North Dakota State Athletics
Western Illinois
Bison Women Host Western Illinois Thursday
2/11/2014 4:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
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Thursday, Feb. 13: Western Illinois Leathernecks (12-11, 4-4 Summit) at North Dakota State Bison (6-18, 2-7 Summit) Bison Sports Arena (5,830) | Fargo, N.D. | 7 p.m. **Summit League Game** |
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Media Coverage: Live Stats | Live Audio/Video | Radio: KVOX 740-AM "The Fan" (Jack Michaels, play-by-play / Jeremy Jorgenson, color commentary) TV: None NDSU Game Notes (PDF) | NDSU Season Stats | WIU Game Notes (PDF) | WIU Season Stats (PDF) Summit League Weekly Notes (PDF) |
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Social Media: @NDSUAthletics | @NDSUwbb | @SummitHoops |
NDSU Hosts Western Illinois Thursday in Summit League Action
North Dakota State women's basketball will host Western Illinois Thursday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. in Summit League action inside the Bison Sports Arena. The game will be the second-to-last women's basketball played inside the Bison Sports Arena.
The Series Against Western Illinois
Thursday's Summit League tilt with Western Illinois will be the 15th meeting all-time. NDSU leads the series, 9-5. The Bison defeated the Leathernecks Jan. 18 in Macomb, Ill., in their first meeting this season, 83-77.
About the Leathernecks
Western Illinois enters Thursday's contest with an overall record of 12-11 and a league mark of 4-4 after defeating Omaha Feb. 6, 71-65.
WIU is led by All-Summit League preseason first-team honoree Ashley Luke, who is averaging a double-double with 19.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Luke is second in the league in scoring.
As a team, Western Illinois averages 79.5 points per game while holding its opponents to 71.5 per game. The Leathernecks are being outrebounded, on average, 39.2 to 38.5.
Last Time Out: Bison Women's Basketball Falls at Fort Wayne Saturday, 57-51
The North Dakota State women's basketball team (6-18, 2-7 Summit) fell to the Fort Wayne Mastodons (12-11, 5-4 Summit) Saturday, Feb. 8, inside the Gates Sports Center, 57-51.
Liz Keena led three Bison in double figures, scoring 12 points while Bree Whatman tallied 11. Marena Whittle posted a double-double, netting 10 points with 10 rebounds. Amanda Hyde paced the Mastodons with a game-high 19 points.
With 11:40 to go in the second-half the Bison trailed Fort Wayne 39-32 until Keena drilled a jump shot, spurring a 7-0 NDSU run capped-off by a Brooke LeMar layup to knot the game at 39.
The Bison briefly took a 42-40 lead after Whatman hit a three with 7:28 to go in the stanza, but the Mastodons answered, using a 6-0 run to regain a 46-42 advantage with 3:56 remaining. NDSU pulled within two of the Fort Wayne lead after a Whittle layup with 2:04 on the clock, but the Mastodons were able to hang on for the win.
The Bison struggled shooting the basketball in the contest, going just 20-for-67 from the field for 30 percent. Fort Wayne wasn't much better, going 20-for-52 from the field for 39 percent.
NDSU jumped out to an early 5-2 lead in the first-half after Whatman converted a jump shot and three-pointer only to see Fort Wayne use a 6-0 run to gain a 20-13 advantage over the Bison with 4:49 remaining in half.
The Bison trailed by as much as eight but were able to cut the Mastodon lead in half going into halftime, 30-26, after Keena made a jumper and LeMar converted a pair of free throws the final minute of the stanza.
Keena led NDSU in the first-half with eight points.
Last Time Against Western Illinois: Bison Women Snap Losing Skid with 83-77 Win at Western Illinois Saturday
The North Dakota State women's basketball team (4-14, 1-3 Summit) used a strong second half to snap a 10-game losing skid and pick-up an 83-77 victory at Western Illinois (9-9, 1-2 Summit) Saturday afternoon inside Western Hall in Macomb.
Miki Stephenson began the big second half rally for the Bison, converting a layup 17 seconds into the stanza to give NDSU its first lead since early in the first half, 30-29.
Western Illinois battled back though, regaining a two-point lead twice, before Stephenson drained a jumper to knot the contest at 45 with 11:18 to go in the second half. A layup from Holly Johnson three minutes later gave the Bison the lead for good, 54-52.
NDSU's lead grew to 10 after Brooke LeMar sank a pair of free throws at the 3:59 mark and the Bison hit key free throws down the stretch to ice the 83-77 victory.
The Bison outscored the Leathernecks in the second stanza, 55-48.
LeMar led four Bison in double figures with 21 points, marking the sixth time this season the Canyon Country, Calif., native has eclipsed 20 points in a game. Marena Whittle scored 19 points while Johnson and Alisa Brown had 13 each. Brown's 13 points is a new career-high.
NDSU was 30-for-67 (45 percent) from the field and 10-for-25 (40 percent) from three in the game. The Bison made 13 of 18 free throws attempted for 72 percent.
Ashley Luke was the top scorer and rebounder for WIU with a game-high 27 points and 13 boards.
NDSU fell behind early in the first half, 4-0, but jumpers from Marena Whittle and LeMar tied the game at four with 17:49 to go. LeMar drilled a three at the 17:14 mark to give the Bison their first lead of the game, 7-6.
Western Illinois was able to regain a five-point lead, 26-21, after a layup from Ashley Luke with 1:41 remaining in the opening stanza, but the Bison closed the half on a 7-2 spurt, capped-off by a layup from Brittany Wiebe at the buzzer, to go into halftime trailing the Leathernecks, 29-28.
The Summit Scoring Blues
NDSU has struggled shooting the basketball in Summit League play this season, making only 220 shots out of 604 attempts for 36.4 percent. The Bison are just 48-for-167 (28.7 percent) from three in league play.
NDSU's opponents are shooting 41.1 percent (610-1484) from the field and 31.7 from beyond the arc, going 130-for-410.
30+ Scoring Performances
With Brooke LeMar's 33 point game against Denver Saturday, Feb. 1, the Bison have now had a player score at least 30 points in three games this season. Holly Johnson had NDSU's first 30+ point performance, scoring a career-high 31 points against Wyoming in the Air Force Classic Dec. 7. Marena Whittle followed Johnson, tallying a career-best 33 points in the double-overtime contest with Fort Wayne Jan. 9 to open Summit League play before LeMar posted 33 Saturday.
Exceeding the 20 Point Threshold
Brooke LeMar has scored at least 20 points in nine of NDSU's 24 games this season. She scored 24 against Northern Iowa Nov. 20, 25 at Milwaukee Nov. 23, 21 versus Montana Nov. 29 in the DoubleTree LA Westside Thanksgiving Classic, 21 against SEC foe Mississippi State Dec. 17, 25 against Northern Colorado Jan. 2, 21 against Western Illinois and Valley City State Jan. 18 and 22, 20 against South Dakota State Jan. 25 and a career-best 33 against Denver Feb. 1.
Distributing the Ball
Brooke LeMar leads the Bison and The Summit League in assists, tallying 129 in 24 games. She averages an impressive 5.4 assists per game and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.6 (129 assists to 80 turnovers). LeMar has dished out at least four assists in eight of NDSU's nine league games.
Standing Tall
NDSU has four players with double digit blocked shots through 24 games, led by Marena Whittle with 24 blocks. Miki Stephenson is second with 17 while Emily Spier and Holly Johnson round out the Bison with double figure blocks with 11 each, respectively. As a team, the Bison are averaging 3.4 blocks per game.
Takeaway Leaders
The Bison have six players with at least 12 steals through 24 games, led by Marena Whittle with 25 steals. Brooke LeMar is second with 24 while Kahla Becken is third with 18, Miki Stephenson is fourth with 16, and Bree Whatman is fifth with 15 and Holly Johnson sixth with 14.
Taking Care of the Ball
Bison women's basketball has been exceptional at taking care of the basketball and are among the national leaders in fewest turnovers per game. Through 24 contests, NDSU is averaging a Summit League-best 13 turnovers per game and rank 21st nationally out of 343 NCAA Division I women's basketball programs for fewest turnovers per game.
Bison in The Summit League Statistics
Relevant Team Statistics:
- Scoring Offense: 8th (68.0 points per game)
- Scoring Defense: 6th (73.0 points per game)
- Free Throw Percentage: 2nd (268-358, 74.9 percent)
- Field Goal Percentage: 8th (613-1562, 39.2 percent)
- Three Point Field Goal Percentage: 6th (139-435, 32 percent)
- Rebounding: 4th (39 per game)
- Blocked Shots: 3rd (3.4 per game)
- Assist-to-Turnover Ratio: 2nd (1.1 ratio)
- Assists: 6th (13.7 per game)
Relevant Individual Statistics:
- Scoring Offense: Brooke LeMar (5th, 15.5 points per game)
- Rebounding: Marena Whittle (4th, 6.9 per game), Miki Stephenson (T-9th, 5.8 per game)
- Assists: Brooke LeMar (1st, 5.4 per game)
- Three Point Field Goal Percentage: Brooke LeMar (6th, 40.3 percent)
- Blocked Shots: Marena Whittle (4th, 1 per game), Miki Stephenson (8th, 0.7 per game)
- Assists-to-Turnover Ratio: Brooke LeMar (2nd, 1.6 ratio)
- Minutes Played: Brooke LeMar (4th, 34.4 per game)
Crunching the Numbers
Through 24 games, North Dakota State is averaging 68 points per game (ppg) and 39 rebounds per game (rpg). The Bison are shooting 39.2 percent from the field, going 613-1562, and are 139-435 from three for 32 percent. NDSU is excelling at the free throw line, going 268-358 for 74.9 percent. NDSU only averages 13 turnovers per game.
Individually, Brooke LeMar paces NDSU in scoring, averaging 15.5 ppg and also has a team-high 129 assists. She has led the Bison in scoring in 12 games this season. The leading rebounders for the Bison are Marena Whittle (6.9 rpg) and Miki Stephenson (5.7 rpg). Whittle also has a team-high 24 blocks and 25 steals and has been NDSU's top rebounder in 11 contests this season.
NDSU at Home
North Dakota State has compiled a 410-82 (.833) record at home, including a 106-43 mark inside the "Friendly Confines" over the past 10 seasons good for a .711 winning percentage.
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.
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.
The DeHoff File
Carolyn DeHoff begins her sixth season as head women's basketball coach at North Dakota State University. She has compiled a 72-99 record overall including a 48-49 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 will be broadcast live on KVOX 740-AM "The Fan" in Fargo-Moorhead beginning at 6:40 p.m. Jack Michaels will provide play-by-play with Jeremy Jorgenson providing color commentary.
Up Next
The Bison host Omaha Saturday, Feb. 15, at 2 p.m. in the final women's basketball game played inside the Bison Sports Arena. The game is also the annual WBCA "Play 4Kay" breast cancer awareness game and senior day.
