North Dakota State Athletics
Denver
NDSU Women's Basketball Finishes Regular Season at Denver Saturday
2/28/2014 7:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
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Saturday, March 1: North Dakota State Bison (6-22, 2-11 Summit) at Denver Pioneers (6-22, 4-9 Summit) Magness Arena (7,200) | Denver | 2 p.m. CT (1 p.m. MT) **Summit League Game** |
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Media Coverage: Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video | Radio: KVOX 740-AM "The Fan" (Jack Michaels, play-by-play) TV: None NDSU Game Notes (PDF) | NDSU Season Stats | Denver Game Notes (PDF) | Denver Season Stats Summit League Weekly Notes (PDF) |
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Social Media: @NDSUAthletics | @NDSUwbb | @SummitHoops |
NDSU Women's Hoops Finishes Regular Season in Denver
The North Dakota State women's basketball team will look to finish the 2013-14 regular season on a winning note when it travels to Denver Saturday, March 1, for a 2 p.m. CT (1 p.m. MT) Summit League contest against the Denver Pioneers.
The Series Against Denver
Saturday's regular season finale between the Bison and the Pioneers will be the eighth meeting in the all-time series. NDSU leads the series, 6-1, and defeated Denver earlier this season on Feb. 1 at home, 85-79.
About the Pioneers
Summit League newcomer Denver enters Saturday's game with an overall record of 6-22 and are 4-9 in league play. The Pioneers dropped a 69-55 contest to South Dakota State Thursday, Feb. 27, and have lost three-straight games.
Denver has clinched the six seed in the upcoming Summit League basketball tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., and will face an opponent to be determined.
Denver has three players currently averaging double figure scoring. Kailey Edwards, who is averaging 12.3 points per game (ppg), leads the Pioneer offense while Paige Bradley is second on the team in scoring with 12.1 ppg. Theresa Wirth rounds out the Pioneers averaging double digit scoring with 10.4 ppg and a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game (rpg).
Overall, Denver is averaging 67.7 ppg while allowing 76.7 ppg from its opponents. The Pioneers average 3.0 blocks per game compared to 2.7 from their opponents.
Last Time Out: NDSU Women's Basketball Edged by South Dakota in Overtime, 95-87
The North Dakota State women's basketball team (6-22, 2-11 Summit) saw a 16-point first half lead slip away in a 95-87 overtime loss at South Dakota (16-12, 7-6 Summit) Thursday, Feb. 27, inside the Dakota Dome in Vermillion.
With the loss, the Bison are locked-in as the seven seed in The Summit League tournament and will face second-seeded IUPUI Saturday, March 8, at 2 p.m. at the Sioux Falls Arena in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Holly Johnson and Marena Whittle combined for 62 of NDSU's 87 points, tallying 31 each. The 31 points matched Johnson's career-high and was Whittle's second-highest scoring effort of the season. The two also led the Bison on the glass, pulling down eight rebounds apiece.
Brooke LeMar was the other Bison to reach double figures, scoring 13 while dishing out three assists.
Polly Harrington led the Coyotes with 23 points while Margaret McCloud (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Tia Hemiller (14 points, 10 rebounds) posted double-doubles for USD.
The Bison jumped out to an early 7-0 lead with 18:32 to go in the opening stanza after a three from Johnson, but, South Dakota responded, using a 7-0 run of their own to knot the contest at seven at the 17-minute mark.
NDSU answered with a 13-2 spurt, capped off by back-to-back jumpers from Whittle to give the Bison a 37-24 advantage with 7:23 remaining in the first half.
NDSU went into halftime leading, 49-33.
The Bison shot a blistering 54 percent in the opening stanza, going 19-for-25 from the field and held South Dakota to just 33 percent shooting (11-for-33).
NDSU increased its lead to 52-33 to begin the second half after a trey from Johnson. The Coyotes didn't go away though, going on a 13-5 run to cut the NDSU lead to a dozen, 54-42, with 16:37 to go in the second-half. South Dakota continued to chip away the Bison advantage, eventually cutting it to just two, 56-54, with 11:17 remaining in the stanza.
The 'Yotes took their first lead of the game two minutes later before the Bison regained a four-point advantage, 65-61, when Liz Keena converted a jumper at the 7:19 mark.
With 42 seconds to go in the half, the Bison trailed USD, 79-76. Eight seconds later Johnson sank a deep three to tie the game at 79. South Dakota had a chance to win the game with two seconds remaining, but Nicole Seekamp's three was off the mark, sending the contest to overtime.
The Bison fell behind early in overtime, 83-79, before Johnson converted a layup to cut the Coyote lead in half, but, that would be as close as the Bison could get the remainder of overtime, resulting in the 95-87 setback.
After shooting 54 percent in the first half, NDSU went cold the remainder of the game, shooting 33 percent (13-for-39) in the second half and just 22 percent (2-for-9) in overtime.
South Dakota, in contrast, went 53 percent from the field in the second stanza (16-for-30) and were 3-for-4 in overtime (75 percent).
Last Time Against Denver: Bison Women Use Strong Second Half to Down Denver, 85-79
Bison women's basketball (6-16, 2-5 Summit) used a strong second half shooting performance to claim an 85-79 victory over Summit League newcomer Denver (5-17, 3-4 Summit) Saturday, Feb. 1, inside the Bison Sports Arena.
The Bison shot an impressive 67 percent from the field in the second-half, going 18-for-27.
Brooke LeMar led all scorers in the game, scoring a new career-high 33 points on 12-for-19 shooting while dishing out eight assists.
NDSU trailed 51-45 after Denver's Desiree Hunter converted a layup with 13:37 remaining in the second half before Kahla Becken drilled a jumper 13 seconds later to cut the Denver lead to four, 51-47.
Becken's jumper ignited the Bison offense as NDSU went on a 12-5 run the next 3:26 that saw Marena Whittle give NDSU its first lead of the game, 57-56, with 10:38 to go after she made a layup, was fouled and converted the bonus free throw.
Denver tied the game twice more in the second stanza before a Becken three with 7:44 remaining gave the Bison the lead for good.
Whittle also scored in double figures for the game, netting 17 points on 60 percent shooting. She led the team in rebounding, snagging nine boards.
NDSU went 33-for-67 (49 percent) from the field and made 5-of-12 (42 percent) attempts from beyond the arc in the contest. The Bison went 14-of-19 from the free-throw line for 74 percent.
The Pioneers were led by Paige Bradley with 17 points.
Missed Opportunities
NDSU is shooting 74.4 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 410 times compared to 694 trips for their opponents. NDSU has been outscored at the foul line this season, 506-305, including a 264-127 deficit in league play.
The Summit Scoring Blues
NDSU has struggled shooting the basketball in Summit League play this season, making only 323 shots out of 867 attempts for 37.3 percent. The Bison are just 70-for-246 (28.5 percent) from three in league play.
NDSU's opponents are shooting 43.8 percent (336-767) from the field and 30.3 percent from beyond the arc in conference play, going 59-for-195.
30+ Scoring Performances
Holly Johnson and Marena Whittle's 31-point performance at South Dakota Feb. 27 marked the fourth game this season at least one NDSU player eclipsed 30 points. Previous 30+ point performances this season for the Bison included Johnson (31 pts. vs. Wyoming, Dec. 7), Whittle (33 pts. vs. Fort Wayne, Jan. 9), and Brooke LeMar (33 pts. vs. Denver, Feb. 1).
Exceeding the 20 Point Threshold
Brooke LeMar has scored at least 20 points in nine of NDSU's 27 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 is second in The Summit League in assists, tallying 142 in 28 games. She averages an impressive 5.1 assists per game and has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.5 (142 assists to 95 turnovers). LeMar has dished out at least four assists in 10 of NDSU's 13 league games.
Standing Tall
NDSU has four players with double digit blocked shots through 28 games, led by Marena Whittle with 27 blocks. Miki Stephenson is second with 19 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 3.3 blocks per game.
Takeaway Leaders
The Bison have six players with at least 12 steals through 28 games, led by Marena Whittle with 31 steals. Brooke LeMar is second with 28 while Kahla Becken is third with 21. Holly Johnson is fourth with 18 while Miki Stephenson and Bree Whatman are tied for fifth with 16 each.
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 28 contests, NDSU is averaging a Summit League-best 13.1 turnovers per game and ranks 28th 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: 7th (67.8 points per game)
- Scoring Defense: 6th (73.8 points per game)
- Free Throw Percentage: 2nd (305-410, 74.4 percent)
- Field Goal Percentage: 8th (716-1825, 39.2 percent)
- Three Point Field Goal Percentage: 7th (161-514, 31.3 percent)
- Rebounding: 3rd (38.7 per game)
- Blocked Shots: 3rd (3.3 per game)
- Assist-to-Turnover Ratio: 2nd (1.0 ratio)
- Assists: 6th (13.4 per game)
Relevant Individual Statistics:
- Scoring Offense: Brooke LeMar (5th, 15.2 points per game)
- Rebounding: Marena Whittle (4th, 7.0 per game)
- Assists: Brooke LeMar (2nd, 5.1 per game)
- Three Point Field Goal Percentage: Brooke LeMar (6th, 38.3 percent)
- Blocked Shots: Marena Whittle (4th, 1.0 per game), Miki Stephenson (T-8th, 0.7 per game)
- Assists-to-Turnover Ratio: Brooke LeMar (4th, 1.5 ratio)
- Minutes Played: Brooke LeMar (4th, 34.7 per game)
Carolyn DeHoff Resigns as North Dakota State Women's Basketball Coach, Effective April 15
North Dakota State University director of women's athletics Lynn Dorn announced Thursday, Feb. 20 head women's basketball coach Carolyn DeHoff has resigned effective April 15.
DeHoff is in her sixth year at NDSU.
DeHoff came to NDSU prior to the 2008-09 season after coaching at the University of Utah (2003-08), Weber State University (1998-03), the University of Wyoming (1991-98) and Coronado High School in Scottsdale, Ariz. (1990-91).
A native of Cheyenne, Wyo., DeHoff was a standout high school player at Cheyenne East and played at Arizona State University from 1987-90, where she was a team captain.
The DeHoff File
Carolyn DeHoff is in her sixth season as head women's basketball coach at North Dakota State University. She has compiled a 72-103 record overall including a 48-50 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. CT. Jack Michaels will provide play-by-play.
Up Next
North Dakota State will begin competition in The Summit League tournament Saturday, March 8, at 2 p.m. in Sioux Falls, S.D., at the Sioux Falls Arena. The Bison are the seven seed and will face the two seed, IUPUI. It will be the third meeting between NDSU and IUPUI this season, with the Jags winning both previous meetings. Airtime on KVOX 740-AM "The Fan" is slated for 1:40 p.m.
