19 three-pointers.
        New Mexico State held a 44-42 advantage on the glass that led to 24 second chance points. The Bison committed only nine turnovers compared to 13 for the Aggies.

Breaking the 20-point Threshold
        Brooke LeMar has eclipsed the 20-point threshold four times this season after scoring more than 20 points nine times in 30 games last season. LeMar matched her career-high with 33 points against North Dakota on Dec. 6, tallied 25 in the regular season opener against Kent State Nov. 16, scored 22 against Mayville State Dec. 8, and netted 21 versus NJIT on Nov. 29 in the FAU Thanksgiving Tournament.

Bison in 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 7.3 per game. ... Brooke LeMar ranks seventh in career free-throw percentage, going 160-201 from the charity stripe for 79.6 percent, and holds the career minutes average record, playing an average of 35.7 minutes per game.

From Downtown!
        Kahla Becken leads NDSU in three-point field-goal percentage through nine games, making 13 of 36 attempts for 36 percent, while Brooke LeMar is shooting 34 percent from long range, going 15-for-44.

Defending the Perimeter
        NDSU is holding its opponents to just 27 percent shooting (42-155) from three-point range through nine games. The Bison are averaging 6.3 made threes per game, compared to 4.7 for their adversaries.

Sharing the Basketball
        The Bison have tallied double-digit assists in six of nine games this season. NDSU dished out a season-high 18 assists against Mayville State, 15 against North Dakota, 12 against Kent State and Mississippi State, 17 against Milwaukee and 14 against Northeastern.

Creating Offense From Defense
        NDSU has turned the ball over 142 times this season compared to 147 miscues from its opponents. The Bison have scored 179 points off turnovers in their nine contests, an average of 19.9 points per game.

Getting to the Basket
        The Bison have scored 62 points off fast break baskets through nine games, compared to just 26 points from their adversaries. NDSU is averaging 6.9 fast break points per game.

On the Road Again
        Sunday's game will be the second contest of a four game road trip for the Bison that spans three different time zones, seven states, and approximately 7,786 miles. After New Mexico State Sunday, North Dakota State will play at Cal State Fullerton (Dec. 19) and Grand Canyon (Dec. 21). NDSU won't play its next regular season home game until The Summit League opener Jan. 2 at Scheels Arena against Oral Roberts.

NDSU in the NCAA National Statistics (As of Dec. 12)
Relevant Team Statistics:
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage Defense - 64th out of 343 (.271) ... Three-Point Field Goals Per Game - 91st out of 343 (6.3/game) ... Free-Throw Percentage - 91st out of 343 (.707)

Relevant Individual Statistics:
Points Per Game - Brooke LeMar (33rd out of 250, 19.7/game) ... Assists Per Game - Brooke LeMar (79th out of 250, 4.4/game) ... Free-Throw Percentage - Brooke LeMar (85th out of 250, .852) Double-Doubles - Marena Whittle (47th out of 50, 3 total)

NDSU in The Summit League Statistics (As of Dec. 12)
Relevant Team Statistics:
Points - 6th (68.2/game) ... Rebounds - T-5th (39.9/game) ... Assists - 6th (12.3/game) ... Steals - 2nd (9.2/game) ... Blocks - 4th (3.9/game) ... Turnovers - 3rd (15.8/game) ... Field-Goal Pct. - 8th (.380) ... Three-Point Field-Goal Pct. - 6th (.308) ... Free-Throw Pct. - 4th (.707)

Relevant Individual Statistics:
Brooke LeMar - Points: 1st (19.7/game), Assists: 3rd (4.4/game), Steals: T-3rd (1.8/game), FT Pct.: 4th (.852) ... Marena Whittle - Rebounds: 4th (8.6/game), Defensive Rebounds: 3rd (6.6/game), Blocks: T-5th (1.3/game) ... Kahla Becken - Steals: T-3rd (1.8/game) ... Holly Johnson - Rebounds: 6th (7.4/game), Offensive Rebounds: 7th (2.3/game), Defensive Rebounds: 6th (5.1/game) ... Emily Spier - Blocks: T-7th (1.0/game) ... Liz Keena - Offensive Rebounds - T-10th (2.0/game)

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.
        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.

NDSU Women's Basketball to Appear on Midco Sports Network Twice During Regular Season
        The Bison will 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 against league rival South Dakota State and the road contest at South Dakota on Jan. 15 will be broadcast.

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.