Bison Women Trek to Denver for New Year's Eve Summit League Game Saturday

Saturday, December 31

Denver, Colo.

2 p.m.

North Dakota State

Denver

Photo by: Carrie Snyder

Bison Women Trek to Denver for New Year's Eve Summit League Game Saturday

12/29/2016 5:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball

NDSU Women's Hoops on Twitter
Complete NDSU Game Notes (PDF)

North Dakota State at Denver
Saturday, Dec. 31 | 1 p.m. MT (2 p.m. CT) | Denver, Colo. (Magness Arena)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM (Keith Brake, play-by-play)
TV: Altitude (Todd Romero, play-by-play; Greg Lackey, color)
Live Stats | Live Audio | Altitude Info

The Game
The North Dakota State University women's basketball team (2-12, 0-1 Summit League) travels to Denver, Colo., to take on the Denver Pioneers (3-11, 0-1 Summit League) in a Summit League game on Saturday, Dec. 31, at 1 p.m. MT (2 p.m. CT).

Series History
Saturday's game at Denver will be the 13th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1987. The Bison lead the series, 7-5, but have dropped the last two meetings against the Pioneers. Last season, NDSU lost at Denver, 64-53, and in Fargo, 55-45.

About Denver

The University of Denver Pioneers enter Saturday at 3-11 overall and 0-1 in Summit League action after falling at South Dakota Wednesday, 70-64.
Through 14 contests, senior guard Jacqlyn Poss (12.5 points per game), sophomore guard Samantha Romanowski (12 points per game) and freshman guard Lauren Loven (11.1 points per game) lead Denver in scoring, while senior forward Jesse Spittel paces the Pioneers on the boards with 5.5 rebounds per game.
As a team, Denver is averaging 63.9 points per game but allowing 69.1 points per game. The Pioneers are being outrebounded, 37.6 to 33.9. Denver leads The Summit League in three-point field-goal percentage at 38.7 percent.
Denver was picked to finish eighth in The Summit League preseason poll.
The Pioneers are under the leadership of fifth season head coach Kerry Cremeans.

Thunstedt Approaching Several Milestones

NDSU junior guard Taylor Thunstedt leads the nation in three-point field goals made with 55 treys and three-point field goals per game with 3.9 shots from beyond-the-arc per contest through 14 games.
The Spicer, Minn., native is tied with former Bison Amanda Gehrke (1998-2002) for most three-pointers made in a career with 192 treys, and ranks second in career three-point field-goal percentage at 39.9 percent.
Entering Saturday's contest at Denver, Thunstedt has scored 970 career points.
In her last seven games, Thunstedt is shooting 46 percent from long range (31-of-67).

Bison Notes

North Dakota State enters Saturday at 2-12 overall and 0-1 in Summit League play after losing at home to South Dakota State Wednesday, 69-66.
Taylor Thunstedt (16.9 points per game), freshman guard Sarah Jacobson (9.4 points and 3.8 assists per game) and senior forward Emily Spier (9.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game) lead the Bison through 14 games.
Thunstedt ranks third in The Summit League in scoring, while Jones is third in rebounding and Jacobson is third in assists.
As a team, NDSU is averaging 63.9 points per game but allowing 73.1 points per game. The Bison are being outrebounded, 39.3 to 39.0.
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.

Jones and Spier Owning the Glass
        Brianna Jones leads NDSU and ranks third in The Summit League with 7.6 rebounds per game. The senior from Indianapolis has two double-doubles this season and is averaging a team-high 9.4 rebounds in her last seven games. Emily Spier is second on the team and sixth in the league in rebounding with 7.2 boards per game. Spier has a team-best three double-doubles this season.

Freshman Duo Making an Impact
        Freshmen Sarah Jacobson and Reilly Jacobson are averaging a combined 17.9 points per game in their last seven contests. Sarah Jacobson is averaging 9.9 points per game and shooting 46 percent from the floor while Reilly Jacobson is averaging eight points per game and shooting 48 percent from the field.

Jacobson Making the Pass
        Sarah Jacobson leads North Dakota State and ranks third in The Summit League in assists with 3.8 assists per game. The freshman from Fargo dished out a season-best eight assists in NDSU's victory over Mayville State Dec. 12.

Field-Goal Percentage Leaders
        Reilly Jacobson leads North Dakota State in field-goal percentage through 14 games, making 29 out of 66 shots for 43.9 percent. Brianna Jones ranks second. going 45-for-105 for 42.9 percent, and Emily Spier is third, making 55-of-129 from the field for 42.6 percent.

Crashing the Boards
        The Bison rank third in The Summit League in rebounding with 39 boards per game. NDSU has snagged 546 boards through 14 games.

Last Time Out: South Dakota State Edges NDSU Women's Basketball, 69-66
        In a game that featured 13 lead changes and nine ties, the North Dakota State University women's basketball team fell just short of claiming victory, falling to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, 69-66, on Wednesday, Dec. 28, in front of 1,107 spectators inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. The contest was The Summit League opener for both teams.
        Junior Taylor Thunstedt scored 21 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists to lead NDSU. Thunstedt also tied the NDSU career record for three-pointers made (192) with three threes in the contest. Former Bison Amanda Gehrke (1998-2002) currently shares the record with Thunstedt.
        Freshman Sarah Jacobson matched her season-high with 14 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor, and fellow freshman Reilly Jacobson compiled a season-high 12 points and shot 60 percent from the field.
        Senior Brianna Jones had 10 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds, rounding out the Bison in double figures.
        The Bison led 66-65 after Reilly Jacobson converted a layup off a Thunstedt pass with 47 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. SDSU responded, though, and took a 67-66 lead after Kerri Young netted a layup with 32 seconds remaining.
        NDSU's final two field goals in the remaining seconds were off target, securing the win for SDSU.
        North Dakota State shot 43 percent from the field and 67 percent at the free-throw line. The Bison outscored SDSU in the paint, 38-26, but were outrebounded, 41-38.
        Madison Guebert scored a game-high 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field to lead the Jacks.

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.
        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
        North Dakota State begins a two-game Summit League homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 4, against South Dakota. Tip-off at the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex is slated for 7 p.m.

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.