North Dakota State Athletics
Omaha
Bison Take On Omaha in WBCA “Play 4Kay” Game Saturday
2/14/2014 11:47:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Saturday, Feb. 15: Omaha Mavericks (9-14, 1-8 Summit) at North Dakota State Bison (6-19, 2-8 Summit) Bison Sports Arena (5,830) | Fargo, N.D. | 2 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 | Omaha Game Notes (PDF) | Omaha Season Stats Summit League Weekly Notes (PDF) |
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Social Media: @NDSUAthletics | @NDSUwbb | @SummitHoops |
Bison Take On Mavs in WBCA "Play 4Kay" Game Saturday
The North Dakota State women's basketball team will battle Omaha Saturday, Feb. 15, in the annual WBCA "Play 4Kay" breast cancer awareness game. Saturday's contest will also be senior day and will be the final women's basketball game ever played in the Bison Sports Arena.
The Series Against Omaha
Saturday's game against Omaha will be the 54th meeting all-time, with the Bison leading the Mavs, 42-11. NDSU fell to UNO earlier this season in Omaha on Jan. 16, 66-48.
About the Mavs
Omaha enters Saturday's contest with an overall record of 9-14 and are 1-8 in Summit League play after falling at South Dakota State Thursday, 71-60. The Mavs have lost seven straight games since their victory over the Bison in Omaha Jan. 16.
UNO is led by Ericka House with 17.7 points per game (ppg). Taijhe Kelly leads the Mavs in rebounding, pulling down 7.3 rebounds per game (rpg). Kelly is also averaging an impressive 3.3 blocks per game.
As a team, Omaha averages 68.8 ppg while allowing 67 per game from its opponents. The Mavs are being outrebounded by their opponents, on average, 39.3 to 38.7.
Last Time Out: Offensive Rebounds, Free Throws Costly as Bison Women Fall to Western Illinois, 76-68
The NDSU women's basketball team (6-19, 2-8 Summit) gave up 13 offensive rebounds and were outscored at the free throw line, 21-3, in a 76-68 loss to the Western Illinois Leathernecks (13-11, 5-4 Summit) Thursday, Feb. 13, inside the Bison Sports Arena in Summit League action.
The Bison were led by Brooke LeMar with 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting. Marena Whittle scored 14 points while Holly Johnson and Bree Whatman each tallied 13.
Miki Stephenson paced the Bison on the boards, snagging nine rebounds.
NDSU led Western Illinois 32-23 with 3:37 remaining in the first-half, only to see the Leathernecks pull within 32-29 just before halftime after going on a 6-0 run the final 2:06.
The Leathernecks continued their offensive surge in the second-half, using a 5-0 run to gain their first lead of the game, 44-43, with 15:29 to go. The Bison regained a brief 45-44 advantage after Whittle made one of two free throws, but WIU answered with a 9-0 run to open up a nine point lead, 54-45, after a layup from Ashley Luke with 10:42 remaining in the second stanza.
The Bison cut the Western Illinois lead to three, 62-59, when Johnson converted a layup with 4:46 to go, but that was as close as the Bison could get the remainder of the contest.
NDSU was 29-for-59 (49 percent) from the field and 7-for-16 (44 percent) from three. The Bison struggled getting to the foul line and were just 3-for-7 (43 percent) from the charity stripe.
Western Illinois shot 45 percent from the field, going 25-for-56 and were 5-for-15 (33 percent) from beyond the arc. The Leathernecks were able to get to the free throw line 32 times, making 21 charity shots for 66 percent.
WIU scored 21 second chance points compared to just five from the Bison.
The Leathernecks' Ashley Luke led all-scorers in the game, posting a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
Last Time Against Omaha: Second Half Run Not Enough as Bison Women Fall at Omaha, 66-48
The North Dakota State women's basketball team (3-14, 0-3 Summit) suffered a 66-48 loss Thursday, Jan. 16, to the Omaha Mavericks (9-7, 1-1 Summit) inside Sapp Fieldhouse.
After falling behind by nine at halftime, 31-22, the Bison used an 11-0 run in the second half, beginning with a Marena Whittle jumper with 14:52 remaining, to cut the Omaha advantage to just three, 40-37, with 13:04 on the clock.
That would be the closest the Bison would get, though, as Omaha outscored NDSU, 26-11, the remainder of the second half to secure the victory.
NDSU was led by three players in double figures. Holly Johnson scored a team-high 11 points, while Whittle and Kahla Becken each had 10, respectively.
The Bison went 21-for-72 from the field for only 29 percent and were just 3-for-21 (14 percent) from three. NDSU went 3-for-5 from the free throw line for 60 percent.
Ericka House led the Mavs, scoring a game-high 23 points.
Missed Opportunities
NDSU is shooting 74.2 percent from the free throw line this season, second-best in The Summit League. However, the Bison have only been able to get to the line 365 times compared to 593 trips for their opponents. NDSU has been outscored at the foul line this season, 423-271, including a 181-93 deficit in league play.
The Summit Scoring Blues
NDSU has struggled shooting the basketball in Summit League play this season, making only 249 shots out of 663 attempts for 37.6 percent. The Bison are just 55-for-183 (30.1 percent) from three in league play.
NDSU's opponents are shooting 41.2 percent (635-1540) from the field and 30.7 from beyond the arc, going 135-for-425.
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 133 in 25 games. She averages an impressive 5.3 assists per game and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.5 (133 assists to 86 turnovers). LeMar has dished out at least four assists in nine of NDSU's 10 league games.
Standing Tall
NDSU has four players with double digit blocked shots through 25 games, led by Marena Whittle with 26 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 25 games, led by Marena Whittle with 28 steals. Brooke LeMar is second with 25 while Kahla Becken is third with 19, Miki Stephenson are tied for fourth with 16 each and Bree Whatman is fifth with 15.
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 25 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 (73.1 points per game)
- Free Throw Percentage: 2nd (271-365, 74.2 percent)
- Field Goal Percentage: 8th (642-1621, 39.6 percent)
- Three Point Field Goal Percentage: 3rd (146-451, 32.4 percent)
- Rebounding: 4th (38.6 per game)
- Blocked Shots: 3rd (3.4 per game)
- Assist-to-Turnover Ratio: 2nd (1.1 ratio)
- Assists: 4th (13.7 per game)
Relevant Individual Statistics:
- Scoring Offense: Brooke LeMar (5th, 15.5 points per game)
- Rebounding: Marena Whittle (4th, 6.8 per game), Miki Stephenson (9th, 5.9 per game)
- Assists: Brooke LeMar (1st, 5.3 per game)
- Three Point Field Goal Percentage: Brooke LeMar (6th, 40 percent)
- Blocked Shots: Marena Whittle (4th, 1 per game), Miki Stephenson (10h, 0.7 per game)
- Assists-to-Turnover Ratio: Brooke LeMar (3rd, 1.5 ratio)
- Minutes Played: Brooke LeMar (4th, 34.6 per game)
Crunching the Numbers
Through 25 games, North Dakota State is averaging 68 points per game (ppg) and 38.6 rebounds per game (rpg). The Bison are shooting 39.6 percent from the field, going 642-1621, and are 146-451 from three for 32.4 percent. NDSU is excelling at the free throw line, going 271-365 for 74.2 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 133 assists. She has led the Bison in scoring in 13 games this season. The leading rebounders for the Bison are Marena Whittle (6.8 rpg) and Miki Stephenson (5.9 rpg). Whittle also has a team-high 26 blocks and 28 steals and has been NDSU's top rebounder in 11 contests this season.
NDSU at Home
North Dakota State has compiled a 410-83 (.832) record at home, including a 106-44 mark inside the "Friendly Confines" over the past 10 seasons good for a .707 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 72-100 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
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on KVOX 740-AM "The Fan" in Fargo-Moorhead beginning at 1:40 p.m. Jack Michaels will provide play-by-play with Jeremy Jorgenson providing color commentary.
Up Next
The Bison travel to Brookings, S.D., Saturday, Feb. 22, to face 16th-ranked South Dakota State in Summit League play. Tip-off inside Frost Arena is set for 4 p.m.
