NDSU Women’s Basketball Welcomes South Dakota to Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse Thursday

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Full Game Notes (PDF)
North Dakota State vs. South Dakota | Jan. 14 | 7 p.m.
Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video
Radio - 790 KFGO (Jack Michaels, play-by-play; Jeremy Jorgenson, color)

NDSU Women's Basketball Welcomes South Dakota to Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse Thursday
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball team will look to end a four-game losing streak when it welcomes the South Dakota Coyotes to the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse on Thursday, Jan. 14, for a 7 p.m. Summit League game.

Series History:
        When the Bison and Coyotes meet at the BBF on Thursday, it will mark the 65th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1977 ... NDSU leads the series, 41-23, but has lost the last five meetings with USD ... Last season, NDSU dropped both contests to South Dakota, losing at home and on the road.

Analyzing South Dakota
        South Dakota enters Thursday's contest at 11-5 overall and 2-1 in Summit League competition after defeating Omaha at home in Vermillion, S.D., on Jan. 9, 82-76 ... The Yotes are ranked 19th in the latest CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll ... Through 16 games, Summit League Preseason Player of the Year Nicole Seekamp leads the Coyotes with 15.1 points per game ... Seekamp has dished out a team and league-high 6.3 assists per game to go along with a team and league-best 3.3 steals per game ... Tia Hemiller (12 points per game) and Caitlin Duffy (11.4 points per game) are also averaging in double figures for the Yotes ... Hemiller leads South Dakota on the boards with 6.3 rebounds per game ... USD leads The Summit League in points per game (79.0), rebounds per game (41.8), assists per game (17.8), field-goal percentage (44.4 percent) and three-point field-goal percentage (37.9 percent) ... The Coyotes are holding their opponents to 68.4 points and 32.6 rebounds per game ... South Dakota is under the direction of fourth season head coach Amy Williams.

Catching Up with the Bison
            The Bison enter Thursday with an overall record of 5-12 and are 0-4 in Summit League play after falling to Oral Roberts at home on Jan. 9, 52-42 ... NDSU has dropped its last four games ... Through 17 games, Marena Whittle leads the Bison in scoring with 17.8 points per game ... Whittle leads the team and The Summit League on the boards with 10.6 rebounds per game ... Taylor Thunstedt is also averaging in double figures for NDSU with 16.1 points per game ... NDSU ranks second in The Summit League in three-point field-goal percentage at 36.9 percent ... The Bison are averaging 62.8 points per game, but surrendering 69.5 per game ... North Dakota State is outrebounding its foes, 37.5 to 35.2 .

Last Time Out: Oral Roberts Defeats NDSU Women's Hoops Saturday Night, 52-42
        On Saturday, Jan. 9, inside the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse, the North Dakota State University women's basketball team fell to Oral Roberts, 52-42, in front of 220 spectators.
        Marena Whittle and Brooke Yaggie scored nine points each to lead the Bison (5-12 overall, 0-4 Summit League). Whittle also paced NDSU on the boards with 12 rebounds.
        The Bison shot just 29 percent from the field and 23 percent from three-point range in the game and were outrebounded by Oral Roberts (6-10, 3-1 Summit League), 48-34.
        North Dakota State trimmed a 36-26 deficit to one after Whittle converted a layup to cap a 9-0 run with 3:45 to go in the third quarter, but that was as close as the Bison could get the remainder of the game.
        Redshirt senior Blair Bryce led the Golden Eagles with double-double, tallying a career-high 16 points and pulling down a career-best 14 rebounds.

Last Time Out Against USD: Second Half Comeback Not Enough as Bison fall to South Dakota in Katherine Burgum Classic, 83-79
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team (9-14, 5-6 Summit League) outscored the Summit League-leading South Dakota Coyotes (19-5, 9-2 Summit League), 50-38, in the second half, but fell short of claiming victory, falling to USD on Sunday, Feb. 8, in the Katherine Burgum Classic, 83-79, at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.
        Brooke LeMar led three Bison in double figures with 27 points on 9-for-17 shooting.
        Liz Keena tallied a career-high 22 points on a career-best 9-for-11 shooting. Keena, who was named the Katherine Burgum Classic MVP for the Bison, also established a new career-high for steals with a game-high five takeaways and led the Bison in rebounding, snagging seven boards.
        Taylor Thunstedt rounded out the Bison in double figures, tallying 13 points, respectively.
        North Dakota State shot 46 percent from the field for the game, going 28-for-61, but were just 5-for-18 from three-point range for 28 percent and 18-for-23 at the free-throw line for 78 percent.
        The Bison outrebounded South Dakota in the game, 35-34.
        South Dakota was paced by Nicole Seekamp, who was selected as the Katherine Burgum Classic MVP for the Coyotes, with 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting to go along with a game-high five assists.
        The Coyotes shot 49 percent from the field in the contest, going 29-for-59, and were 6-for-16 from beyond-the-arc for 38 percent. USD went 19-for-28 from the foul line for 68 percent.

From Downtown!
        The Bison rank 22nd out of 344 teams in three-point field-goal percentage at 36.9 percent in the latest NCAA Division I Women's Basketball National Rankings.

Whittle Among National Leaders in Double Doubles
        Marena Whittle ranks 28th in double doubles in the latest NCAA national statistics with seven.

Whittle Controlling the Glass
        Marena Whittle holds the career record for defensive rebounding average at NDSU with 5.4 boards per game and ranks eighth in overall career rebounding average with 7.7 per game. The Victoria, Australia, native leads the Bison and The Summit League and ranks 19th in the latest NCAA women's basketball national statistics in rebounding through 17 games with 10.6 boards per game.

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 105-of-256 for 41 percent. Through 17 games this season, the Spicer, Minn., native leads the Bison and ranks third in The Summit League in three-point field goal percentage at 42.7 percent. In the most recent NCAA national statistics, Thunstedt ranks third in three-point field goals made with 50 treys.

Thunstedt Making the Pass
        Taylor Thunstedt leads the Bison through 17 games with 3.1 assists per game. The sophomore guard dished out a career-best seven assists in NDSU's season opener against New Mexico State on Nov. 13.

Jones Crashing the Boards
        Through 17 games, Brianna Jones ranks second on the team and third in The Summit League with 8.6 rebounds per game. 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).

Takeaway Leader
        Marena Whittle leads the Bison and ranks second in The Summit League with 2.4 steals per game. Whittle has tallied at least three steals in nine of NDSU's 17 contests this season, including a career-high tying six takeaways against Prairie View A&M on Dec. 19 in the Wichita State Shocker Winter Classic.

Whittle Nets 1,000th Career Point
        Marena Whittle scored her 1,000th career point in the Bison's win over Prairie View A&M on Dec. 19 in the Shocker Winter Classic. Whittle became the 32nd member of the NDSU women's basketball 1,000 point club after she converted a layup with 4:53 to go in the third quarter.

Summit League Player of the Week

Marena Whittle - Dec. 20

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; 24 points, 13 rebounds at NJIT, Dec. 22; 20 points, 17 rebounds vs. Cal State Fullerton, Dec. 28; 19 points, 15 rebounds at Omaha, Dec. 30; 14 points, 12 rebounds vs. South Dakota State, Jan. 3

Getting to the Line
        Marena Whittle (84 percent) ranks third and Taylor Thunstedt (71 percent) ranks eighth in The Summit League in free-throw percentage through 17 contests.

Summit Scoring Slump
        Through four Summit League games, the Bison are being outscored, 68.5 to 52.5. NDSU is shooting just 33 percent from the field, compared to 44 percent for its adversaries.

Turnover Woes
        North Dakota State has struggled taking care of the basketball this season. The Bison are averaging 17.2 turnovers per game and have surrendered an average of 17.7 points off turnovers.

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 Jan. 13)
Team:
Points - 7th (62.8/game), Rebounds - 6th (37.5/game), Assists - 6th (11.9/game), Steals - 9th (6.6/game), Blocks - 7th (2.5/game), Field-Goal Percentage - 6th (.402), Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage - 2nd (.369), Free-Throw Percentage - 6th (.665), Turnovers - 8th (17.2/game)

Individual:
Marena Whittle - Points: 2nd (17.8/game), Free-Throw Percentage: 3rd (.844), Rebounds: 1st (10.6/game), Turnovers: 2nd (3.9/game), Steals: 2nd (2.4/game); Taylor Thunstedt - Points: 5th (16.1/game), Assists: 6th (3.1/game), Turnovers: 4th (3.7/game), Free-Throw Percentage: 8th (.712), Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 3rd (.427); Brianna Jones - Rebounds: 3rd (8.6/game), Turnovers: 10th (2.7/game)

Bison Women Sixth in Summit League Preseason Poll
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball team was picked to finish sixth in The Summit League preseason poll.
        The Bison tallied 250 points in the poll.
        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

Brianna Jones

Liz Keena

Brooke LeMar

Taylor Thunstedt

Marena Whittle

Brooke Yaggie