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Complete NDSU Basketball Game Notes
Feb. 25 at South Dakota State:  Watch (ESPN3)  |  Listen  |  Live Stats
Feb. 27 at Denver:  Watch (TV on ROOT Sports)  |  Listen  |  Live Stats
 
The Games: The North Dakota State men's basketball team (18-10 overall, 8-6 Summit League) will play at South Dakota State (21-7, 10-4) on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. and at Denver (14-14, 6-9) on Saturday, Feb. 27, at 5 p.m. (CT).
 
Where to Watch: Thursday's contest at South Dakota State will be televised on Midco Sports Network, as well as being available on ESPN3 and WatchESPN. Saturday's game at Denver will be broadcast on ROOT Sports.
 
Radio: KFGO-AM 790 of Fargo will broadcast both games with Jeremy Jorgenson calling the play-by-play. Coverage includes 20-minute pregame and postgame shows. Free audio streaming will be available at GoBison.com/allaccess.
 
About South Dakota State: The Jackrabbits are 21-7 overall and 10-4 in league play entering this week. SDSU is 10-0 at home this season and has won 27 straight home games dating back to an 85-77 North Dakota State victory at Frost Arena on Jan. 25, 2014.
                SDSU was the preseason favorite to win The Summit League this year, picked one spot ahead of NDSU.
                Senior guard George Marshall leads SDSU in scoring this season with 16.2 points per game, and senior guard Deondre Parks is scoring 15.4 points per game. As a team, the Jackrabbits rank 40th in the nation in free throws made, averaging nearly 17 per game.
 
The Series with South Dakota State: Thursday will be the 215th meeting between North Dakota State and South Dakota State dating back to 1909-10.  NDSU leads the series 115-99 and has won 11 of the last 16 meetings overall.
                The Bison have won six of the last nine games in Brookings since 2007, with the only losses coming in 2012, 2013 and 2015.
 
Last Time vs. South Dakota State: NDSU limited South Dakota State to 29-percent shooting on the way to a 68-57 victory over the Jackrabbits on Jan. 16 at Scheels Arena.
                Bison sophomore Paul Miller led all players with 17 points, draining four three-pointers in a game for the seventh time this season. Senior Kory Brown finished with 14 points, a career-high seven assists, and six rebounds for NDSU.
                George Marshall led SDSU with 16 points. South Dakota State made just 19-of-66 shots (29 percent) in the game, while NDSU shot 22-for-50 (44 percent).
                The Bison used a 10-0 run over a two-minute stretch of the first half to open up a 24-11 advantage. NDSU led 32-17 at halftime.
 
About Denver: The Pioneers carry a record of 14-14 overall and 6-9 in The Summit League. Denver does not play again until it hosts the Bison on Saturday.
                Freshman guard Joe Rosga leads Denver in scoring, averaging 12.3 points per contest with 88-percent shooting from the free throw line. Senior Nate Engesser is scoring 11.8 points per game off the bench for the Pioneers.
                Denver ranks sixth in the nation in free throw percentage (76.9 percent) and 32nd in the nation in field goal percentage (47.6 percent).
 
The Series with Denver: Saturday will be the 12th meeting between North Dakota State and Denver dating back to the 1993-94 season. The Bison hold a 9-2 advantage in the all-time series after winning all three games last season and posting a 75-49 victory in Fargo on Jan. 3 of this season.
 
Last Time vs. Denver: Paul Miller scored 18 points, and Carlin Dupree added 16 points off the bench to lift NDSU to a 75-49 win over Denver in the Summit League opener for the Bison on Jan. 3. It was NDSU's 31st consecutive victory at home, setting a new all-time Summit League record for the longest home win streak.
                NDSU shot a season-best 62 percent for the game, including an 8-of-12 effort from three-point range. The Bison also capitalized on a 28-14 rebounding advantage over the Pioneers. Khy Kabellis (15 points) and A.J. Jacobson (11) also scored in double figures for the Bison. Senior Kory Brown led the team with eight rebounds.
                Denver was led by 16 points from freshman Joe Rosga.
 
Defensive Effort: NDSU ranks 28th in Division I for scoring defense, allowing 64.6 points per game. The Bison are 33rd in the country in three-point field goal defense (31.1 percent).
 
Against The Summit League: NDSU is 37-12 in its last 49 games against Summit League opponents and 51-17 over the last four seasons.
 
Take Care: The Bison rank sixth nationally for fewest fouls per game (15.6) and 21st in the nation for fewest turnovers per game (10.5).
 
70 or Less: The Bison are 16-1 this season when allowing 70 points or less.
 
Before and After: The Bison have seen a disparity in shooting percentages between the first and second halves this season. NDSU is shooting 43 percent in the first half and 47 percent in the second half. Bison opponents are shooting 44 percent before halftime and 41 percent after.
 
Finish Strong: The Bison are shooting 49 percent in the final 10 minutes of games, while NDSU opponents are shooting 40 percent in that same time frame.
 
Lockdown Defense: NDSU limited South Dakota State to 28.8 percent shooting on Jan. 16, which was the lowest by a Bison opponent since holding UMKC to 26.2 percent on Jan. 31, 2013.
 
All-Around: Senior Kory Brown ranks among NDSU's all-time top 20 in career blocks (9th), steals (13th), assists (19th), rebounds (19th) & 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 six games and 37 or more minutes in six of the last eight.

NDSU honored its two seniors on Senior Day on Feb. 20 in Fargo:
 
Chris Kading
 
Has played in 124 games in his career – the 5th-most in school history
106 career blocked shots – the 4th-most in NDSU history
Single-game career highs of 15 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks
7 games with double-digit scoring
Member of the NDSU chapter of the Blue Key Honor Society
Academic All-District honoree as a junior
2-time NABC Honors Court and 2-time Summit League Academic All-League
Nominated for the Allstate Good Works Team, recognizing his campus involvement & community service
 
Kory Brown
 
Ranks among NDSU's all-time top 20 in career blocks, steals, assists, rebounds and field goal percentage
Has played in 120 career games with 118 starts
Tied with Brett Winkelman & Ben Woodside for the 3rd-most starts in NDSU history
13th in school history with 132 steals
Shooting over 51% for his career
5 career double-doubles
Single-game career highs of 23 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals
 
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: Dexter Werner ranks second in The Summit League with 12.9 rebounds per 40 minutes.
 
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 14.5 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range, and 81 percent from the free throw line.