NDSU Women’s Hoops Hosts Fort Wayne Saturday to Conclude First Half of League Play

Saturday, January 23

Fargo, N.D.

2 p.m.

North Dakota State

Fort Wayne

Photo by: Kim Hill

NDSU Women’s Hoops Hosts Fort Wayne Saturday to Conclude First Half of League Play

1/22/2016 4:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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Full Game Notes (PDF)
North Dakota State vs. Fort Wayne | Jan. 23 | 2 p.m.
Live Stats | Live Audio (Free) | Live Video (PPV)
Radio - 740 The Fan (Scott Miller, play-by-play; Jeremy Jorgenson, color commentary)

NDSU Women's Hoops Hosts Fort Wayne Saturday to Conclude First Half of League Play
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team hosts Fort Wayne on Saturday, Jan. 23, at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse to wrap-up the first half of Summit League play.

Series History:
        Saturday's contest against the Mastodons will mark the 22nd meeting in the all-time series ... The Bison lead the series, 14-7, after sweeping the regular season series with IPFW last season, winning in Fargo, 81-60, and in Fort Wayne, Ind., 72-66.

About Fort Wayne
        Fort Wayne enters Saturday at 4-15 overall and 0-6 in Summit League competition after falling at South Dakota on Jan. 21, 92-60 ... IPFW has lost 15 of its last 16 contests, including its last nine contests ... Through 19 contests, senior guard Kamilah Carter leads IPFW with 16.3 points per game ... Redshirt sophomore forward Keanna Gary paces Fort Wayne on the boards with 8.4 rebounds per game ... The Mastodons lead The Summit League in steals with 10.4 takeaways per game ... As a team, IPFW is being outscored, 69.2 to 64.8 ... Fort Wayne is under the direction of 11th season head coach Chris Paul.

Catching Up with the Bison
            The Bison come into Saturday with an overall record of 5-15 and are 0-7 in Summit League play after falling to Western Illinois on Thursday, 94-82 ... NDSU has dropped its last seven games ... Through 20 games, Marena Whittle and Taylor Thunstedt are both averaging a team-high 17.1 points per game ... Whittle leads the team and The Summit League on the boards with 10.4 rebounds per game ... Thunstedt ranks third in the league in both three-point field-goal percentage (42.8 percent) and points per game ... NDSU ranks second in The Summit League in three-point field-goal percentage at 36.6 percent ... The Bison are averaging 64.4 points per game, but surrendering 71.9 per game ... North Dakota State is outrebounding its foes, 37.5 to 35.5.

Last Time Out: Big Second Half Lifts Western Illinois Past Bison Women in Katherine Burgum Classic
        The Western Illinois University women's basketball team used a big second half to defeat North Dakota State, 94-82, in the 10th annual Katherine Burgum Classic on Thursday, Jan. 21, in front of 523 spectators inside the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.
        The Bison (5-15 overall, 0-7 Summit League) led 38-31 at halftime, but were outscored in the second half, 63-44.
        Taylor Thunstedt led NDSU in scoring with 23 points, while Emily Spier (17 points, 12 rebounds) and Marena Whittle (16 points, 14 rebounds) both tallied double-doubles. Sophomore Brooke Yaggie added 12 points, rounding out the double-figure scoring for the Bison.
        Western Illinois (11-8 overall, 4-2 Summit League) was led by Emily Clemens' game-high 27 points. The Leathernecks tallied a 22-4 advantage in points off turnovers and outscored the Bison in the paint, 38-36.
        After shooting 52 percent from the field in the first half, the Bison cooled-off in the second stanza, shooting only 38 percent in the third and fourth quarters to finish the game at 44 percent.
        North Dakota State outrebounded Western Illinois, 46-30, but committed 16 turnovers compared to just five miscues for the Leathernecks.
        The Bison increased a 38-31 halftime lead to 44-31 with 8:34 remaining in the third quarter after back-to-back layups from Whittle and Thunstedt and a pair of made free throws from Brianna Jones, but the Leathernecks fought back and tied the game, 58-58, at the end of the third quarter.
        Western Illinois opened the fourth quarter on a 12-2 run spanning five minutes to gain a lead it would not surrender.

Last Time Out Against IPFW: Second Half Comeback Lifts Bison Women to 72-66 win at Fort Wayne
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team (10-17, 6-9 Summit League) rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to defeat the Fort Wayne Mastodons (9-18, 3-11 Summit League), 72-66, on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015, inside the Gates Sports Center. The victory snapped a seven-game losing skid for the Bison and was the first win in Fort Wayne for NDSU since the 2011-12 season.
        Brooke LeMar led the Bison with a game-high 23 points and eight assists, while Holly Johnson netted 17 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Taylor Thunstedt also reached double figures for the Bison, scoring 12 points to go along with a game-high three steals.
        NDSU shot 55 percent (16-for-29) in the second half, including a 56 percent (5-of-9) performance from three-point range, and ended the game at 44 percent overall from the field, making 24-of-54 shots. The Bison went 6-for-19 (32 percent) from beyond-the-arc and 18-for-23 (78 percent) at the free-throw line and finished the game with a 42-29 advantage in rebounding.
        Fort Wayne was paced by Haley Seibert, who netted 16 points on 4-for-14 shooting.
        The Mastodons shot 32 percent from the field, going 19-for-59, and were 10-for-29 from the perimeter for 35 percent. Fort Wayne went 95 percent at the charity stripe, making 18-of-19 free-throws.

From Downtown!
        The Bison rank 20th out of 344 teams in three-point field-goal percentage at 36.6 percent in the latest NCAA Division I Women's Basketball National Rankings.

Whittle Among National Leaders in Double Doubles
        Marena Whittle ranks 20th in double doubles in the latest NCAA national statistics with nine.

Whittle Controlling the Glass
        Marena Whittle holds the career record for defensive rebounding average at NDSU with 5.5 boards per game and ranks eighth in overall career rebounding average with 7.8 per game. The Victoria, Australia, native leads the Bison and The Summit League and ranks 20th in the latest NCAA women's basketball national statistics in rebounding through 20 games with 10.4 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 114-of-277 for 41 percent. Through 20 games this season, the Spicer, Minn., native leads the Bison and ranks third in The Summit League in three-point field goal percentage at 42.9 percent. In the most recent NCAA national statistics, Thunstedt ranks fifth in three-point field goals made with 59 treys.

Sophomores Excelling in League Play
        Sophomores Taylor Thunstedt (42 percent) and Brooke Yaggie (44.7 percent) lead the Bison in field-goal percentage in Summit League play through seven league contests.

Thunstedt Making the Pass
        Taylor Thunstedt leads the Bison through 20 games with 3.2 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 20 games, Brianna Jones ranks second on the team and 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), Grand Canyon (13) and IUPUI (11).

Takeaway Leader
        Marena Whittle leads the Bison and ranks third in The Summit League with 2.3 steals per game. Whittle has tallied at least three steals in nine of NDSU's 20 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
Emily Spier - 17 points, 12 rebounds vs. Western Illinois, Jan. 21
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; 21 points, 10 rebounds vs. South Dakota, Jan. 14; 16 points, 14 rebounds vs. Western Illinois, Jan. 21

Getting to the Line
        Marena Whittle (85 percent) ranks third and Taylor Thunstedt (74 percent) ranks seventh in The Summit League in free-throw percentage through 20 contests.

Summit Scoring Slump
        Through seven Summit League games, the Bison are being outscored, 75.9 to 61.4 (-14.4 scoring margin). NDSU is shooting just 37 percent from the field, compared to 45 percent for its adversaries.

Turnover Woes
        North Dakota State has struggled taking care of the basketball this season. The Bison are averaging 17.3 turnovers per game and have surrendered an average of 17.8 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. 22)
Team:
Points - 7th (64.4/game), Rebounds - 5th (37.6/game), Assists - 6th (12.3/game), Steals - 8th (6.9/game), Blocks - 7th (2.5/game), Field-Goal Percentage - 5th (.405), Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage - 2nd (.366), Free-Throw Percentage - 5th (.683), Turnovers - 8th (17.3/game)

Individual:
Marena Whittle - Points: 2nd (17.1/game), Free-Throw Percentage: 3rd (.845), Rebounds: 1st (10.4/game), Turnovers: 3rd (3.7/game), Steals: 3rd (2.3/game), Blocks: T-10th (0.8/game); Taylor Thunstedt - Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 3rd (.428), Points: 3rd (17.1/game), Assists: 6th (3.2/game), Turnovers: 2nd (3.9/game), Free-Throw Percentage: 7th (.743); Brianna Jones - Rebounds: 2nd (8.6/game), Turnovers: 9th (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.