NDSU Women's Basketball on Twitter
Full Game Notes (PDF)
North Dakota State at South Dakota State | Feb. 6 | 4:30 p.m.
Frost Arena | Brookings, S.D.
Live Stats | Live Audio (Free) | Live Video (Free)
Radio - 740 The Fan (Jack Michaels, play-by-play)
TV - MidcoSN/ESPN3 (Tom Nieman, play-by-play; Brad Newitt, color; Carla Metts, sideline reporter)

NDSU Women's Hoops Travels to South Dakota State Saturday
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball team will conclude a three-game road trip with a Summit League contest at league rival South Dakota State on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 4:30 p.m.
 
Series History
        Saturday's game in Brookings will mark the 83rd meeting in the all-time series ... South Dakota State leads the series, 43-39, after defeating the Bison in Fargo at Scheels Arena earlier this season, 81-63.
 
About South Dakota State
        The Jackrabbits enter Saturday with an overall record of 18-4 and a Summit League mark of 8-1 after winning at Omaha on Thursday, 65-47 ... The Jacks are ranked eighth in the latest CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll ... SDSU has won nine of its last 10 games, including the last four contests ... Macy Miller (15.8 points per game) and Kerri Young (10.8 points per game) lead South Dakota State in scoring through 22 games, while Ellie Thompson paces the Jacks on the glass with 6.6 rebounds per game ... SDSU ranks second in The Summit League in scoring defense, limiting opponents to just 59.3 points per game, and second in rebounds per game, pulling down 40 boards per game ... The Jackrabbits are outscoring opponents, 68.8 to 59.3 (+9.5) and outrebounding adversaries, 40 to 35.9 (+4.1) ... SDSU is under the direction of 16th season head coach Aaron Johnston.
 
Catching Up with the Bison
            The Bison carry an overall record of 6-17 and a Summit League mark of 1-9 into Saturday's showdown at Frost Arena after falling at Oral Roberts on Thursday, 59-58 ... Through 23 games, Marena Whittle leads the Bison and ranks second in The Summit League in scoring with 17.5 points per game  ... Whittle leads the team and The Summit League on the boards with 10.5 rebounds per game ... Taylor Thunstedt is also averaging in double figures for NDSU with 16.6 points per game ... Thunstedt ranks fourth in the league in points per game and fifth in three-point field-goal percentage (39.9 percent)... NDSU ranks second in The Summit League in three-point field-goal percentage at 35.6 percent ... The Bison are averaging 65 points per game, but surrendering 72.3 per game ... North Dakota State is outrebounding its foes, 36.9 to 35.4.
 
Last Time Out: NDSU Comeback Falls Just Short at Oral Roberts Thursday, 59-58
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball team fell just short of completing a fourth quarter comeback at Oral Roberts, falling to the Golden Eagles, 59-58, in front of 676 spectators at the Mabee Center on Thursday, Feb. 4.
        Trailing ORU 57-53 late in the fourth quarter, freshman Kennedy Childers drained a three pointer, and sophomore Taylor Thunstedt converted a layup to give the Bison (6-17, 1-9 Summit League) their first lead of the game, 58-57, with 21 seconds to go. The advantage was short-lived, though, as ORU's Faith Ihim made a layup with 15 seconds remaining to put the Golden Eagles (10-12, 7-3 Summit League) back in front, 59-58.
        Thunstedt tallied 14 points to lead the North Dakota State scoring in the contest, while Childers netted 12 on 4-for-5 shooting from the field, and Marena Whittle scored 11. Whittle paced the Bison in rebounding with nine boards.
        NDSU shot 41 percent from the field, but just 29 percent from three-point range for the game, and went 14-of-17 at the free-throw line for 82 percent.
        Jordan Doyle led Oral Roberts with 12 points, while Ihim pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.
        ORU shot 39 percent from the field and only 30 percent from beyond the arc in the contest, but posted a 37-35 edge in rebounding and 32-22 advantage in points scored in the paint.
 
Last Time Out Against SDSU: Thunstedt Nets Career-High, but Bison Women Fall to South Dakota State, 81-63
        Sophomore guard Taylor Thunstedt scored a career-high 28 points, but it wasn't enough, as the North Dakota State University women's basketball team fell to Summit League rival and Mid-Major No. 4-ranked South Dakota State, 81-63, on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 3, at Scheels Arena.
        Marena Whittle also scored in double figures for the Bison (5-10 overall, 0-2 Summit League), posting her fifth consecutive double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds to go along with a team-high three steals.
        North Dakota State shot 37 percent from the field for the game, including a 7-of-14 performance from beyond the arc, but were outrebounded, 41-34.
        Sophomore Macy Miller led South Dakota State (12-3 overall, 2-0 Summit League) with a game-high 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the floor, while Ellie Thompson posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 boards.
        After the Jackrabbits jumped out to a 20-9 lead with 3:24 to go in the first quarter, the Bison put together an 11-0 run, tying the game at 20 after Thunstedt made a pair of free throws with 1:21 to go in the stanza. South Dakota State regained a one-point edge with a made free-throw 16 seconds later.
        SDSU staved off a series of small North Dakota State runs in the second quarter to take a 39-35 advantage into halftime.
        The Bison knotted the contest, 43-43, with 6:33 to go in the third quarter after Whittle drilled a jumper, but the Jacks answered with a 5-0 run to regain the lead at 48-43 with 4:25 to go in the quarter.
        A jumper from Emily Spier and layup from Whittle pulled North Dakota State within one with 7:02 to go in the fourth quarter, but that was as close as the Bison could get the remainder of the contest, as South Dakota State went on a 19-2 run over the final seven minutes to secure the victory.
 
From Downtown!
        The Bison rank 26th out of 344 teams in three-point field-goal percentage at 35.6 percent in the latest NCAA Division I Women's Basketball National Rankings. 
 
Whittle Among National Leaders in Double Doubles
        Marena Whittle ranks 30th in double doubles in the latest NCAA national statistics with 10.
 
Whittle Controlling the Glass
        Marena Whittle holds the career record for defensive rebounding average at NDSU with 5.6 boards per game and ranks seventh in overall career rebounding average with 7.9 per game. The Victoria, Australia, native leads the Bison and The Summit League and ranks 22nd in the latest NCAA women's basketball national statistics in rebounding through 23 games with 10.5 boards 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 120-of-302 for 39.7 percent. Through 23 games this season, the Spicer, Minn., native leads the Bison and ranks fifth in The Summit League in three-point field-goal percentage at 39.9 percent. In the most recent NCAA national statistics, Thunstedt ranks 10th in three-point field goals made with 65 treys.
 
Sophomores Excelling in League Play
        Sophomores Taylor Thunstedt (40.4 percent) and Brooke Yaggie (44.4 percent) lead the Bison in field-goal percentage in Summit League play through 10 league contests.
 
Thunstedt Making the Pass
        Taylor Thunstedt leads the Bison through 23 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 23 games, Brianna Jones ranks second on the team and third in The Summit League with 8.1 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), Grand Canyon (13) and IUPUI (11).
 
Takeaway Leader
        Marena Whittle leads the Bison and ranks fourth in The Summit League with 2.1 steals per game. Whittle tallied a career-high tying six takeaways against Prairie View A&M on Dec. 19 in the Wichita State Shocker Winter Classic.
 
Summit League Player of the Week

• Marena Whittle - Dec. 20, Jan. 25

 
Double-Double Performances

• Brianna Jones - 12 rebounds, 10 points at San Diego State, Nov. 27; 14 rebounds, 10 points vs. Delaware, Nov. 29
• Emily Spier - 17 points, 12 rebounds vs. Western Illinois, Jan. 21
• 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; 21 points, 10 rebounds vs. South Dakota, Jan. 14; 16 points, 14 rebounds vs. Western Illinois, Jan. 21; 33 points, 18 rebounds vs. IPFW, Jan. 23

 
Getting to the Line
        Marena Whittle (83.7 percent) ranks third, Brooke Yaggie (78.1 percent) ranks fifth and Taylor Thunstedt (75.3 percent) ranks eighth in The Summit League in free-throw percentage through 23 contests.     
 
Clutch at the Foul Line
        Brooke Yaggie is shooting 84.6 percent from the free-throw line in the last five minutes of games this season, going 22-of-26.
 
Turnover Woes
        North Dakota State has struggled taking care of the basketball this season. The Bison are averaging a Summit League-high 17.6 turnovers per game and have surrendered an average of 18.1 points off turnovers.
 
Summit League Road Scoring Struggles
        In five Summit League road contests, the Bison are being outscored, 69.4 to 52.2 (-17.2). NDSU is shooting just 36.4 percent from the field and 25.8 percent from three-point range while allowing its adversaries to shoot 46.1 percent from the floor and 40.3 percent from beyond the arc.

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.
 
NDSU in The Summit League Statistics (as of Feb. 5)
Team:
Points - 6th (65.0/game), Rebounds - 5th (36.9/game), Assists - 5th (12.2/game), Steals - 8th (6.5/game), Blocks - 6th (2.7/game), Field-Goal Percentage - 4th (.411), Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage - 2nd (.356), Free-Throw Percentage - 3rd (.711), Turnovers - 9th (17.6/game)
 
Individual:
Marena Whittle - Points: 2nd (17.5/game), Free-Throw Percentage: 3rd (.837), Rebounds: 1st (10.5/game), Turnovers: 2nd (3.8/game), Steals: 4th (2.1/game), Blocks: T-7th (1.0/game); Taylor Thunstedt - Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 5th (.399), Points: 4th (16.6/game), Assists: 6th (3.1/game), Turnovers: 3rd (3.7/game), Free-Throw Percentage: 8th (.753); Brianna Jones - Rebounds: 3rd (8.1/game), Turnovers: T-10th (2.6/game); Brooke Yaggie - Free-Throw Percentage: 5th (.781); Emily Spier - Blocks: 10th (0.7/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.
 
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.