No. 6 Seed Bison Face No. 3 Seed Oral Roberts in Summit League Tournament Quarterfinals

Game 29: vs. No. 3 Oral Roberts (15-14)
Summit League Women's Basketball Championship Quarterfinals
Sunday, March 8 | 2:30 p.m.
Denny Sanford PREMIER Center | Sioux Falls, S.D.
Live Stats | Free Live Audio | Live Video | Summit League Women's Basketball Championship Website
Radio: 790 KFGO AM (Scott Miller, play-by-play; Jeremy Jorgenson, color commentary) | 2:10 p.m. airtime
TV: ESPN3, MidcoSN, ESPN Full Court (Tom Niemann, play-by-play; Brad Newitt, analyst)

NDSU Notes (PDF) | ORU Notes (PDF) | Summit League Tournament Women's Basketball Notes (PDF)

NDSU WBB on Twitter | #SummitWBB | #March2TheSummit

No. 6 Seed Bison Face No. 3 Seed Oral Roberts in Summit League Tournament Quarterfinals Sunday
        The No. 6 seed North Dakota State women's basketball team (11-17) will take on the No. 3 seed Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles (15-14) in the Summit League Women's Basketball Championship quarterfinals Sunday, March 8, at 2:30 p.m. inside the new Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The Series Against Oral Roberts
        Sunday's Summit League tournament quarterfinal against the Golden Eagles will be the 14th meeting in the all-time series and first meeting in Summit League tournament play. Oral Roberts leads the series, 8-5, after defeating the Bison on Feb. 11 in Tulsa, Okla., 67-41. NDSU defeated ORU in the first meeting this season in Fargo, 77-64.

About the Golden Eagles
        Oral Roberts completed the 2014-15 regular season with an overall record of 15-14 and a finished tied for third with Western Illinois and IUPUI in Summit League play with a record of 9-7. The Golden Eagles were awarded the No. 3 seed in the league tournament by virtue of their 3-1 record against WIU and IUPUI during the regular season.
        Entering Sunday's game against the Bison, ORU is paced by All-Summit first team selection and league Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year Vicky McIntyre, who averages 15.4 points and 15.5 rebounds per game. McIntyre leads the nation in rebounds per game and ranks second in blocked shots per game (4.5). She has 23 double-doubles this season.
        As a team, Oral Roberts averages 63.9 points per game.

NDSU in The Summit League Tournament
        The Bison are 1-6 in Summit League tournament competition. NDSU has lost its last six contests in Sioux Falls. The lone North Dakota State win in the league tournament occurred in 2008-09 when the Bison defeated Western Illinois in the quarterfinals, 46-43.

Catching Up With The Bison
        The Bison completed the 2014-15 regular season with an overall record of 11-17 and finished in sixth-place in The Summit League with a league tally of 7-9.
        Through 28 contests, All-Summit League first team honoree Brooke LeMar leads the Bison and ranks second in The Summit League in scoring (19.1 points per game) and assists (4.5 assists per game). All-Summit League honorable mention selection Holly Johnson is second on the team in scoring with 12.5 points per game. Marena Whittle leads the Bison on the glass with 7.2 rebounds per game.
        As a team, NDSU is averaging 68.6 points per game, but allowing 73.1 per game to its opponents.

LeMar, Johnson and Thunstedt Named to All-Summit League Women's Basketball Teams
        Three North Dakota State University women's basketball players received All-Summit League honors, the league announced on Thursday, March 5, at the annual Summit League tournament tip-off press conference inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls.
        Senior point guard Brooke LeMar was named to the All-Summit League first team, marking the second straight year she has garnered all-league honors, while junior forward Holly Johnson was named honorable mention all-league for the first All-Summit League recognition of her career, and freshman guard Taylor Thunstedt received all-newcomer accolades.
        LeMar leads the Bison and ranks second in the league in scoring with 19.1 points per game, as well as averaging 4.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals. The Canyon Country, Calif., native has scored in double figures 27 times this season, including 14 contests of 20 or more points. She tallied a career-high 33 points for the second time in her NDSU career against North Dakota on Dec. 6, and netted 30 in NDSU's win over South Dakota State on Jan. 4. LeMar ranks second in career scoring average at NDSU with 17.1 points per game and career assists average with 4.9 assists per game.
        Johnson ranks second on the team in scoring and rebounding with 12.5 points and 7.1 boards per game. She has scored in double figures 20 times, including the last five consecutive games, and pulled down double-digit rebounds in six contests this season. The Minot, N.D., native is tied for the team lead in double-doubles with four.
        Thunstedt is averaging 8.6 points and 1.9 assists per game. She leads the Bison in three-point field-goal percentage, making 53 of 134 attempts for 40 percent, and ranks second in overall field-goal percentage, going 79-for-181 for 44 percent.

Notable Recent Career Milestones

Taylor Thunstedt poured in a career-high 19 points and made a career-best five three-pointers in NDSU's win over Denver Feb. 26.
Liz Keena pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds and netted 15 points in NDSU's contest at IUPUI Feb. 19 to record her second double-double of the season.
Marena Whittle snagged a career-best 20 rebounds in NDSU's game against Omaha on Saturday, Feb. 14. The 20 boards was just three rebounds shy of tying the NDSU single-game rebounding record (23) set by Linda Johnson vs. Augsburg in 1981.
Liz Keena scored a career-high 22 points and went a career-best 9-for-11 from the field in the game against South Dakota Sunday, Feb. 8. The Hastings, Minn., native also established a new career-high for steals with five takeaways in the game.
Holly Johnson matched her career-high for rebounds with 14 boards against Western Illinois Friday, Feb. 6.

LeMar Nearing NDSU Career Milestone
        Brooke LeMar netted her 1,000th career point at South Dakota on Thursday, Jan. 15. She is only 11 points away from reaching 1,000 points in her NDSU career. LeMar has scored 989 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 1,229 points heading into Sunday's contest. She is the 31st student-athlete in NDSU history to join the 1,000 Point Club.

Ascending the Record Books
        Brooke LeMar has jumped to second place on the NDSU career-scoring average chart with a career-average of 17.1 points per game. LeMar already owns the NDSU career-minutes record with 36.4 minutes per game and ranks second in assists average (4.9/game) and seventh in free-throw percentage (.797, 235-295).

Breaking the 30-point Threshold
        Brooke 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 14 games in 2014-15.

A Force in the Paint
        Liz Keena is shooting 52 percent from the field and averaging 11.3 points and nine rebounds in her past seven games. The senior from Hastings, Minn., has tallied double figure points in five of her last seven contests and has two double-doubles during that span (Western Illinois, Feb. 6; at IUPUI Feb. 19). Keena netted a career-high 22 points against South Dakota Feb. 8 before snagging a career-high 15 rebounds at IUPUI Feb. 19.

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 19 of 28 contests this season.
Inside Presence
        Emily Spier leads the Bison in field-goal percentage through 28 contests, making 55 of 124 attempts for 44 percent.

Hitting the Offensive Boards
        Holly Johnson and Liz Keena have combined for 122 offensive rebounds through 28 games. Keena leads the Bison and is third in The Summit League in offensive rebounds with 2.6 per game while Johnson is second on the team with 1.8 per game.

From Downtown!
        Taylor Thunstedt leads the Bison from beyond-the-arc through 28 contests, going 53-of-134 for 40 percent. Kahla Becken is second, making 29 of 81 attempts for 36 percent.

Securing the Perimeter
        The Bison are holding opponents to just 31 percent (143-468) shooting from three-point range through 28 games. NDSU is averaging 6.1 made treys per game compared to just 5.1 for its opponents.

Creating Offense from Defense
        In their 28 games, the Bison have scored 443 points off turnovers, an average of 15.8 points per game.

Getting to the Basket
        The Bison have scored 185 points off fast break baskets through 28 games, compared to just 122 points from their adversaries. NDSU is averaging 6.6 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 March 4)
Relevant Team Statistics:
Free-Throw Percentage - 42nd out of 343 (.733) ... Scoring Offense: 94th out of 343 (68.6) ... Assist-to-Turnover Ratio - 92nd out of 343 (0.91)

Relevant Individual Statistics:
Points Per Game - Brooke LeMar (41st out of 250, 19.1/game) ... Assists Per Game - Brooke LeMar (70th out of 250, 4.5/game) ... Free-Throw Percentage - Brooke LeMar (71st out of 250, .818)

NDSU in The Summit League Statistics (As of March 5)
Relevant Team Statistics (All Games):
Points - 5th (68.6/game) ... Rebounds - 5th (38.3/game) ... Assists - 4th (13.9/game) ... Free-Throw Pct. - 3rd (.733) ... Steals - 3rd (7.5/game ... Turnovers - 5th (15.3/game) ... Blocks - 5th (3.3/game) ... Field-Goal Pct. - 7th (.398) ... Three-Point Field-Goal Pct. - 8th (.327)

Relevant Individual Statistics (All Games):
Brooke LeMar - Points: 2nd (19.1/game), Assists: 2nd (4.5/game), FT Pct.: 4th (.818), Steals: 8th (1.5/game) ... Marena Whittle - Steals: T-4th (1.8/game), Defensive Rebounds: 4th (5.6/game), Rebounds: 4th (7.2/game), Blocks: T-4th (1.0/game) ... Holly Johnson - Rebounds: 5th (7.1/game), Defensive Rebounds: 6th (5.3/game) ... Liz Keena - Offensive Rebounds: 3rd (2.6/game)

Last Time Out: NDSU Women's Basketball Defeats Denver on Senior Night Thursday, 87-68
        Five Bison scored in double figures to help the North Dakota State women's basketball team (11-17, 7-9 Summit League) post an 87-68 victory over the Denver Pioneers (8-21, 5-10 Summit League) before 648 spectators on Senior Night Thursday, Feb. 26, at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.
        NDSU senior Brooke LeMar led all scorers in her final game played under the lights of the BBF, tallying 20 points on 6-for-17 shooting, marking the 14th time the Canyon Country, Calif., native has scored at least 20 points in a game this season. Freshman Taylor Thunstedt added a career-high 19 points on 5-for-7 shooting from three-point range, and junior Holly Johnson tallied 18 points. Fellow junior Marena Whittle chipped in 10, while senior Liz Keena rounded out the Bison in double figures, scoring 10 points and snagging a game-high nine rebounds.
        North Dakota State shot 45 percent from the field in the game, making 29-of-64 shots, and 5-for-15 from three-point range for 33 percent. The Bison went an impressive 92 percent from the free-throw line, making 24 out of 26 attempts.
        NDSU was outrebounded by Denver, 46-39 but netted 17 points off 16 Pioneer turnovers.
        Morgan Van Riper-Rose paced four Pioneers in double digits with 16 points on 6-for-14 shooting. Jordyn Alt led Denver on the boards, snagging eight rebounds.
        The Pioneers shot 38 percent for the game, going 29-for-76, and were 4-for-12 from the perimeter for 33 percent.

Last Time Out Against Oral Roberts: Slow Start Dooms NDSU Women in 67-41 Loss at Oral Roberts
        A slow start doomed the North Dakota State women's basketball team (9-15, 5-7 Summit League) in a 67-41 loss at Oral Roberts (13-12, 7-5 Summit League) on Wednesday, Feb. 11, inside the Mabee Center.
        The Bison fell behind 15-2 with 11:27 remaining in the first half and could never get closer than 10 the remainder of the game.
        NDSU scored a season-low 16 points in the opening stanza and shot only 26 percent from the field, making just seven of 27 attempts, compared to the Golden Eagles, who tallied 38 points and went 50 percent from the floor, making 15-of-30 shots.
        Holly Johnson paced three Bison in double figures with 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting, while Liz Keena and Brooke LeMar each posted 10 points. Keena paced North Dakota State on the boards, pulling down eight rebounds.
        Dorottya Balla tallied a game-high 18 points to lead Oral Roberts, while Vicky McIntyre posted a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 18 rebounds.
        The Bison shot only 32 percent from the field in the game, going 15-for-47, and made just one three-pointer in six attempts for 17 percent.
        Oral Roberts went 23-for-55 from the floor for 42 percent and 5-for-10 from beyond-the-arc for 50 percent.
        The Golden Eagles outrebounded the Bison, 39-28, and scored 26 points off 19 NDSU turnovers.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Kahla Becken

Holly Johnson

Liz Keena

Brooke LeMar

Emily Spier

Taylor Thunstedt

Marena Whittle