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North Dakota State vs. Oral Roberts | Jan. 9 | 7 p.m.
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Radio - 740 The Fan (Jack Michaels, play-by-play)

Bison Women Return to Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse to Face Oral Roberts Saturday Night
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team will look to snap a three-game losing streak when it returns to the friendly confines of the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse to face the Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles in a Summit League game on Saturday night, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m.
 
Series History:
        Saturday's contest against ORU will be the 15th meeting in the all-time series ... Oral Roberts leads the series, 9-5 ... NDSU went 1-2 against ORU last season, winning in Fargo at Scheels Arena before falling to the Golden Eagles on the road and in The Summit League tournament first round.
 
Analyzing Oral Roberts
        The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles enter Saturday at 5-10 overall and 2-1 in Summit League competition after defeating South Dakota at home in Tulsa, Okla., on Jan. 6, 60-56 ... ORU has won its last two games ... Kaylan Mayberry (10.7 points per game) and Bria Pitts (10.6 points per game) lead the Golden Eagles offensively, while Faith Ihim paces ORU on the glass with 6.6 rebounds per game ... Through 15 games, Oral Roberts is averaging just 58.5 points per game while surrendering 64.5 points per game to its opponents ... ORU is being outrebounded, 43.8 to 34.9 ... The Golden Eagles are under the direction of fourth season head coach Misti Cussen.
 
Catching Up with the Bison
            The Bison enter Saturday at 5-11 overall and 0-3 in Summit League action after falling at Denver on Thursday, 64-53 ... NDSU has dropped its last three games ... Through 16 games, Marena Whittle (18.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game) and Taylor Thunstedt (16.6 points and 3.1 assists per game) lead North Dakota State ... Whittle leads The Summit League in rebounds per game and ranks second in points and steals per game, while Thunstedt ranks second in three-point field-goal percentage (.436) ... As a team, the Bison are averaging 64.1 points per game but allowing 70.6 points per game ... Through 16 contests, NDSU is outrebounding its adversaries, 37.7 to 34.4 ... The Bison have turned the ball over an average of 17.6 times per game, compared to 13.1 miscues for their opponents. 
 
Last Time Out: Bison Women Fall at Denver Thursday, 64-53
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball team fell at Denver, 64-53, in front of 247 spectators on Thursday evening, Jan. 7, inside Magness Arena.
        Marena Whittle led the Bison (5-11, 0-3 Summit League) in scoring with 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the field, while junior Brianna Jones paced North Dakota State on the boards with a game-high nine rebounds.
        North Dakota State shot 39 percent from the field, 29 percent from three-point range and 60 percent from the free-throw line for the game.
        The Bison outrebounded the Pioneers (3-13, 1-2 Summit League) in the contest, 32-27, but committed 19 turnovers and were outscored in the paint, 24-18.
        Paige Bradley scored a game-high 31 points on 12-for-19 shooting, including a 4-of-6 effort from beyond the arc, to lead Denver.
        Denver shot 50 percent from the field for the game, making 26 of 52 attempts.
 
Last Time Out Against ORU: NDSU Women Fall to Oral Roberts in Summit League Tournament Quarterfinals
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team fell to the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, 71-58, in the quarterfinals of The Summit League Women's Basketball Championship on Sunday, March 8, 2015, at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls.
        Senior Brooke LeMar led all scorers in the contest, netting 29 points on 11-for-25 shooting. LeMar surpassed 1,000 points at North Dakota State in the game after she converted a layup with 14:58 to go in the first-half. The Canyon Country, Calif., native finishes her two-year Bison career with 1,018 points.
        Junior Marena Whittle paced the Bison in rebounding with a team-high 12 boards, while senior Liz Keena added 11 rebounds.
        The Bison struggled shooting the basketball in the contest, going just 23-for-66 from the field for 35 percent and 4-of-12 from three-point range for 33 percent.
        Oral Roberts was led by redshirt-senior center Vicky McIntyre, who scored 18 points and pulled down a game-high 19 rebounds for her 24th double-double of the season.
        The Golden Eagles shot 41 percent from the field, making 25 of 61 shots. ORU outrebounded the Bison, 51-38, and outscored NDSU in the paint, 36-22.
 
From Downtown!
        The Bison rank 14th out of 344 teams in three-point field-goal percentage at 37.7 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 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 national statistics in rebounding through 16 games with 10.5 board 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 103-of-249 for 41.4 percent. Through 16 games this season, the Spicer, Minn., native leads the Bison and ranks second in The Summit League from beyond the arc at 43.6 percent. In the latest NCAA national statistics, Thunstedt ranks second in three-point field goals made with 48 treys and 37th in three-point field goal percentage at 43.6 percent.
 
Thunstedt Making the Pass
        Taylor Thunstedt leads the Bison through 16 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 16 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) 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 eight of NDSU's 15 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 (87 percent) ranks third and Taylor Thunstedt (71 percent) ranks eighth in The Summit League in free-throw percentage through 16 contests.   
 
Summit Scoring Slump
        Through three Summit League games, the Bison are being outscored, 74.0 to 56.0. NDSU is shooting just 35 percent from the field, compared to 47 percent for its adversaries.
 
Turnover Woes
        North Dakota State has struggled taking care of the basketball this season. The Bison are averaging 17.6 turnovers per game and have surrendered an average of 18.6 points off turnovers. In Summit League play, the Bison have committed an average of 14.3 miscues per game while forcing their opponents into just 9.7 per game.
 
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. 8)
Team:
Points - 7th (64.1/game), Rebounds - 6th (37.7/game), Assists - 5th (11.9/game), Steals - 9th (6.6/game), Blocks - 7th (2.4/game), Field-Goal Percentage - 4th (.410), Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage - 2nd (.377), Free-Throw Percentage - 7th (.667), Turnovers - 8th (17.6/game)
 
Individual:
Marena Whittle - Points: 2nd (18.3/game), Free-Throw Percentage: 3rd (.867), Rebounds: 1st (10.5/game), Turnovers: 2nd (4.1/game), Steals: 2nd (2.4/game); Taylor Thunstedt - Points: 5th (16.6/game), Assists: 6th (3.1/game), Turnovers: 4th (3.8/game), Free-Throw Percentage: 8th (.712); Brianna Jones - Rebounds: 2nd (8.6/game), Turnovers: 8th (2.8/game); Emily Spier - Blocks: T-10th (0.8/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.