Women's Basketball | 11/24/2016 4:31:00 PM

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Complete NDSU Game Notes (PDF)

Thanksgiving Day practice in California with the #BisonFam. pic.twitter.com/n0km5WBZe7

— NDSU Women's Hoops (@NDSUwbb) November 25, 2016

Cal Poly #ShareSLO Holiday Tournament
North Dakota State at Cal Poly
Friday, Nov. 25| 1 p.m. CT (11 a.m. PT) | San Luis Obispo, Calif. | Mott Athletics Center (3,032)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM (Keith Brake, play-by-play)
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

North Dakota State vs. Central Michigan
Saturday, Nov. 26 | 1 p.m. CT (11 a.m. PT) | San Luis Obispo, Calif. | Mott Athletics Center (3,032)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM (Keith Brake, play-by-play)
Live Stats | Live Audio
 

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The Games
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball team (1-3) travels to San Luis Obispo, Calif., to play a pair of games in the Cal Poly #ShareSLO Holiday Tournament Friday, Nov. 25 and Saturday, Nov. 26. The Bison face host Cal Poly (1-3) Friday before facing Central Michigan (2-2) Saturday. Both games are scheduled to tip-off at 1 p.m. CT (11 a.m. PT) at the Mott Athletics Center in San Luis Obispo.
 
Series History

• Cal Poly: Friday's contest against the Cal Poly Mustangs will mark the second meeting in the all-time series. The Bison lead the series, 1-0, after defeating the Mustangs, 86-55, in Fargo during the 1989-90 season.
• Central Michigan: The game against Central Michigan Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between the Bison and Chippewas in women's basketball.

 
Scouting Cal Poly

• The Cal Poly Mustangs enter the weekend at 1-3 overall after falling at No. 9 UCLA Nov. 20, 80-64.
• Through four games, the Mustangs are led by junior guard Lynn Leaupepe (18.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game), senior forward Hannah Gilbert (16.3 points and 10 rebounds per game) and junior guard Dynn Leaupepe (10 points per game).
• Gilbert and Dynn Leaupepe were both named to the Big West Preseason Coaches and Media All-Conference Teams.
• As a team, Cal Poly is averaging 68.2 points per game but giving up 78.2 points per game. The Mustangs are outrebounding adversaries, 44.2 to 42.8.
• The Mustangs were picked to finish seventh in the Big West Coaches' Preseason Poll and sixth in the Big West Media Preseason Poll.
• Cal Poly is under the leadership of 20th season head coach Faith Mimnaugh (Loyala Chicago, 1985).

 
Scouting Central Michigan

• The Central Michigan Chippewas enter the weekend at 2-2 overall after defeating Oakland (Mich.), 70-67, at home in double overtime on Nov. 22.
• The Chippewas received 56 votes in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Women's Basketball Poll.
• Through four contests, Central Michigan is led by junior guard Cassie Breen (19.5 points per game) and redshirt senior forward Jewel Cotton (15.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game). Sophomore forward Reyna Frost is averaging a team-best 12 rebounds per game.
• As a team, the Chippewas are averaging 63.8 points per game but allowing 79 points per game. Central Michigan is outrebounding opponents, 41.2 to 39.8.
• CMU was picked to finish first in the Mid-American Conference West Division media preseason poll.
• The Chippewas are under the direction of 10th season head coach Sue Guevara (Saginaw Valley State, 1982).

 
Bison Notes

• North Dakota State enters the weekend at 1-3 overall after falling to Colorado at home Nov. 22, 76-59.
• Through four games, junior guard Taylor Thunstedt (16 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game), senior forward Emily Spier (11 points per game, 10 rebounds per game) and freshman guard Sarah Jacobson (9.8 points per game, three assists per game) lead the Bison.
• Emily Spier leads The Summit League with 10 rebounds per game, while Taylor Thunstedt ranks fifth in scoring at 16 points per game. Sarah Jacobson is third in the league in three-point field-goal percentage at 52.6 percent.
• As a team, NDSU is averaging 62.5 points per game but surrendering 73.8 points per game. The Bison are outrebounding opponents, 39.8 to 35.8, but have committed an average of 16.5 turnovers compared to just 11.8 for their adversaries.
• NDSU has struggled scoring in the first and second quarters through four games. The Bison are being outscored, 72-46, in the opening period and 57-74 in the second period.
• The Bison were picked to finish seventh in The Summit League preseason poll.
• Taylor Thunstedt was named to the Summit League Preseason All-League Second Team.

 
Spier Controlling the Glass
        Emily Spier leads North Dakota State and The Summit League with 10 rebounds per game. The Buffalo, Minn., native pulled down a career-high 14 boards and tallied 10 points for her second double-double of the season in NDSU's game against Colorado Nov. 22.
 
Thunstedt, For Three!
        Entering Friday, Taylor Thunstedt ranks second in career three-point field-goal percentage at 38.8 percent and third in career three-point field goals made with 150. Thunstedt set a new NDSU single-season record last season with 82 made three-pointers.
 
Jacobson Making the Extra Pass
        Sarah Jacobson leads the Bison with three assists per game through four contests. The Fargo native has dished out 12 assists, including a team-high four in NDSU's season-opening win over Dickinson State. Jacobson tallied three assists each in the Bison's games at UMass and Providence. She also ranks third on the team in scoring with 9.8 points per game.
 
Field-Goal Percentage Leaders
        Emily Spier paces NDSU in field-goal percentage through four games at 48.8 percent. She has made 20 shots in 41 attempts. Sarah Jacobson is second on the team, going 13-of-33 for 39.4 percent, and Taylor Thunstedt is third, making 20 of 61 shots for 32.8 percent.
 
Last Time Out: Bison Women Drop Contest to Colorado Tuesday
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball team fell to the University of Colorado, 76-59, on Tuesday, Nov. 22, in front of 683 spectators inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
        Junior Taylor Thunstedt led the Bison (1-3) with 19 points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field. She also went 9-of-10 at the free-throw line, matching her career-high for foul shots made in a game.
        Senior Emily Spier posted a double-double with 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, while freshman Reilly Jacobson netted a season-best 10 points and pulled down eight boards.
        NDSU shot just 31 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range in the game but went 25-of-36 at the free-throw line for 69 percent.
        The Bison also outrebounded Colorado, 44-34, but were outscored in the paint, 46-6, and committed 23 turnovers which led the 27 Buffalo points.
 
Bison Women Ink Four High School Standouts on National Signing Day
        North Dakota State women's basketball head coach Maren Walseth announced Wednesday, Nov. 9, that high school seniors Danneka Voegeli (C, 6-2, Winona, Minn.), Macey Kvilvang (F, 6-4, Cando, N.D.), Emily Dietz (F, 6-3, West Fargo, N.D.) and Michelle Gaislerova (G, 5-11, Trutnov, Czech Republic) have signed National Letters of Intent to continue their education and play women's basketball for the Bison starting in the fall of 2017.
 
NDSU Women's Basketball Picked Seventh in Summit League Preseason Poll
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team was picked to finish seventh in The Summit League Preseason Poll. NDSU tallied 156 points in the poll. Defending Summit League tournament champion South Dakota State was tabbed the preseason favorite with 542 points and 30 first-place votes, while IUPUI was picked second with 438 points. South Dakota, the WNIT champion last season, rounded out the top-three in third with 393 points and three first-place votes. Oral Roberts collected the final first-place vote and was voted fourth with 391 points. Omaha, Western Illinois, NDSU, Denver and Fort Wayne rounded out the poll.
 
Minimum of 13 NDSU Women's Basketball Games to be Televised in 2016-17
        A minimum of 13 North Dakota State University women's basketball games will be televised during the upcoming 2016-17 season as a result of a new broadcast agreement with Midco Sports Network.
        MidcoSN will televise 12 of NDSU's 14 home games in high definition inside the new Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex starting with the exhibition contest against Bemidji State Nov. 3. With the exception of the exhibition game, all televised home contests will also air nationally on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
        MidcoSN will also broadcast North Dakota State's Summit League road game at South Dakota State Feb. 2.
        NDSU's non-conference game at Milwaukee Dec. 3 will air on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
        In addition to its game coverage, MidcoSN will produce and air The Bison Basketball Show during the upcoming season. The weekly, half-hour show will air Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. and will provide an inside look into the NDSU basketball teams with interviews, feature stories, and highlights of home and away contests.
 
On the Horizon
        The Bison return home to the Scheels Center to host Western Michigan on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on MidcoSN, ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
 
Head Coach Maren Walseth
        Maren Walseth is in her third season as the head women's basketball coach at North Dakota State University.
     NDSU finished the 2015-16 season with an overall record 7-22 and was 2-14 in Summit League play. Senior Marena Whittle was named to the All-Summit League first team, while sophomore Taylor Thunstedt was tabbed honorable mention all-league.
     Walseth graduated from the NCAA Women Coaches Academy in 2015. The academy is an educational training open to coaches of all experience levels that offers non-sport-specific program management strategies.
     In her inaugural season at NDSU in 2014-15, 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 helped coach the Bison to several milestone victories during the 2014-15 season. The first occurred on Jan. 2, when NDSU claimed a 77-64 triumph over Oral Roberts at Scheels Arena, marking the first win for the Bison over the Golden Eagles since the 2009-10 season. The win also snapped a five-game losing skid to ORU. Just two days later on Jan. 4, the Bison stunned the then defending Summit League regular season champion South Dakota State Jackrabbits, defeating SDSU in front of 1,782 spectators at Scheels Arena, 83-78. The victory was the first over the Jacks since 2010-11 and the first at home since 2004-05.
     North Dakota State also captured the Florida Atlantic Thanksgiving Tournament title with wins over Northeastern (Mass.) and NJIT Nov. 28-29 in Boca Raton, Fla.
     Under Walseth's leadership, three student-athletes were named All-Summit League, the most since NDSU joined the league in 2007.
     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.
     At Penn State, Walseth was primarily responsible for coaching the post players while also playing a significant role in recruiting and opponent scouting efforts. She was the lead academic liaison for the Lady Lions and coached 32 Academic All-Big Ten recipients.
     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.