Thursday, January 21
Fort Wayne, Ind.
6 p.m.
North Dakota State Athletics
at
Fort Wayne
Photo by: Richard Svaleson
NDSU Basketball Starts Three-Game Road Swing at IPFW, Western Illinois
1/19/2016 11:48:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NDSU Basketball on Twitter
Complete NDSU Basketball Game Notes
Jan. 21 at Fort Wayne: Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Jan. 23 at Western Illinois: Watch (ESPN3) | Listen | Live Stats
The Games: The North Dakota State men's basketball team (13-6 overall, 3-2 Summit League) will go on the road for two league games this week, taking on Fort Wayne (15-5, 4-1) on Thursday, Jan. 21, and Western Illinois (7-9, 0-5) on Saturday, Jan. 23.
Jan. 21 at Fort Wayne 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT
Jan. 23 at Western Illinois 2 p.m. CT
Where to Watch: NDSU's game at Fort Wayne will only be available as a live video stream at GoMastodons.com ($5.95). The Western Illinois game will be available on ESPN3 and WatchESPN.
Radio: KFGO-AM 790 of Fargo will broadcast both games with Jack Michaels calling the play-by-play. Coverage includes 20-minute pregame and postgame shows. Free audio streaming will be available at GoBison.com/allaccess.
About Fort Wayne: The Mastodons are 15-5 overall and 4-1 in The Summit League entering the week, with a perfect 7-0 mark at home this season. Senior guard Max Landis is shooting 49 percent from three-point range and leads the team with 17.4 points per game. Redshirt freshman guard John Konchar is averaging 12.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest.
As a team, IPFW ranks ninth in the nation with 10.4 three-pointers made per game and 10th in the country with 41-percent shooting from beyond the arc.
The Mastodons were picked fourth in the Summit League preseason poll.
The Series with Fort Wayne: NDSU holds an 11-10 edge in the all-time series with IPFW. The Bison have won six of the last nine meetings with the Mastodons overall.
The two schools split their games last season, with the home team winning both times. IPFW won 77-71 in Fort Wayne on Jan. 24, and NDSU responded with a 66-62 victory on Senior Day in Fargo on Feb. 21.
About Western Illinois: The Leathernecks are 7-9 overall and 0-5 in The Summit League entering the week, with a road game at South Dakota on Wednesday night before hosting the Bison on Saturday. Junior Garret Covington leads WIU with 17.4 points per game, and senior guard J.C. Fuller is averaging 14.6 points per contest. Junior guard Jabari Sandifer ranks second in the league with 5.4 assists per game.
As a team, the Leathernecks rank 16th in the nation in three-point percentage (40.3 percent) and 28th nationally in free throw percentage (74.5 percent).
WIU was picked last in the Summit League preseason poll before winning 69-67 at Wisconsin in the season opener on Nov. 13.
The Series with Western Illinois: Saturday will be the 19th meeting between North Dakota State and Western Illinois dating back to 2007-08. NDSU holds an 11-7 lead in the all-time series after winning both games last season. The Bison have won five straight over the Leathernecks.
Against The Summit League: NDSU is 32-8 in its last 40 games against Summit League opponents and 46-13 over the last three-plus seasons.
At the Stripe: In league play, the Bison are shooting 79 percent (66-for-84) from the free throw line.
Brown Steps Up: In two wins over South Dakota and South Dakota State last week, senior Kory Brown averaged 17.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He shot 61 percent from the field and 86 percent from the free throw line. Brown set new career highs in points (21) and rebounds (15) against South Dakota, then matched his career-best in assists (7) against South Dakota State.
From Downtown: Sophomore guard Paul Miller has made four three-pointers in four of the last five games. Since Dec. 23, Miller is shooting 51 percent from beyond the arc.
Against IPFW: A.J. Jacobson averaged 16.5 points in two games against Fort Wayne last season. Kory Brown is averaging 8.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists against the Mastodons in seven career games.
Top Rebounders: Thursday's game against IPFW will feature the top two rebounding guards in The Summit League. IPFW's John Konchar is averaging 9.8 rebounds per game in conference play to lead the league, and NDSU's Kory Brown is grabbing 8.2 boards per game to rank second.
In Fort Wayne: The Bison have not won in Fort Wayne since Feb. 9, 2013, when NDSU scored a 58-54 victory at the Gates Sports Center. Lawrence Alexander poured in 20 points, and Marshall Bjorklund posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Lockdown Defense: NDSU limited South Dakota State to 28.8 percent shooting on Jan. 16 – the lowest by a Bison opponent since holding UMKC to 26.2 percent on Jan. 31, 2013.
Rebound Rate: Dexter Werner ranks second in The Summit League with 13.7 rebounds per 40 minutes.
Home Court: NDSU saw its 31-game home win streak come to an end on Jan. 7 at Scheels Arena, as the Omaha Mavericks posted a 91-82 victory over the Bison. NDSU's run of 31 consecutive home victories was the sixth-longest active streak in the nation. The Bison had not lost at home since a 70-69 defeat to Southern Miss on Nov. 18, 2013 – a span of 780 days.
NDSU is 46-3 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season.
Brown and Braun: Kory Brown and Taylor Braun are the only Bison since 2008 with 20 or more points and 15 or more rebounds in the same game. Brown scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a win over South Dakota on Jan. 13. Braun posted 31 points and 15 rebounds at Omaha on Feb. 15, 2014.
Balanced Attack: Since Dec. 4, eight different Bison have scored 15 or more points in a game.
High Rate: Freshman forward Dylan Miller is shooting 28-for-44 (64 percent) for the year. Senior Chris "Big Velvet" Kading is close behind, having made 24-of-40 shots this season for 60-percent shooting.
Before and After: The Bison have seen a disparity in shooting percentages between the first and second halves this season. NDSU is shooting 42 percent in the first half and 48 percent in the second half. Bison opponents are shooting 46 percent before halftime and 41 percent after.
Finish Strong: The Bison are shooting 48 percent in the final 10 minutes of games, while NDSU opponents are shooting 38 percent in that same time frame.
Take Care: The Bison rank 19th in the nation for fewest turnovers per game with 10.7 this season.
Never Give Up: In six of their first eight victories this season, the Bison overcame 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
Putting Up Points: Sophomore guard Paul Miller only needed 13 games this season to surpass his total scoring output (214 points) as a freshman.
Complete NDSU Basketball Game Notes
Jan. 21 at Fort Wayne: Watch | Listen | Live Stats
Jan. 23 at Western Illinois: Watch (ESPN3) | Listen | Live Stats
The Games: The North Dakota State men's basketball team (13-6 overall, 3-2 Summit League) will go on the road for two league games this week, taking on Fort Wayne (15-5, 4-1) on Thursday, Jan. 21, and Western Illinois (7-9, 0-5) on Saturday, Jan. 23.
Jan. 21 at Fort Wayne 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT
Jan. 23 at Western Illinois 2 p.m. CT
Where to Watch: NDSU's game at Fort Wayne will only be available as a live video stream at GoMastodons.com ($5.95). The Western Illinois game will be available on ESPN3 and WatchESPN.
Radio: KFGO-AM 790 of Fargo will broadcast both games with Jack Michaels calling the play-by-play. Coverage includes 20-minute pregame and postgame shows. Free audio streaming will be available at GoBison.com/allaccess.
About Fort Wayne: The Mastodons are 15-5 overall and 4-1 in The Summit League entering the week, with a perfect 7-0 mark at home this season. Senior guard Max Landis is shooting 49 percent from three-point range and leads the team with 17.4 points per game. Redshirt freshman guard John Konchar is averaging 12.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest.
As a team, IPFW ranks ninth in the nation with 10.4 three-pointers made per game and 10th in the country with 41-percent shooting from beyond the arc.
The Mastodons were picked fourth in the Summit League preseason poll.
The Series with Fort Wayne: NDSU holds an 11-10 edge in the all-time series with IPFW. The Bison have won six of the last nine meetings with the Mastodons overall.
The two schools split their games last season, with the home team winning both times. IPFW won 77-71 in Fort Wayne on Jan. 24, and NDSU responded with a 66-62 victory on Senior Day in Fargo on Feb. 21.
About Western Illinois: The Leathernecks are 7-9 overall and 0-5 in The Summit League entering the week, with a road game at South Dakota on Wednesday night before hosting the Bison on Saturday. Junior Garret Covington leads WIU with 17.4 points per game, and senior guard J.C. Fuller is averaging 14.6 points per contest. Junior guard Jabari Sandifer ranks second in the league with 5.4 assists per game.
As a team, the Leathernecks rank 16th in the nation in three-point percentage (40.3 percent) and 28th nationally in free throw percentage (74.5 percent).
WIU was picked last in the Summit League preseason poll before winning 69-67 at Wisconsin in the season opener on Nov. 13.
The Series with Western Illinois: Saturday will be the 19th meeting between North Dakota State and Western Illinois dating back to 2007-08. NDSU holds an 11-7 lead in the all-time series after winning both games last season. The Bison have won five straight over the Leathernecks.
Against The Summit League: NDSU is 32-8 in its last 40 games against Summit League opponents and 46-13 over the last three-plus seasons.
At the Stripe: In league play, the Bison are shooting 79 percent (66-for-84) from the free throw line.
Brown Steps Up: In two wins over South Dakota and South Dakota State last week, senior Kory Brown averaged 17.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He shot 61 percent from the field and 86 percent from the free throw line. Brown set new career highs in points (21) and rebounds (15) against South Dakota, then matched his career-best in assists (7) against South Dakota State.
From Downtown: Sophomore guard Paul Miller has made four three-pointers in four of the last five games. Since Dec. 23, Miller is shooting 51 percent from beyond the arc.
Against IPFW: A.J. Jacobson averaged 16.5 points in two games against Fort Wayne last season. Kory Brown is averaging 8.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists against the Mastodons in seven career games.
Top Rebounders: Thursday's game against IPFW will feature the top two rebounding guards in The Summit League. IPFW's John Konchar is averaging 9.8 rebounds per game in conference play to lead the league, and NDSU's Kory Brown is grabbing 8.2 boards per game to rank second.
In Fort Wayne: The Bison have not won in Fort Wayne since Feb. 9, 2013, when NDSU scored a 58-54 victory at the Gates Sports Center. Lawrence Alexander poured in 20 points, and Marshall Bjorklund posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Lockdown Defense: NDSU limited South Dakota State to 28.8 percent shooting on Jan. 16 – the lowest by a Bison opponent since holding UMKC to 26.2 percent on Jan. 31, 2013.
Rebound Rate: Dexter Werner ranks second in The Summit League with 13.7 rebounds per 40 minutes.
Home Court: NDSU saw its 31-game home win streak come to an end on Jan. 7 at Scheels Arena, as the Omaha Mavericks posted a 91-82 victory over the Bison. NDSU's run of 31 consecutive home victories was the sixth-longest active streak in the nation. The Bison had not lost at home since a 70-69 defeat to Southern Miss on Nov. 18, 2013 – a span of 780 days.
NDSU is 46-3 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season.
Brown and Braun: Kory Brown and Taylor Braun are the only Bison since 2008 with 20 or more points and 15 or more rebounds in the same game. Brown scored 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a win over South Dakota on Jan. 13. Braun posted 31 points and 15 rebounds at Omaha on Feb. 15, 2014.
Balanced Attack: Since Dec. 4, eight different Bison have scored 15 or more points in a game.
High Rate: Freshman forward Dylan Miller is shooting 28-for-44 (64 percent) for the year. Senior Chris "Big Velvet" Kading is close behind, having made 24-of-40 shots this season for 60-percent shooting.
Before and After: The Bison have seen a disparity in shooting percentages between the first and second halves this season. NDSU is shooting 42 percent in the first half and 48 percent in the second half. Bison opponents are shooting 46 percent before halftime and 41 percent after.
Finish Strong: The Bison are shooting 48 percent in the final 10 minutes of games, while NDSU opponents are shooting 38 percent in that same time frame.
Take Care: The Bison rank 19th in the nation for fewest turnovers per game with 10.7 this season.
Never Give Up: In six of their first eight victories this season, the Bison overcame 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
Putting Up Points: Sophomore guard Paul Miller only needed 13 games this season to surpass his total scoring output (214 points) as a freshman.
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