Bison Close Home Schedule vs. Western Illinois on Wednesday, IUPUI on Saturday

Wednesday, February 17

Fargo, N.D.

7 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

Western Illinois

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Photo by: Richard Svaleson

Bison Close Home Schedule vs. Western Illinois on Wednesday, IUPUI on Saturday

2/16/2016 6:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Complete NDSU Basketball Game Notes
Feb. 17 vs. Western Illinois: Watch | Listen  | Live Stats
Feb. 20 vs. IUPUI: Watch | Listen  | Live Stats

The Games: The North Dakota State men's basketball team (16-10 overall, 6-6 Summit League) will host the Western Illinois Leathernecks (9-14, 2-10) on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. and the IUPUI Jaguars (11-16, 7-5) on Saturday, Feb. 20, at 4 p.m.

Where to Watch: Wednesday's game vs. Western Illinois will be broadcast live on MeTV throughout North Dakota and western Minnesota. Saturday's contest vs. IUPUI will be televised statewide in high-definition on the NBC North Dakota network.. Live video streams of both games will also be available to subscribers at GoBison.com/allaccess.

Radio: KFGO-AM 790 of Fargo will broadcast both games with Jack Michaels calling the play-by-play and Jeremy Jorgenson with analysis. Coverage includes 20-minute pregame and postgame shows. Free audio streaming will be available at GoBison.com/allaccess.

About Western Illinois: The Leathernecks are 9-14 overall and 2-10 in The Summit League entering the week. Junior Garret Covington leads WIU with 17.3 points per game, and senior guard J.C. Fuller is averaging 13.0 points per contest. Junior guard Jabari Sandifer ranks second in the league with 4.9 assists per game.
                As a team, the Leathernecks rank 21st in the nation in three-point percentage (39.1 percent) but 315th in total three-pointers attempted.
                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: Wednesday will be the 20th meeting between North Dakota State and Western Illinois dating back to 2007-08. NDSU holds a 12-7 lead in the all-time series after a win in Macomb on Jan. 23. The Bison have won six straight over the Leathernecks.

Last Time vs. Western Illinois: Dexter Werner recorded his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds to help guide the Bison to a 65-52 road win over Western Illinois on Jan. 23.
                The Bison led for more than 37 of the game's 40 minutes. Guard Kory Brown led NDSU with 15 points, giving the senior four straight games with 14 or more in the scoring column. Sophomore Paul Miller added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Bison.
                NDSU committed a season-low four turnovers in the win. The Bison shot 39 percent for the game, but 48 percent in the second half.

About IUPUI: The Jaguars are 11-16 overall and 7-5 in The Summit League entering the week, with a home game against Omaha on Wednesday before the trip to Fargo. Junior guard Darell Combs leads the Jaguars with 15.1 points per game this season, and four other players are averaging between 8 and 11 points per contest. Junior forward Nick Osborne is posting 6.2 rebounds per game.
                As a team, IUPUI ranks last in The Summit League in field goal percentage (42.0 percent) and second-to-last in three-point percentage (33.4 percent).

The Series with IUPUI: NDSU leads IUPUI 9-8 in the all-time series. The Bison had won six meetings in a row between the two schools until IUPUI won on a buzzer-beating three-pointer on Jan. 31 this season. The Bison won 57-48 in Fargo on Feb. 19 last year.

Last Time vs. IUPUI: IUPUI's Jordan Pickett drained a three-pointer with one second remaining to give the Jaguars a 73-72, come-from-behind victory over NDSU on Jan. 31.
                Dexter Werner made the second of two free throw attempts to give NDSU a 72-70 lead with 11 seconds left, but Pickett's game-winning trey from the wing kept IUPUI in a tie for first place in The Summit League. Paul Miller's 70-foot heave at the buzzer hit the rim but was no good.
                It was NDSU's first loss to IUPUI in seven meetings. Miller finished with 21 points, including five three-pointers, to lead all players. Freshman Khy Kabellis scored 12 points for the Bison.
                Pickett led IUPUI with 20 points.
                NDSU led by as many as 10 points in the second half, taking a 63-53 lead on a three-pointer by Miller with 8:38 left. IUPUI scored the next 12 points to regain the lead as the Bison went scoreless for nearly five minutes.

Defensive Team: NDSU ranks 37th in Division I for scoring defense, allowing 65.2 points per game. The Bison are 36th in the country in three-point field goal defense (31.1 percent).

Against The Summit League: NDSU is 35-12 in its last 47 games against Summit League opponents and 49-17 over the last three-plus seasons.

Take Care: The Bison rank 11th nationally for fewest fouls per game (15.8) and 20th in the nation for fewest turnovers per game (10.6).

All-Around: Senior Kory Brown ranks among NDSU's all-time top 25 in career blocks (10th), steals (14th), assists (21st), rebounds (23rd) and field goal percentage (14th).

21 for Kabellis: Freshman point guard Khy Kabellis scored a season-high 21 points at Omaha on Feb. 13, making 8-of-10 shots from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

High Minutes: Kabellis has played all 40 minutes in three of the last four games.

Defensive Show: The Bison held IPFW to 46 points and 28.1-percent shooting in the 62-46 NDSU win on Feb. 6. Both marks were season lows for the Mastodons, as well as for all NDSU opponents.

Rebound Rate: Over the last 10 games, Dexter Werner is averaging 14.5 rebounds per 40 mintues. He leads The Summit League with 13.7 rebounds per 40 minutes in league play.

Back in Action: Junior Carlin Dupree returned to game action vs. IPFW on Feb. 6 after leaving the team on Jan. 12 and rejoining the team on Jan. 25. He finished with four rebounds, three assists, two points, and one steal in 14 second-half minutes. Dupree led the Bison with 14 points at South Dakota on Feb. 11.

Elevating His Game: Since Jan. 13, Kory Brown is averaging 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 57 percent from the field, 45 percent from three-point range, and 84 percent from the free throw line.

Racking Up Starts: Senior Kory Brown has made 116 career starts, ranking him fifth in NDSU history behind Lawrence Alexander (131), Marshall Bjorklund (127), Brett Winkelman (118) and Ben Woodside (118).

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 48-3 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season.

Finish Strong: The Bison are shooting 49 percent in the final 10 minutes of games, while NDSU opponents are shooting 39 percent in that same time frame.