North Dakota State Athletics
Fort Wayne
NDSU Women's Basketball Finishes Two Game Road Trip at Fort Wayne Saturday
2/7/2014 4:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
|
Saturday, Feb. 8: North Dakota State Bison (6-17, 2-6 Summit) at Fort Wayne Mastodons (11-11, 4-4 Summit) Gates Sports Center | Fort Wayne, Ind. | 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET) **Summit League Game** |
|
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 | Fort Wayne Game Notes (PDF) | Fort Wayne Season Stats Summit League Weekly Notes (PDF) |
|
Social Media: @NDSUAthletics | @NDSUwbb | @SummitHoops |
Bison Women Finish Two Game Road Trip at Fort Wayne
The North Dakota State women's basketball team will complete a two game road trip Saturday, Feb. 8, in Fort Wayne, Ind., against the Fort Wayne Mastodons at 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET).
The Series Against Fort Wayne
Saturday's game at Fort Wayne will be the 19th meeting in the all-time series. The Bison lead the series, 12-6, but have lost the past three meeting against the Mastodons, including a 98-89 double overtime setback back on Jan. 9 in Fargo this season.
About the Mastodons
Fort Wayne enters Saturday's contest with an overall record of 11-11 and are 4-4 in Summit League play after falling at home to No. 15 South Dakota State Thursday, 77-66.
The Mastodons are led by a pair of players in double figures. Preseason Summit League Player of the Year Amanda Hyde leads IPFW in scoring and rebounding, averaging 21.5 points per game on 56.4 percent shooting and five boards per game. Haley Seibert, an All-Summit League preseason second team selection, is averaging 16.1 points per game and shooting 47.4 percent from three-point range.
Hyde leads The Summit League in scoring while Seibert is fourth and leads the league in three-point field goal percentage and three-point field goals made (3.0 per game).
As a team, Fort Wayne is averaging the second-most points in the league, 78.3, but giving up the second-most, 74.5. The Mastodons are averaging 31.7 rebounds per game while allowing 37.8.
Last Time Out: Late First-Half Run too Much to Overcome as Bison Women Fall at IUPUI, 77-53
A late first-half run by IUPUI (17-6, 7-1 Summit) was too much for the NDSU women's basketball team (6-17, 2-6 Summit) to overcome, as they fell to the Jaguars Thursday night, Feb. 6, inside "The Jungle," 77-53, in Summit League action.
Holly Johnson led the Bison with 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting in the contest. Brooke LeMar also reached double digits for the Bison, tallying 12 points.
DeAirra Goss paced the Jaguars, also scoring 20 points.
The Bison went 3-for-4 from the field the opening 3:24 of the first-half to jump out to an 8-0 lead over IUPUI and led by as much as a dozen, 14-2, after a made three-pointer from Johnson with 15:34 to go. The Bison couldn't hold the lead though, as IUPUI used a 12-4 run from 11:33 to 7:14 to gain its first lead of the game, 24-22, after a made layup from Akilah Sims. The Bison regained a 25-24 lead less than a minute later after Bree Whatman converted a layup, was fouled and made the bonus free throw, but, the Jaguars answered, using another 12-4 run to regain the lead going into halftime, 36-29.
IUPUI scored 16 points off 12 Bison turnovers in the opening stanza and pulled down 20 rebounds, nine offensive, compared to just 13 for NDSU.
The Jaguars controlled the second half, outscoring the Bison 21-9 the opening nine minutes of the half to take a commanding 57-38 lead, a lead they held to remainder of the contest to pick-up their seventh straight victory.
NDSU shot 20-for-54 from the field for 37 percent and 6-for-16 from beyond the arc for 38 percent in the game. The Bison made 7-of-9 free throw attempts for 78 percent.
IUPUI forced the Bison into a season-high 21 turnovers in the game, leading to 26 Jaguar points.
The Bison were out-rebounded in the contest by the Jags, 38-29, including a 15-12 advantage for the home team on the offensive glass.
Last Time Against Fort Wayne: Bison Drop Double Overtime Contest to Fort Wayne in Summit League Opener, 98-89
The North Dakota State women's basketball team (3-12, 0-1 Summit) suffered a heartbreaking 98-89 double overtime loss to the Fort Wayne Mastodons (8-7, 1-0 Summit) Thursday, Jan. 9, inside the Bison Sports Arena on the first evening of Summit League play.
Marena Whittle led NDSU with a career-best 33 points on 11-for-22 shooting. She also matched her career-high for rebounds, pulling down 15 boards to complete the double-double. Holly Johnson scored 14 points for NDSU while both Brooke LeMar and Liz Keena had 12 points to round out the double figure scoring for the Bison.
NDSU was 35-for-86 (41 percent) from the field but only 3-for-18 (17 percent) from beyond the arc for the game. The Bison went 16-of-19 from the free throw line for 84 percent.
Amanda Hyde led Fort Wayne, scoring a team-high 35 points while also snagging 10 rebounds.
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 121 assists in 23 games, averaging 5.3 per game, which is second-best in The Summit League. She sports an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.6 with 121 assists compared to only 77 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 11, 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 23 games, led by Marena Whittle with 24 steals. Brooke LeMar is second with 23 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 23 contests, NDSU is averaging a Summit League-best 13.1 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 (68.8 points per game)
- Scoring Defense: 6th (73.7 points per game)
- Free Throw Percentage: 2nd (262-350, 74.9 percent)
- Field Goal Percentage: 8th (593-1495, 39.7 percent)
- Three Point Field Goal Percentage: 4th (134-416, 39.7 percent)
- Rebounding: 4th (39.1 per game)
- Blocked Shots: 3rd (3.5 per game)
- Assist-to-Turnover Ratio: 2nd (1.1 ratio)
- Assists: 5th (13.8 per game)
Relevant Individual Statistics:
- Scoring Offense: Brooke LeMar (5th, 15.8 points per game)
- Rebounding: Marena Whittle (4th, 6.8 per game), Miki Stephenson (10th, 5.8 per game)
- Assists: Brooke LeMar (2nd, 5.3 per game)
- Three Point Field Goal Percentage: Brooke LeMar (5th, 42.9 percent)
- Blocked Shots: Marena Whittle (4th, 1 per game), Miki Stephenson (7th, 0.7 per game)
- Assists-to-Turnover Ratio: Brooke LeMar (3rd, 1.6 ratio)
- Minutes Played: Brooke LeMar (4th, 34.2 per game)
Crunching the Numbers
Through 23 games, North Dakota State is averaging 68.8 points per game (ppg) and 39.1 rebounds per game (rpg). The Bison are shooting 39.7 percent from the field, going 593-1495, and are 134-416 from three for 32.2 percent. NDSU is excelling at the free throw line, going 262-350 for 74.9 percent. NDSU only averages 13.1 turnovers per game.
Individually, Brooke LeMar paces NDSU in scoring, averaging 15.8 ppg and also has a team-high 121 assists. She has led the Bison in scoring in 12 games this season. The leading rebounders for the Bison are Marena Whittle (6.8 rpg) and Miki Stephenson (5.8 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 72-98 record overall including a 48-48 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 against the Mastodons will be aired live on KVOX 740-AM "The Fan" beginning at 12:40 p.m. CT. Jack Michaels will provide play-by-play.
Up Next
The Bison return home to the Bison Sports Arena for their final homestand of the season. NDSU will host Western Illinois Thursday, Feb. 13, before welcoming Omaha to the BSA Saturday, Feb. 15.
