Game 21: at South Dakota State (14-7, 5-3 Summit League)
Saturday, Jan. 31 | 2 p.m.
Frost Arena | Brookings, S.D.
Live Stats | Free Live Audio | Live Video
Radio: 790 KFGO (Jack Michaels, play-by-play), 1:40 p.m. airtime
TV: None

NDSU Notes (PDF) | Summit League Weekly Release (PDF)

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NDSU Women's Basketball Tips-Off Second Half of Summit League Play at South Dakota State
            After a week off, the North Dakota State women's basketball team (9-11, 5-3 Summit) will start the second half of Summit League competition on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 31, at league rival South Dakota State (14-7, 5-3 Summit). Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Frost Arena.
 
The Series Against South Dakota State
            Saturday's contest will be the 81st meeting between the Bison and the Jackrabbits in women's basketball all-time. The Jacks lead the series, 41-39. North Dakota State snapped an eight-game losing skid against South Dakota State by defeating the Jacks in Fargo for the first time since 2005 in the first meeting this season Jan. 2 at Scheels Arena, 83-78.
            If the Bison win Saturday, it will be the first time NDSU has swept the regular season series with SDSU since 2004-05 and the first victory in Brookings for the Bison since 2010-11. 
 
About the Jackrabbits
            South Dakota State enters Saturday's game at 14-7 overall and 5-3 in Summit League play after rolling to a 71-46 victory over Oral Roberts at home on Thursday, Jan. 29. The Jacks are ranked 19th in the most current CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 poll and are a perfect 3-0 at home in Frost Arena in league competition.
            Through 21 games, Megan Waytashek leads a trio of Jacks in double figures with 14.3 points per game. Macy Miller is second on the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game, while Mariah Clarin rounds out the Jackrabbits averaging double figures with 11.4 points per game, respectively. Clarin leads SDSU in rebounding with 7.1 boards per game. Miller leads South Dakota State in field-goal percentage, shooting 50 percent (94-188).
            The Jacks currently lead The Summit League in three-point field-goal percentage at 37 percent (138-373) and free-throw percentage at 77 percent (337-438).
            As a team, SDSU is averaging 72 points per game while limiting opponents to just 64.1 points per game.
            The Jacks are under the leadership of 15th season head coach Aaron Johnston. 
 
Catching Up With The Bison
            The Bison are 9-11 overall and 5-3 in Summit League play after falling at Western Illinois last Saturday, 88-66.
            Through 20 games this season, Brooke LeMar (Canyon Country, Calif.) leads the Bison and The Summit League in scoring with 19.5 points per game. LeMar also leads the Bison and is third in The Summit League in assists with 4.4 per game. Holly Johnson (Minot, N.D.) is second on the team in scoring with 12.5 points per game and rebounding with 7.1 boards per game. Marena Whittle (Vermont South, Victoria, Australia) leads the Bison and ranks fourth in The Summit League in rebounding with 7.4 rebounds per game.  Emily Spier (Buffalo, Minn.) is shooting a team-high 50 percent from the field, going 46-of-93, and Taylor Thunstedt (Spicer, Minn.) leads the Bison from three-point range, going 34-for-91 for 37 percent. 
            As a team, the Bison are outscoring their opponents in Summit League play, 74.2 to 71.5. Overall, NDSU is being outscored by its adversaries, 70.0 to 73.3.
 
Home Sweet Home
            The Bison are 6-2 in Fargo this season. NDSU is 4-1 in the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse and 2-1 at Scheels Arena.
 
Welcome to the Club!
            Brooke LeMar netted her 1,000th career point in the game at South Dakota on Thursday, Jan. 15. LeMar has scored 842 points as a Bison and netted 240 points in her two seasons with Southern Illinois prior to transferring to NDSU, giving her a total of 1,082 points heading into Saturday's contest at South Dakota State. She is the 31st student-athlete in NDSU history to join the 1,000 Point Club.
 
Breaking the 30-point Threshold
            LeMar has scored at least 30 points twice this season and is two 30-point games away from tying Kasey Morlock (1993-96) and Janice Woods (1982-86) for most 30-point games in a career.  LeMar has exceeded 20 points in 10 games in 2014-15.
 
Notable Recent Career Milestones
            Taylor Thunstedt snagged a career-high six rebounds in NDSU's win at Omaha Thursday, Jan. 22. The Spicer, Minn., native also matched her career-high in scoring for the second straight game, netting 15 points.
            Kahla Becken netted a career-high 21 points in NDSU's win over Fort Wayne on Saturday, Jan. 17. The Lino Lakes, Minn., native went 7-for-10 from the floor and 4-for-6 from three-point range to tally 21 points. The seven made field goals and four made treys matched her career-highs.                  
            Marena Whittle tallied a new career-high six steals against IUPUI on Jan. 8. Whittle has recorded at least one takeaway in 14 of 17 games this season with six multiple steal games.
 
Dishing it Out
            Brooke LeMar dished out a season-high nine assists in the Bison's win over IUPUI Jan. 8. The Canyon Country, Calif., native has at least four assists in 12 of 19 contests this season.
 
At the Line Down the Stretch
            Brooke LeMar is 14-of-18 (.778) from the free-throw line in the final minute of games this season, including a 7-for-8 (.875) mark in the final minute of Summit League games. As a team, NDSU is 19-of-25 (.760) at the line in the last minute of games this season, four-percent better than its overall season average.
 
Converting Scoring Opportunities
            Emily Spier leads the Bison in field-goal percentage in Summit League play through eight games, going 21-for-40 (.525). Taylor Thunstedt is second, converting 26 of 52 attempts (.500).
 
Thunstedt for Three!
            Taylor Thunstedt is shooting a team-high 50 percent from three-point range in Summit League competition, going 18-for-36.
 
Inside Presence
            Emily Spier leads the Bison in field-goal percentage through 20 contests, making 46 of 93 attempts for 50 percent.
 
Hitting the Offensive Boards
            Holly Johnson and Liz Keena have combined for 86 offensive rebounds through 20 games, helping the Bison score an average of 9.4 second-chance points per game. Keena leads the Bison and ranks 6th in The Summit League in offensive rebounds with 2.3 per game while Johnson is second on the team and ranks 12th in the league with 2.0 per game.
 
From Downtown!
            Taylor Thunstedt leads the Bison from beyond-the-arc through 20 contests, going 34-of-91 for 37 percent. Kahla Becken is second, making 29 of 81 attempts for 36 percent.
 
Securing the Perimeter
            The Bison are holding opponents to just 30 percent (100-338) shooting from three-point range through 20 games. NDSU is averaging 6.6 made treys per game compared to just 5.0 for its opponents. NDSU has given up just 39 treys in its eight Summit League games compared to 55 surrendered by its opponents.
 
Creating Offense from Defense
            In their seven league games, the Bison have scored 120 points off 125 turnovers, an average of 15.0 points per game. NDSU's opponents have only scored 90 points off 106 Bison miscues for 11.2 points per game.
 
Sharing the Basketball
            The Bison have tallied double-digit assists in 15 of 19 games this season. NDSU matched its season-high with 19 assists in the win over IUPUI Jan. 8. The Bison also dished out 19 in the victory over Oral Roberts to open league play Jan. 2.
 
Getting to the Basket
            The Bison have scored 126 points off fast break baskets through 20 games, compared to just 68 points from their adversaries. NDSU is averaging 6.3 fast break points per game. 
 
NDSU Summit League Women's Basketball Player of the Week Winners
Jan. 5 - Brooke LeMar
 
NDSU in the NCAA National Statistics (As of Jan. 28)
Relevant Team Statistics:
Free-Throw Percentage - 62nd out of 343 (.723) ... Three-Point Field Goals Per Game - 69th out of 343 (6.6/game) ... Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage - 87th out of 343 (.337) ... Scoring Offense - 85th out of 343 (70.0/game) ... Assist-to-Turnover Ratio - 90th out of 343 (0.93).
 
Relevant Individual Statistics:
Points Per Game - Brooke LeMar (36th out of 250, 19.5/game) ... Free-Throw Percentage - Brooke LeMar (65th out of 250, .833) ... Assists Per Game - Brooke LeMar (84th out of 250, 4.5/game)
 
NDSU in The Summit League Statistics (As of Jan. 29)
Relevant Team Statistics (All Games):
Points - 5th (70.0/game) ... Rebounds - 6th (38.1/game) ... Assists - 3rd (14.0/game) ... Free-Throw Pct. - 3rd (.723) ... Steals - 3rd (8.0/game ... Turnovers - 3rd (15.0/game) ... Blocks - 5th (3.2/game) ... Field-Goal Pct. - 7th (.402) ... Three-Point Field-Goal Pct. - 7th (.337)
 
Relevant Individual Statistics (All Games):
Brooke LeMar - Points: 1st (19.4/game), Assists: 3rd (4.4/game), FT Pct.: 5th (.833), Steals: 5th (1.6/game) ... Marena Whittle - Steals: 2nd (2.0/game), Defensive Rebounds: 3rd (6.0/game), Rebounds: 4th (7.4/game), Blocks: T-5th (1.0/game) ... Holly Johnson - Rebounds: T-5th (7.0/game), Defensive Rebounds: 6th (5.0/game), FG Pct.: 10th (.454) ... Liz Keena - Offensive Rebounds: 6th (2.3/game)
 
Last Time Out: NDSU Women's Basketball Falters at Western Illinois Saturday, 88-66
            The North Dakota State women's basketball team (9-11, 5-3 Summit League) fell at Western Illinois (12-8, 4-3 Summit League), 88-66, on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 24, inside Western Hall.
            Brooke LeMar led the Bison in scoring with 23 points on 9-for-21 shooting, and LeMar and Holly Johnson paced NDSU on the boards with six rebounds each.
            Western Illinois was paced by Sophie Reichelt, who tallied a game-and season-high 24 points and career-high 18 rebounds, while Ashley Luke also netted a double-double with 18 points and 13 boards. 
            The Bison shot 34 percent from the field in the contest, going 27-for-80, and were 7-for-23 from three-point range for 30 percent.
            Western Illinois went 32-for-70 from the field for 46 percent and were 9-for-22 from long range for 41 percent. The Leathernecks made 15 of 19 free-throw attempts for 79 percent.
            WIU outrebounded NDSU, 55-39, and outscored North Dakota State in the paint, 44-20.
 
Last Time Out Against South Dakota State: NDSU Women's Basketball Upsets South Dakota State, 83-78
            Four Bison scored in double figures to help the North Dakota State University women's basketball team (6-8, 2-0 Summit League) upset reigning Summit League regular season champion and mid-major No. 9 ranked South Dakota State (10-5, 1-1 Summit League), 83-78, at Scheels Arena on Sunday, Jan. 4.
            The victory was the first for NDSU over SDSU since the 2010-11 season and the first win over the Jackrabbits in Fargo since 2004-05.
            Senior guard Brooke LeMar paced all scorers in the contest, netting 30 points on 11-for-20 shooting, including a 3-for-6 mark from three-point range and a 5-for-7 performance at the free-throw line. Junior forward Holly Johnson added 16 points, with 12 occurring in the second half, and went a game-best 10-for-10 at the foul line, while fellow junior forward Marena Whittle pulled down a team-high nine rebounds and netted 10 points. Senior forward Liz Keena rounded out the Bison in double figures, scoring 10 points on 5-for-9 shooting.
            For the game, North Dakota State shot 47 percent (18-for-33) from the floor, 39 percent (5-for-13) from beyond-the-arc and 83 percent (20-of-24) from the free-throw line. NDSU dished out 16 assists and committed 12 turnovers and scored 21 points off 16 Jackrabbit turnovers.
            Senior forward Megan Waytashek led four South Dakota State Jacks in double figures with 20 points, while senior forward Mariah Clarin controlled the glass for SDSU with nine boards.
 
2014-15 Summit League Preseason Poll (1st-place votes in parenthesis)
South Dakota State (27) - 513 pts.
South Dakota (4) - 420 pts.
IUPUI - 408 pts.
Western Illinois (1) - 358 pts.
Denver - 253 pts.
Fort Wayne - 202 pts.
Oral Roberts - 178 pts.
Omaha - 165 pts.
North Dakota State - 158 pts.
 
Preseason Honors
            Senior guard Brooke LeMar, the reigning Summit League Newcomer of the Year and a second team all-league selection in 2013-14, was named to the preseason Summit League first team after averaging 15.1 points and 5.3 assists per game last season.
 
Head Coach Maren Walseth
            Maren Walseth was named the 10th head women's basketball coach in NDSU history Monday, April 14, 2014.
            Walseth joined the Bison after spending seven years as an assistant coach at Big Ten power Penn State University in State College, Pa., where she helped the Lady Lions to three Big Ten championships, four NCAA tournament appearances and two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances.
            Prior to becoming an assistant at Penn State, Walseth spent three years as an assistant coach at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
            A native of Bloomington, Minn., Walseth was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree as a forward at Penn State from 1997-2002. She was also a key member of the 2000 Lady Lion team that advanced to the Final Four and claimed the Big Ten conference championship. Walseth also was a member of the 1998 WNIT championship team. She graduated from Penn State in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in communications.
            Walseth was drafted by the Sacramento Monarchs in the third-round of the 2001 WNBA draft and spent four years playing professionally. She played for the Washington Mystics of the WNBA in 2002 before spending two years playing professionally in France. Walseth also spent a season with the Women's National Basketball League's (NWBL) Colorado Chill.
            Walseth's sister, Annika, played for NDSU during the 2007-08 season.
 
On the Horizon
            The Bison return home to the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse to begin a two-game homestand. NDSU hosts Western Illinois on Friday, Feb. 6, before battling South Dakota on Sunday, Feb. 8, in the annual Katherine Burgum Classic.