North Dakota State Athletics
IUPUI
Bison Women's Basketball Travels to Second-Place IUPUI Thursday for Summit League Action
2/4/2014 3:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball
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Thursday, Feb. 6: North Dakota State Bison (6-16, 2-5 Summit) at IUPUI Jaguars (16-6, 6-1 Summit) "The Jungle" (1,215) | Indianapolis, Ind. | 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) **Summit League Game** |
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Media Coverage: Live Stats | Live Audio (Free) | Live Video (PPV) | Radio: KVOX 740-AM "The Fan" (Jack Michaels, play-by-play) TV: None NDSU Game Notes (PDF) | NDSU Season Stats | IUPUI Game Notes (PDF) | IUPUI Season Stats | Summit League Weekly Notes (PDF) |
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Social Media: @NDSUAthletics | @NDSUwbb | @SummitHoops |
NDSU Women's Basketball Travels to IUPUI Thursday to Begin Second-Half of Summit League Play
Fresh-off an 85-79 victory over the Denver Pioneers Saturday, Feb. 1, the North Dakota State women's basketball team will open the second-half of The Summit League schedule Thursday, Feb. 6, at second-place IUPUI in Indianapolis at 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET).
The Series Against IUPUI
Thursday's contest against IUPUI will be the 15th meeting all-time between the Bison and Jaguars. NDSU leads the series, 8-6, but fell to the Jags earlier this season at home, 71-46. NDSU's last win against IUPUI occurred last season in Fargo at the Bison Sports Arena, as the Bison defeated the Jaguars 71-68.
About the Jaguars
The Jags enter Thursday's showdown at "The Jungle" with an overall record of 16-6 and are receiving votes in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll. IUPUI is currently sitting in second place in The Summit League with a record of 6-1. The Jaguars are riding a six-game winning streak and have not lost since their league opener Jan. 9 at South Dakota State.
IUPUI is paced by two players in double figures. DeAirra Goss leads the team in scoring with 13.5 points per game and is shooting 47.1 percent from the field. Nevena Markovic is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.2 points and a team-high 5.7 rebounds per game.
As a team, the Jags average 71.9 points per game while holding their opponents to just 59.9 per game. IUPUI is out-rebounding its opponents, on average, 38.3 to 30.9.
Last Time Out: 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.
Last Time Against IUPUI: Bison Women's Basketball Falls to IUPUI Jan. 11, 71-46
The North Dakota State women's basketball team (3-13, 0-2 Summit) fell to the IUPUI Jaguars (11-6, 1-1 Summit) Saturday afternoon at the Bison Sports Arena, 71-46.
The Bison struggled rebounding the basketball the entire game, and were out-rebounded by the Jaguars, 44-28.
IUPUI led from start-to-finish in the contest as the Bison could not get any closer than six points in the first half and 12 points in the second stanza.
Marena Whittle led NDSU in scoring for the second straight game with 12 points on 50 percent shooting (6-12). Brooke LeMar also reached double digits, scoring 10 points, while Holly Johnson had a game-high nine rebounds.
NDSU shot 17-for-54 (32 percent) from the field and 4-for-10 (40 percent) from beyond the arc. The Bison went 8-of-13 at the free-throw line for 62 percent.
Mikale Rogers paced the Jaguars, scoring a game-high 16 points, while Nicole Rogers (12) and Shanika Maddox (10) also scored in double-figures.
IUPUI was 28-for-57 (49 percent) from the field and 5-for-12 (42 percent) from three. The Jaguars converted 10 of 12 free throws for 83 percent.
The Jaguars outscored the Bison in the paint, 42-16, and got 36 points from their bench compared to just four for NDSU.
LeMar Named Summit League Player of the Week
Brooke LeMar was named The Summit League's Women's Basketball Player of the Week for her performances Jan. 27 – Feb. 2.
LeMar earns her second Player of the Week award this season after leading North Dakota State to a split of its league games last week. In Saturday's win over Denver, the junior guard scored a career-high 33 points on 12-of-19 (63 percent) shooting from the field with eight assists and two steals. She recorded a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists in a loss to South Dakota.
For the week, LeMar averaged 23 points, nine assists, three rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest. She also shot 47 percent (14-of-30) from the field, 50 percent (2-of-4) from three-point range, 76 percent (16-of-21) from the charity stripe and had a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. LeMar accounted for half of her team's assist total and nearly one-third of its total points in the two games.
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 22 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 tallied a combined 18 assists in NDSU's two games last week against South Dakota and Denver. She now has a team-high 116 assists in 22 games, averaging 5.3 per game, which is second-best in The Summit League. She sports an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.7 with 116 assists compared to only 69 turnovers.
Standing Tall
NDSU has three players with double digit blocked shots through 22 games, led by Marena Whittle with 24 blocks. Miki Stephenson is second with 17 while Emily Spier rounds out the Bison with double figure blocks with 10, respectively. As a team, the Bison are averaging 3.5 blocks per game.
Takeaway Leaders
The Bison have six players with at least 12 steals through 22 games, led by Marena Whittle with 24 steals. Brooke LeMar is second with 21 while Kahla Becken is third with 17, Holly Johnson is fourth with 14 and Bree Whatman and Miki Stephenson are both fifth with 13 takeaways each. NDSU is averaging 5.9 steals per game.
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 22 contests, NDSU is averaging a Summit League-best 12.7 turnovers per game and rank 13th 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: 6th (69.5 points per game)
- Scoring Defense: 6th (73.5 points per game)
- Free Throw Percentage: 2nd (255-341, 74.8 percent)
- Field Goal Percentage: 8th (573-1441, 39.9 percent)
- Three Point Field Goal Percentage: 5th (128-400, 32 percent)
- Rebounding: 3rd (39.6 per game)
- Blocked Shots: 3rd (3.5 per game)
- Assist-to-Turnover Ratio: 2nd (1.1 ratio)
- Assists: 5th (13.9 per game)
Relevant Individual Statistics:
- Scoring Offense: Brooke LeMar (4th, 16 points per game)
- Rebounding: Marena Whittle (4th, 7 per game), Miki Stephenson (9th, 5.9 per game)
- Assists: Brooke LeMar (2nd, 5.3 per game)
- Three Point Field Goal Percentage: Brooke LeMar (5th, 43.3 percent)
- Blocked Shots: Marena Whittle (T-3rd, 1.1 per game), Miki Stephenson (7th, 0.8 per game)
- Assists-to-Turnover Ratio: Brooke LeMar (3rd, 1.7 ratio)
- Minutes Played: Brooke LeMar (4th, 34 per game)
Crunching the Numbers
Through 22 games, North Dakota State is averaging 69.5 points per game (ppg) and 39.6 rebounds per game (rpg). The Bison are shooting 39.8 percent from the field, going 573-1441, and are 128-400 from three for 32 percent. NDSU is excelling at the free throw line, going 255-341 for 74.8 percent. NDSU only averages 12.7 turnovers per game.
Individually, Brooke LeMar paces NDSU in scoring, averaging 16 ppg and also has a team-high 116 assists. She has led the Bison in scoring in 12 games this season. The leading rebounders for the Bison are Marena Whittle (7.0 rpg) and Miki Stephenson (5.9 rpg). Whittle also has a team-high 24 blocks and 24 steals and has been NDSU's top rebounder in 10 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 72-97 record overall including a 48-47 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 against the Jaguars will be aired live on KVOX 740-AM "The Fan" beginning at 5:40 p.m. CT. Jack Michaels will provide play-by-play.
Up Next
The Bison remain on the road, traveling to Fort Wayne Saturday, Feb. 8, for a 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET) showdown with the Mastodons.
