NDSU Women’s Basketball Travels to NJIT Tuesday

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North Dakota State at NJIT | Dec. 22 | 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT)
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Radio - 740 The Fan (Gary Rogers, play-by-play)

NDSU Women's Basketball Travels to NJIT Tuesday
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball team will travel to Newark, N.J., to take on the NJIT Highlanders on Tuesday, Dec. 22, at noon ET (11 a.m. CT).

Series History:
        Tuesday's game at NJIT will mark the second meeting in the all-time series. The Bison won the inaugural meeting last season, defeating the Highlanders, 60-48, in the Florida Atlantic Thanksgiving Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla.

Scouting the Opponents
        The Highlanders enter Tuesday's contest at 3-7 overall after falling to Vermont at home on Sunday, 54-46 ... NJIT has dropped four of its last five games, with the lone win coming at LIU Brooklyn Dec. 9 ... Through 10 contests, Leah Horton (11.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game) and Kelly Guarino (9.3 points per game, .467 three-point field-goal percentage) lead the Highlanders ... As a team, NJIT being outscored, 60.9 to 53.7, and outrebounded, 38.9 to 33.9 ... The Highlanders are under the direction of fourth season head coach Steve Lanpher.

Catching Up with the Bison
            The Bison enter Tuesday at 3-8 overall after defeating Prairie View A&M in the Wichita State Shocker Winter Classic on Dec. 19, 79-58 ... The win over Prairie View A&M snapped a seven game losing streak for NDSU that dated back to Nov. 19 ... Through 11 games, Marena Whittle (17 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game), Taylor Thunstedt (16.4 points and 3.2 assists per game) and Brianna Jones (8.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game) lead North Dakota State ... As a team, North Dakota State is averaging 65 points per game but allowing 71.3 points per game ... Through 11 contests, NDSU is outrebounding its adversaries, 39 to 34.4 ... The Bison have turned the ball over an average of 19.1 times per game, compared to 13.5 miscues for their opponents.

Last Time Out: Whittle Nets 1,000th Career Point as Bison Women Defeat Prairie View A&M, 79-58
        Senior guard Marena Whittle scored her 1,000th career point as the North Dakota State University women's basketball team defeated the Prairie View A&M Panthers, 79-58, to conclude play in the Wichita State Shocker Winter Classic on Saturday, Dec. 19, at Charles Koch Arena.
        Whittle, a native of Vermont South, Victoria, Australia, became the 32nd women's basketball student-athlete at North Dakota State to eclipse 1,000 points in a career after she scored a layup with 4:53 to go in the third quarter.
        Leading 40-37 with 6:21 to go in the third quarter, North Dakota State (3-8 overall) used a 10-0 run over the final six minutes of the stanza to take control of the game and surge to a 50-37 lead.
        Prairie View A&M (4-4 overall) didn't get closer than 12 the remainder of the contest.
        Whittle led the Bison in the contest with her third double-double of the season, tallying a game-high 24 points and pulling down a game-best 17 rebounds, while Brooke Yaggie tallied a career-high 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field. Taylor Thunstedt also reached double figures in the contest, scoring 14 points. Thunstedt went an impressive 4-for-5 from three-point range and dished out a game-best six assists.
        The Bison shot a season-high 52 percent from the field, going 33-for-64, and a season-best 50 percent from three-point range, making six of 12 attempts. NDSU outrebounded Prairie View A&M, 41-31, and outscored the Panthers in the paint, 44-32.
        Jeronia Allen and Lamaria Cole each tallied 17 points to lead Prairie View A&M.

Last Time Out Against NJIT: NDSU Captures FAU Tournament Title with 60-48 Win over NJIT
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team (3-2) captured the Florida Atlantic Thanksgiving Tournament Championship with a 60-48 victory over the NJIT Highlanders (3-4) inside FAU Arena on Saturday night, Nov. 29.
        Senior Brooke LeMar paced the Bison with a game-high 21 points on 6-for-16 shooting, with 19 of her 21 points coming in the second-half, and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Junior Holly Johnson tallied a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Marena Whittle snagged a game-high 11 rebounds.
        LeMar and Whittle were selected to the Florida Atlantic Thanksgiving Tournament All-Tournament team for their performances in the two-day event.
        The Highlanders were led by sophomore Alana Dudley with 16 points on 50 percent shooting (7-for-14), while sophomore Leah Horton pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
        NJIT went 18-for-57 from the field for 32 percent, and 2-for-11 from beyond the arc for 18 percent. The Highlanders were 10-for-17 at the foul line for 59 percent.

Whittle Named Summit League Women's Basketball Co-Player of the Week
        North Dakota State guard Marena Whittle was named The Summit League Women's Basketball Co-Player of the Week for her performance Dec. 14-20 ... Whittle captured her first career Player of the Week award after scoring a game-high 24 points while grabbing a game-best 17 rebounds, while adding six steals and five assists in a win over Prairie View A&M Dec. 19 ... She also tallied her 1,000th career point in the victory over the Panthers ... Whittle added 20 points, nine boards, three steals and three assists in a loss to North Carolina A&T Dec. 18 ... For the week, Whittle averaged 22 points, 13 rebounds, 4.5 steals and four assists per contest while shooting 39 percent (16-of-41) from the field, 55.6 percent (5-of-9) from behind the arc and 87.5 percent (7-of-8) at the line ... She was named to the Wichita State Shocker Winter Classic All-Tournament Team.

Turnover Woes
        North Dakota State has struggled taking care of the basketball so far this season. The Bison are averaging a Summit League-high 19.1 turnovers per game and have surrendered an average of 19.5 points off turnovers.

Whittle Crashing the Boards
        Marena Whittle holds the career record for defensive rebounding average at NDSU with 5.3 boards per game and ranks eighth in overall career rebounding average with 7.4 per game.

Thunstedt Making the Pass
        Taylor Thunstedt leads the Bison through 11 games with 3.2 assists per game. In NDSU's win over Prairie View A&M Dec. 19, the Spicer, Minn., native dished out six assists -- one shy of her career-high.

Jones Controlling the Glass
        Brianna Jones has led the Bison in rebounding in eight of 11 games this season. The Indianapolis native snagged 19 boards in the season opener against New Mexico State, the most rebounds in a single game since Marena Whittle pulled down 20 boards at Omaha last season. She also tallied double-digit rebounds against San Diego State (12), Delaware (14) and Grand Canyon (13).

Yaggie Posts Career-High
        Brooke Yaggie posted a career-high 21 points in the Bison's triumph over Prairie View A&M Dec. 19. The Thief River Falls, Minn., native shot 9-for-13 from the field (69 percent) and added two assists and a pair of steals in the game.

Double-Double Performances

Brianna Jones - 12 rebounds, 10 points at San Diego State, Nov. 27; 14 rebounds, 10 points vs. Delaware, Nov. 29
Marena Whittle - 32 points, 10 rebounds vs. Valley City State, Nov. 19; 23 points, 10 rebounds vs. Delaware, Nov. 29; 24 points, 17 rebounds vs. Prairie View A&M, Dec. 19

Getting to the Line
        Marena Whittle (81 percent) ranks second and Taylor Thunstedt (68 percent) is tied for seventh in The Summit League in free-throw percentage through 11 contests.

Thunstedt Ascending the NDSU Career Record Books
        Taylor Thunstedt already ranks second in career three-point field goal percentage at North Dakota State as a sophomore, going 87-for-213 for 40.8 percent.

NDSU Women's Hoops Inks Seven High School Standouts on National Signing Day
        North Dakota State University women's basketball head coach Maren Walseth announced on Wednesday, Nov. 11, that high school seniors Rylee Nudell (Buffalo, N.D./Maple Valley HS), Tyrah Spencer (Oakdale, Minn./Bloomington Kennedy HS), Anna Goodhope (Sioux Falls, S.D./Sioux Falls Washington HS), Autumn Ogden (Marshall, Wis./Monona Grove HS), Liz Bulver (Belton, Mo./Belton HS), Sarah Jacobson (Fargo, N.D./Shanley HS) and Reilly Jacobson (Waukee, Iowa/Waukee HS) have signed National Letters of Intent to continue their education and play women's basketball for North Dakota State beginning in the fall of 2016.
        The 2016 class brings a tremendous amount of prep success to the Bison. Seven total championships and multiple runner-ups highlight the class and each player's ability to elevate their team's success.
        The 2016 class of Bison will be the first recruiting class to play in the newly renovated Sanford Health Athletic Complex beginning in the fall.

NDSU in The Summit League Statistics (as of Dec. 21)
Team:
Points - 6th (65.0/game), Rebounds - 4th (39.0/game), Assists - 6th (11.8/game), Steals - 7th (7.1/game), Blocks - 7th (2.2/game), Field-Goal Percentage - 5th (.416), Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage - 2nd (.364), Free-Throw Percentage - 7th (.653), Turnovers - 9th (19.1/game)

Individual:
Marena Whittle - Points: 4th (17.0/game), Free-Throw Percentage: 2nd (.811), Rebounds: 2nd (9.5/game), Turnovers: 4th (3.8/game), Steals: 2nd (2.4/game); Taylor Thunstedt - Points: 5th (16.4/game), Assists: 7th (3.2/game), Turnovers: T-2nd (3.9/game), Free-Throw Percentage: T-7th (.684); Brianna Jones - Rebounds: 1st (9.8/game), Turnovers: 7th (3.2/game); Emily Spier - Blocks: 8th (0.9/game)

Bison Women Sixth in Summit League Preseason Poll; Johnson Named Preseason All-League
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball team was picked to finish sixth in The Summit League preseason poll unveiled Wednesday night, Oct. 14, by the league office on "Inside The Summit League."
        The Bison tallied 250 points in the poll.
        Senior forward Holly Johnson, an honorable mention All-Summit League selection last season, was named to the preseason all-league second team after averaging 12.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in 2014-15. The Minot, N.D., native enters 2015-16 ranked fourth in NDSU career defensive rebounding average with 3.9 boards per game and tied for ninth in career defensive rebounds with 336.
        South Dakota State was selected to capture the 2015-16 Summit League women's basketball championship after winning The Summit League tournament last season. The Jackrabbits collected 17 first-place votes and 508 points in a vote of the league's head coaches, SIDs and select media. South Dakota's Nicole Seekamp was tabbed as the preseason Player of the Year.
        South Dakota, last season's regular season champion, earned 15 first-place votes and 502 points to place second in the poll. IUPUI was picked third with 379 points followed by Oral Roberts in fourth with one first-place vote and 317 points. Western Illinois came in fifth followed by the Bison in sixth and Omaha in seventh. Denver and Fort Wayne rounded out the poll in eighth and ninth.

Six NDSU Women's Basketball Games to be Televised During 2015-16 Regular Season
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team will be featured on television six times during the 2015-16 regular season, NDSU athletics and The Summit League announced Friday, Nov. 6.
        The Bison's game at North Dakota on Dec. 12 will be carried on Midco Sports Network (MidcoSN), while NDSU's Summit League contest against South Dakota State at Scheels Arena on Jan. 3 will be televised regionally on MeTV. The television network is available via over-the-air channels in Bismarck (5.2), Minot (10.2), Williston (8.2) and Dickinson (7.2) as well as through additional providers.
        The Bison's Feb. 20 league contest at Scheels Arena against Denver will air in high definition on NBC North Dakota and ESPN3, and NDSU's league game at Western Illinois Feb. 25 will be televised on WIUTV and ESPN3.
        North Dakota State will also have a pair of Summit League contests carried on MidcoSN and ESPN3 through the league's television package. The game on Jan. 30 at South Dakota and the contest on Feb. 6 at South Dakota State will be broadcast.

Head Coach Maren Walseth
     Maren Walseth is in her second season as the head coach of the North Dakota State University women's basketball team.
     In her inaugural season at NDSU, she helped guide the Bison to an 11-17 overall record and a 7-9 Summit League mark. North Dakota State finished sixth in The Summit League, the highest finish for NDSU women's basketball since the 2011-12 season.
     Walseth joined the Bison in April, 2014, 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. While at Navy, she assisted with recruiting as well as on-court player development and scouting, and was also the academic liaison for the Midshipmen.
     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.

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Players Mentioned

Holly Johnson

Brianna Jones

Brooke LeMar

Emily Spier

Taylor Thunstedt

Marena Whittle

Brooke Yaggie