Wednesday, December 30
Fargo, N.D.
7 p.m.
North Dakota State Athletics
vs
Northland (Wis.)
Photo by: Kyle Herschelman
Bison Host Northland in Non-Conference Finale, Denver in Summit League Opener
12/29/2015 3:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NDSU Basketball on Twitter
Complete NDSU Basketball Game Notes
Dec. 30 vs. Northland: Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Jan. 3 vs. Denver: Watch | Listen | Live Stats
The Games: The North Dakota State men's basketball team (9-4 overall) hosts Northland College (0-10) in its final non-conference game on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at 7 p.m. The Bison will take on Denver (8-5) in the Summit League opener on Sunday, Jan. 3, at 1 p.m. inside Scheels Arena.
Dec. 30 Northland College 7 p.m.
Jan. 3 Denver 1 p.m.
Where to Watch: Sunday's game vs. Denver will be broadcast live on MeTV throughout North Dakota and western Minnesota. A live video stream of both games will be available to subscribers at GoBison.com/allaccess.
Radio: KFGO-AM 790 of Fargo will broadcast both games with Scott Miller calling play-by-play and Jeremy Jorgenson with analysis. Coverage includes 20-minute pregame and postgame shows. Free audio streaming will be available at GoBison.com/allaccess.
About Northland College: Northland College is an NCAA Division III school in Ashland, Wis., that competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference.
The LumberJacks carry a record of 0-10 into Wednesday's game. Northland went 8-15 last season. Senior forward Bryshaun Brown leads the team with 11.8 points per game.
Head coach Scott Sorenson is in his fourth season at Northland after serving as an assistant at Minnesota-Crookston and Bemidji State in the NSIC.
The Series vs. Northland College: Wednesday's game will be the third meeting all-time between the Bison and LumberJacks, with NDSU holding a 2-0 mark in the series. NDSU posted an 83-59 win over Northland in Fargo on Dec. 28 last season, and a 77-55 victory on Jan. 3, 2004, in the last season of Division II play.
Last Time vs. Northland College: Five Bison scored in double figures in an 83-59 win over Northland on Dec. 28 of last season. With the victory, NDSU concluded the non-conference portion of its schedule with a record of 8-5.
Senior guard Lawrence Alexander led all players with 20 points. In his first game back from a knee injury, A.J. Jacobson hit his first three shots from three-point range and finished with 17 points. Dexter Werner posted 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals for NDSU. Evan Wesenberg scored a season-high 12 points off the NDSU bench on 6-of-9 shooting.
About Denver: The Pioneers carry a record of 8-5 into the Summit League portion of their schedule. Denver plays at South Dakota State on Jan. 1 before the trip to Fargo on Jan. 3.
Senior guard Nate Engesser leads Denver in scoring despite coming off the bench in every game this season. He is averaging 14.1 points per contest with 51-percent shooting from three-point range. Freshman Joe Rosga is scoring 11.0 points per game in his first season.
Denver ranks among the top 50 schools in the nation with a team shooting percentage of 48 percent.
The Series vs. Denver: Sunday will be the 11th meeting between North Dakota State and Denver dating back to the 1993-94 season. The Bison hold an 8-2 advantage in the all-time series after winning all three games last season. NDSU won 61-54 in overtime in Fargo on Jan. 29, 73-69 in overtime at Denver on Feb. 12, and 61-50 in the quarterfinals of the Summit League Tournament.
Last Time vs. Denver: A.J. Jacobson scored a season-high 23 points to help the No. 2-seeded Bison to a 61-50 quarterfinal victory over No. 7 seed Denver in the Summit League Tournament last March.
Jacobson made 7-of-10 shots and 8-of-12 free throws for his 23 points. The two teams shot a combined 2-of-26 from three-point range. Denver was 1-of-15 from beyond the arc, while NDSU made 1-of-11 attempts.
Before and After: The Bison have seen a disparity in shooting percentages between the first and second halves this season. NDSU is shooting 40 percent in the first half and 45 percent in the second half. Bison opponents are shooting 48 percent before halftime and 41 percent after.
Finish Strong: The Bison are shooting 49.5 percent in the final 10 minutes of games this season.
Take Care: The Bison rank fourth in the nation for fewest turnovers per game with 9.6 this season.
Turnover Advantage: The Bison have had a significant advantage in the turnover department this season, ranking 15th in Division I with a plus-4.5 turnover margin. NDSU is averaging just 9.6 turnovers per game while creating 14.2 for its opponents.
Home Court: With 29 straight home wins, the Bison own the sixth-longest active home court winning streak in the nation. NDSU is 42-2 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season, with the only two losses being to Southern Miss (70-69) on Nov. 18, 2013, and Western Illinois (49-36) on Feb. 14, 2013.
Steady Freshman: Freshman point guard Khy Kabellis has a 31-to-9 assist-to-turnover ratio through his first 13 collegiate games.
Long Arm of the Law: Junior forward Dexter Werner posted six blocks for the second time in his career against Montana State on Dec. 16, matching the feat he first achieved against Minnesota-Crookston on Nov. 25 last season. He came up one block shy of Jason Wenschlag's single-game NDSU record of seven, set in 1991.
Rare Feat: Only two players in the country under 6-foot-7 have recorded six or more blocks in a game this season – NDSU's Dexter Werner and Norfolk State's Jordan Butler, who are both listed at 6-6.
Against the Big Sky: NDSU went a perfect 4-0 against Big Sky Conference opponents this season with wins over Montana (73-53), North Dakota (69-67), Montana State (73-64), and Idaho State (67-62).
First Career Starts: Freshman point guard Khy Kabellis (Escondido, Calif./Escondido HS) made his first career start vs. Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Dec. 22. Freshman forward Dylan Miller (Panama, Ill./Hillsboro HS) made his first career start at North Dakota on Dec. 11.
Putting Up Points: Sophomore guard Paul Miller ranks third in The Summit League and 111th in all of Division I with 17.2 points per game this season. With 224 total points through 13 contests this season, Miller has already surpassed his total scoring output (214 points) as a freshman.
Never Give Up: In six of their nine victories this season, the Bison have overcome deficits of at least nine points.
Nov. 13 at UC Davis Trailed by 9 with 2:00 left in 2nd half W, 79-71 (OT)
Nov. 25 vs. Montana Trailed by 12 with 9:00 left in 1st half W, 73-53
Nov. 28 vs. North Carolina A&T Trailed by 15 with 10:00 left in 1st half W, 77-56
Dec. 4 at Arkansas State Trailed by 13 with 11:00 left in 2nd half W, 74-73
Dec. 11 at North Dakota Trailed by 15 with 18:00 left in 2nd half W, 69-67
Dec. 21 vs. Idaho State Trailed by 10 with 3:00 left in 1st half W, 67-62
Complete NDSU Basketball Game Notes
Dec. 30 vs. Northland: Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Jan. 3 vs. Denver: Watch | Listen | Live Stats
The Games: The North Dakota State men's basketball team (9-4 overall) hosts Northland College (0-10) in its final non-conference game on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at 7 p.m. The Bison will take on Denver (8-5) in the Summit League opener on Sunday, Jan. 3, at 1 p.m. inside Scheels Arena.
Dec. 30 Northland College 7 p.m.
Jan. 3 Denver 1 p.m.
Where to Watch: Sunday's game vs. Denver will be broadcast live on MeTV throughout North Dakota and western Minnesota. A live video stream of both games will be available to subscribers at GoBison.com/allaccess.
Radio: KFGO-AM 790 of Fargo will broadcast both games with Scott Miller calling play-by-play and Jeremy Jorgenson with analysis. Coverage includes 20-minute pregame and postgame shows. Free audio streaming will be available at GoBison.com/allaccess.
About Northland College: Northland College is an NCAA Division III school in Ashland, Wis., that competes in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference.
The LumberJacks carry a record of 0-10 into Wednesday's game. Northland went 8-15 last season. Senior forward Bryshaun Brown leads the team with 11.8 points per game.
Head coach Scott Sorenson is in his fourth season at Northland after serving as an assistant at Minnesota-Crookston and Bemidji State in the NSIC.
The Series vs. Northland College: Wednesday's game will be the third meeting all-time between the Bison and LumberJacks, with NDSU holding a 2-0 mark in the series. NDSU posted an 83-59 win over Northland in Fargo on Dec. 28 last season, and a 77-55 victory on Jan. 3, 2004, in the last season of Division II play.
Last Time vs. Northland College: Five Bison scored in double figures in an 83-59 win over Northland on Dec. 28 of last season. With the victory, NDSU concluded the non-conference portion of its schedule with a record of 8-5.
Senior guard Lawrence Alexander led all players with 20 points. In his first game back from a knee injury, A.J. Jacobson hit his first three shots from three-point range and finished with 17 points. Dexter Werner posted 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals for NDSU. Evan Wesenberg scored a season-high 12 points off the NDSU bench on 6-of-9 shooting.
About Denver: The Pioneers carry a record of 8-5 into the Summit League portion of their schedule. Denver plays at South Dakota State on Jan. 1 before the trip to Fargo on Jan. 3.
Senior guard Nate Engesser leads Denver in scoring despite coming off the bench in every game this season. He is averaging 14.1 points per contest with 51-percent shooting from three-point range. Freshman Joe Rosga is scoring 11.0 points per game in his first season.
Denver ranks among the top 50 schools in the nation with a team shooting percentage of 48 percent.
The Series vs. Denver: Sunday will be the 11th meeting between North Dakota State and Denver dating back to the 1993-94 season. The Bison hold an 8-2 advantage in the all-time series after winning all three games last season. NDSU won 61-54 in overtime in Fargo on Jan. 29, 73-69 in overtime at Denver on Feb. 12, and 61-50 in the quarterfinals of the Summit League Tournament.
Last Time vs. Denver: A.J. Jacobson scored a season-high 23 points to help the No. 2-seeded Bison to a 61-50 quarterfinal victory over No. 7 seed Denver in the Summit League Tournament last March.
Jacobson made 7-of-10 shots and 8-of-12 free throws for his 23 points. The two teams shot a combined 2-of-26 from three-point range. Denver was 1-of-15 from beyond the arc, while NDSU made 1-of-11 attempts.
Before and After: The Bison have seen a disparity in shooting percentages between the first and second halves this season. NDSU is shooting 40 percent in the first half and 45 percent in the second half. Bison opponents are shooting 48 percent before halftime and 41 percent after.
Finish Strong: The Bison are shooting 49.5 percent in the final 10 minutes of games this season.
Take Care: The Bison rank fourth in the nation for fewest turnovers per game with 9.6 this season.
Turnover Advantage: The Bison have had a significant advantage in the turnover department this season, ranking 15th in Division I with a plus-4.5 turnover margin. NDSU is averaging just 9.6 turnovers per game while creating 14.2 for its opponents.
Home Court: With 29 straight home wins, the Bison own the sixth-longest active home court winning streak in the nation. NDSU is 42-2 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season, with the only two losses being to Southern Miss (70-69) on Nov. 18, 2013, and Western Illinois (49-36) on Feb. 14, 2013.
Steady Freshman: Freshman point guard Khy Kabellis has a 31-to-9 assist-to-turnover ratio through his first 13 collegiate games.
Long Arm of the Law: Junior forward Dexter Werner posted six blocks for the second time in his career against Montana State on Dec. 16, matching the feat he first achieved against Minnesota-Crookston on Nov. 25 last season. He came up one block shy of Jason Wenschlag's single-game NDSU record of seven, set in 1991.
Rare Feat: Only two players in the country under 6-foot-7 have recorded six or more blocks in a game this season – NDSU's Dexter Werner and Norfolk State's Jordan Butler, who are both listed at 6-6.
Against the Big Sky: NDSU went a perfect 4-0 against Big Sky Conference opponents this season with wins over Montana (73-53), North Dakota (69-67), Montana State (73-64), and Idaho State (67-62).
First Career Starts: Freshman point guard Khy Kabellis (Escondido, Calif./Escondido HS) made his first career start vs. Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Dec. 22. Freshman forward Dylan Miller (Panama, Ill./Hillsboro HS) made his first career start at North Dakota on Dec. 11.
Putting Up Points: Sophomore guard Paul Miller ranks third in The Summit League and 111th in all of Division I with 17.2 points per game this season. With 224 total points through 13 contests this season, Miller has already surpassed his total scoring output (214 points) as a freshman.
Never Give Up: In six of their nine victories this season, the Bison have overcome deficits of at least nine points.
Nov. 13 at UC Davis Trailed by 9 with 2:00 left in 2nd half W, 79-71 (OT)
Nov. 25 vs. Montana Trailed by 12 with 9:00 left in 1st half W, 73-53
Nov. 28 vs. North Carolina A&T Trailed by 15 with 10:00 left in 1st half W, 77-56
Dec. 4 at Arkansas State Trailed by 13 with 11:00 left in 2nd half W, 74-73
Dec. 11 at North Dakota Trailed by 15 with 18:00 left in 2nd half W, 69-67
Dec. 21 vs. Idaho State Trailed by 10 with 3:00 left in 1st half W, 67-62
Players Mentioned
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