Friday, December 19
Fullerton, Calif.
9 p.m.
North Dakota State
at
Cal State Fullerton
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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Photo by: Richard Svaleson
NDSU Women's Hoops Continues Four Game Road Trip at Cal State Fullerton Friday
12/17/2014 12:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Game 11: at Cal State Fullerton (3-6)
Friday, Dec. 19 | 7 p.m. PT (9 p.m. CT)
Titan Gym (4,000) | Fullerton, Calif.
Live Stats | Free Live Audio | Live Video
Radio: 740 "The Fan" (Jack Michaels, play-by-play), 8:40 p.m. CT airtime
Complete NDSU Notes (PDF) | Cal State Fullerton Notes | Summit League Weekly Notes (PDF) | NDSU WBB on Twitter
NDSU Women Trek West for Game at Cal State Fullerton Friday
The NDSU women's basketball team (4-6) will look to snap a two-game losing streak when it travels to Fullerton, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 19, for a 7 p.m. PT (9 p.m. CT) game against the Cal State Fullerton Titans (3-6) inside Titan Gym (4,000). The contest is the third game in a four game road swing for the Bison.
The Series Against Cal State Fullerton
Friday's game at Cal State Fullerton will be the first-ever meeting between the Bison and Titans in women's basketball.
About the Titans
Cal State Fullerton enters Friday's game with an overall record of 3-6 after falling at Fresno State Dec. 14, 52-57.
Through nine games, the Titans are led by senior guard Chante Miles (Compton, Calif.) with 18.2 points per game and senior guard/forward Kathleen Iwuoha (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) with 11.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
As a team, the Titans are averaging 59.3 points per game, but surrendering 63.8 per game to their opponents. Cal State Fullerton is narrowly being outrebounded by its opponents, 36.7 to 36.6.
Cal State Fullerton is under the leadership of second season head coach Daron Park (Montana State, 1994). He has an overall record of 15-24 as head coach of the Titans.
Catching Up With The Bison
The Bison are 4-6 heading into Friday's game at Cal State Fullerton after dropping their past two contests at Northern Iowa (41-56) and at New Mexico State (59-79).
Through 10 games, senior guard Brooke LeMar (Canyon Country, Calif.) leads the Bison and The Summit League in scoring with 17.7 points per game. Junior forward Holly Johnson (Minot, N.D.) is averaging 12.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and has a team-high 22 offensive boards, while fellow junior guard/forward Marena Whittle (Vermont South Victoria, Australia) is averaging 10 points and a team-best 8.2 rebounds per game to go along with 15 steals and 13 blocks. Junior guard Kahla Becken (Lino Lakes, Minn.) leads the team in steals with 18 takeaways.
As a team, the Bison are averaging 67.3 points per game and allowing 73.9 ppg from their opponents. NDSU is being outrebounded, on average, 42 to 39.5.
Last Time Out: Bison Women Drop Contest at New Mexico State Sunday, 79-59
The North Dakota State women's basketball team (4-6) fell at New Mexico State, 79-59, on Sunday, Dec. 14, inside the Pan American Center.
Juniors Holly Johnson and Kahla Becken paced the Bison with 11 points each, and sophomore Emily Spier also tallied double-figures in the contest with 10 points, respectively. Johnson also led NDSU on the boards, snagging a team-high nine rebounds. Senior guard Alisa Brown tallied a team- and career-high six assists.
North Dakota State shot 40 percent from the field (21-for-53), 41 percent from three-point range (7-for-17) and 71 percent from the free-throw line (10-of-14) in the game. The Bison had 15 assists, but turned the ball over a season-high 25 times.
New Mexico State was led by Moriah Mack with a game-high 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Mack also paced the Aggies in rebounding with eight and steals with four.
The Aggies went 32-for-72 from the field and were 6-for-20 from beyond-the-arc for the contest. New Mexico State made nine of 12 attempts at the foul line. The Aggies outrebounded the Bison 41-36, including a 20-14 advantage in offensive rebounds, and had 15 steals.
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 35.4 minutes per game.
From Downtown!
Kahla Becken leads NDSU in three-point field-goal percentage through 10 games, making 16 of 39 attempts for 41 percent while Brooke LeMar is shooting 33 percent from long range, going 15-for-46.
Defending the Perimeter
NDSU is holding its opponents to just 27 percent shooting (48-175) from three-point range through 10 games. The Bison are averaging 6.4 made threes per game, compared to 4.8 for their adversaries.
Sharing the Basketball
The Bison have tallied double-digit assists in seven of 10 games this season. NDSU dished out a season-high 18 assists against Mayville State, 17 against Milwaukee, 15 against North Dakota and at New Mexico State, 12 against Kent State and at Mississippi State and 14 against Northeastern.
Creating Offense From Defense
The Bison have scored 190 points off turnovers in their 10 contests, an average of 19 points per game.
Getting to the Basket
The Bison have scored 62 points off fast break baskets through 10 games, compared to just 30 points from their adversaries. NDSU is averaging 6.2 fast break points per game.
On the Road Again
Friday's game will be the third contest of a four game road trip for the Bison that spans three different time zones, seven states, and approximately 7,786 miles. After playing at Cal State Fullerton Friday, the Bison will close out the road trip at Grand Canyon Sunday, 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. 16)
Relevant Team Statistics:
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage Defense - 75th out of 343 (.274) ... Three-Point Field Goals Per Game - 89th out of 343 (6.4/game) ... Free-Throw Percentage - 92nd out of 343 (.708)
Relevant Individual Statistics:
Points Per Game - Brooke LeMar (73rd out of 250, 17.7/game) ... Assists Per Game - Brooke LeMar (83rd out of 250, 4.4/game) ... Free-Throw Percentage - Brooke LeMar (78th out of 250, .852)
NDSU in The Summit League Statistics (As of Dec. 16)
Relevant Team Statistics:
Points - 5th (67.3/game) ... Rebounds - T-5th (39.5/game) ... Assists - 5th (12.6/game) ... Steals - 3rd (8.5/game) ... Blocks - 4th (4.0/game) ... Turnovers - 4th (16.7/game) ... Field-Goal Pct. - 8th (.381) ... Three-Point Field-Goal Pct. - 8th (.317) ... Free-Throw Pct. - 4th (.708)
Relevant Individual Statistics:
Brooke LeMar - Points: 1st (17.7/game), Assists: 3rd (4.4/game), FT Pct.: 4th (.852), Steals: 5th (1.6/game) ... Marena Whittle - Rebounds: 4th (8.2/game), Defensive Rebounds: 3rd (6.2/game), Blocks: 5th (1.3/game) ... Kahla Becken - Steals: 3rd (1.8/game) ... Holly Johnson - Defensive Rebounds: 5th (5.4/game), Rebounds: 6th (7.6/game), Offensive Rebounds: 8th (2.2/game) ... Emily Spier - Blocks: 8th (1.0/game) ... Liz Keena - Offensive Rebounds: T-9th (2.1/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.
Friday, Dec. 19 | 7 p.m. PT (9 p.m. CT)
Titan Gym (4,000) | Fullerton, Calif.
Live Stats | Free Live Audio | Live Video
Radio: 740 "The Fan" (Jack Michaels, play-by-play), 8:40 p.m. CT airtime
Complete NDSU Notes (PDF) | Cal State Fullerton Notes | Summit League Weekly Notes (PDF) | NDSU WBB on Twitter
NDSU Women Trek West for Game at Cal State Fullerton Friday
The NDSU women's basketball team (4-6) will look to snap a two-game losing streak when it travels to Fullerton, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 19, for a 7 p.m. PT (9 p.m. CT) game against the Cal State Fullerton Titans (3-6) inside Titan Gym (4,000). The contest is the third game in a four game road swing for the Bison.
The Series Against Cal State Fullerton
Friday's game at Cal State Fullerton will be the first-ever meeting between the Bison and Titans in women's basketball.
About the Titans
Cal State Fullerton enters Friday's game with an overall record of 3-6 after falling at Fresno State Dec. 14, 52-57.
Through nine games, the Titans are led by senior guard Chante Miles (Compton, Calif.) with 18.2 points per game and senior guard/forward Kathleen Iwuoha (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) with 11.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
As a team, the Titans are averaging 59.3 points per game, but surrendering 63.8 per game to their opponents. Cal State Fullerton is narrowly being outrebounded by its opponents, 36.7 to 36.6.
Cal State Fullerton is under the leadership of second season head coach Daron Park (Montana State, 1994). He has an overall record of 15-24 as head coach of the Titans.
Catching Up With The Bison
The Bison are 4-6 heading into Friday's game at Cal State Fullerton after dropping their past two contests at Northern Iowa (41-56) and at New Mexico State (59-79).
Through 10 games, senior guard Brooke LeMar (Canyon Country, Calif.) leads the Bison and The Summit League in scoring with 17.7 points per game. Junior forward Holly Johnson (Minot, N.D.) is averaging 12.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and has a team-high 22 offensive boards, while fellow junior guard/forward Marena Whittle (Vermont South Victoria, Australia) is averaging 10 points and a team-best 8.2 rebounds per game to go along with 15 steals and 13 blocks. Junior guard Kahla Becken (Lino Lakes, Minn.) leads the team in steals with 18 takeaways.
As a team, the Bison are averaging 67.3 points per game and allowing 73.9 ppg from their opponents. NDSU is being outrebounded, on average, 42 to 39.5.
Last Time Out: Bison Women Drop Contest at New Mexico State Sunday, 79-59
The North Dakota State women's basketball team (4-6) fell at New Mexico State, 79-59, on Sunday, Dec. 14, inside the Pan American Center.
Juniors Holly Johnson and Kahla Becken paced the Bison with 11 points each, and sophomore Emily Spier also tallied double-figures in the contest with 10 points, respectively. Johnson also led NDSU on the boards, snagging a team-high nine rebounds. Senior guard Alisa Brown tallied a team- and career-high six assists.
North Dakota State shot 40 percent from the field (21-for-53), 41 percent from three-point range (7-for-17) and 71 percent from the free-throw line (10-of-14) in the game. The Bison had 15 assists, but turned the ball over a season-high 25 times.
New Mexico State was led by Moriah Mack with a game-high 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Mack also paced the Aggies in rebounding with eight and steals with four.
The Aggies went 32-for-72 from the field and were 6-for-20 from beyond-the-arc for the contest. New Mexico State made nine of 12 attempts at the foul line. The Aggies outrebounded the Bison 41-36, including a 20-14 advantage in offensive rebounds, and had 15 steals.
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 35.4 minutes per game.
From Downtown!
Kahla Becken leads NDSU in three-point field-goal percentage through 10 games, making 16 of 39 attempts for 41 percent while Brooke LeMar is shooting 33 percent from long range, going 15-for-46.
Defending the Perimeter
NDSU is holding its opponents to just 27 percent shooting (48-175) from three-point range through 10 games. The Bison are averaging 6.4 made threes per game, compared to 4.8 for their adversaries.
Sharing the Basketball
The Bison have tallied double-digit assists in seven of 10 games this season. NDSU dished out a season-high 18 assists against Mayville State, 17 against Milwaukee, 15 against North Dakota and at New Mexico State, 12 against Kent State and at Mississippi State and 14 against Northeastern.
Creating Offense From Defense
The Bison have scored 190 points off turnovers in their 10 contests, an average of 19 points per game.
Getting to the Basket
The Bison have scored 62 points off fast break baskets through 10 games, compared to just 30 points from their adversaries. NDSU is averaging 6.2 fast break points per game.
On the Road Again
Friday's game will be the third contest of a four game road trip for the Bison that spans three different time zones, seven states, and approximately 7,786 miles. After playing at Cal State Fullerton Friday, the Bison will close out the road trip at Grand Canyon Sunday, 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. 16)
Relevant Team Statistics:
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage Defense - 75th out of 343 (.274) ... Three-Point Field Goals Per Game - 89th out of 343 (6.4/game) ... Free-Throw Percentage - 92nd out of 343 (.708)
Relevant Individual Statistics:
Points Per Game - Brooke LeMar (73rd out of 250, 17.7/game) ... Assists Per Game - Brooke LeMar (83rd out of 250, 4.4/game) ... Free-Throw Percentage - Brooke LeMar (78th out of 250, .852)
NDSU in The Summit League Statistics (As of Dec. 16)
Relevant Team Statistics:
Points - 5th (67.3/game) ... Rebounds - T-5th (39.5/game) ... Assists - 5th (12.6/game) ... Steals - 3rd (8.5/game) ... Blocks - 4th (4.0/game) ... Turnovers - 4th (16.7/game) ... Field-Goal Pct. - 8th (.381) ... Three-Point Field-Goal Pct. - 8th (.317) ... Free-Throw Pct. - 4th (.708)
Relevant Individual Statistics:
Brooke LeMar - Points: 1st (17.7/game), Assists: 3rd (4.4/game), FT Pct.: 4th (.852), Steals: 5th (1.6/game) ... Marena Whittle - Rebounds: 4th (8.2/game), Defensive Rebounds: 3rd (6.2/game), Blocks: 5th (1.3/game) ... Kahla Becken - Steals: 3rd (1.8/game) ... Holly Johnson - Defensive Rebounds: 5th (5.4/game), Rebounds: 6th (7.6/game), Offensive Rebounds: 8th (2.2/game) ... Emily Spier - Blocks: 8th (1.0/game) ... Liz Keena - Offensive Rebounds: T-9th (2.1/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.
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