NDSU Women's Basketball Travels to Indianapolis to Take On IUPUI

Saturday, January 21

Indianapolis, Ind.

6 p.m.

North Dakota State

IUPUI

Photo by: Carrie Snyder

NDSU Women's Basketball Travels to Indianapolis to Take On IUPUI

1/20/2017 7:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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North Dakota State at IUPUI
Saturday, Jan. 21 | 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) | Indianapolis, Ind. (The Jungle)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM (Keith Brake, play-by-play)
Live Stats | Live Audio

The Game
The North Dakota State University women's basketball team (5-14 overall, 3-3 Summit League) travels to Indianapolis to take on the IUPUI Jaguars (13-6, 3-3 Summit League) inside The Jungle Saturday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT).

Series History
NDSU's contest at IUPUI Saturday will mark the 21st meeting in the all-time series. IUPUI leads the series, 11-9. Last season, the Jaguars defeated the Bison in Indianapolis, 67-44, and in Fargo, 64-63. North Dakota State's last win in the series was a 68-63 victory over the Jags at home during the 2014-15 season. NDSU hasn't won in Indianapolis since the 2010-11 season.

Bison Notes

North Dakota State is 5-14 overall and 3-3 in Summit League play entering the weekend after falling at home to Omaha Wednesday, 80-60. The Bison have dropped their last two games.
Through 19 contests, junior guard Taylor Thunstedt leads the team and ranks fourth in The Summit League in scoring with 16.8 points per game, while senior forward Brianna Jones paces the team and ranks third in the league with 7.9 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Sarah Jacobson leads the Bison and is fifth in the league in assists with 3.8 assists per game, and is averaging 10.1 points per game. Freshman guard/forward Anna Goodhope leads the Bison in field-goal percentage at 60 percent (24-of-40).
Thunstedt ranks fourth in the nation in three-point field goals made with 67 treys in 19 games.
As a team, the Bison are averaging 66.9 points per game while giving up 74.8 points per game. NDSU is outrebounding opponents, 40.4 to 38.0. NDSU's 40.4 rebounds per game leads The Summit League.
In Summit League play only, NDSU is outrebounding adversaries, 43.3 to 35.5.
The Bison rank 43rd in the country in three-point field-goal percentage (35.8 percent), 34th in total rebounds (768) and 50th in three-point field goals made (133).

About IUPUI

The IUPUI Jaguars enter Saturday at 13-6 overall and 3-3 in Summit League action after defeating Oral Roberts in Indianapolis Thursday, 53-41. The Jags are receiving votes in the latest CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.
Through 19 games, the Jaguars are paced by junior guard Danielle Lawrence (15.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game) and senior center Mikale Rogers (13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game). Rogers ranks second in The Summit League with 2.2 blocks per game.
As a team, IUPUI is averaging 67.2 points per game while holding opponents to a Summit League-low 57.8 points per game. The Jags are outrebounding their adversaries, 34.5 to 33.1.
IUPUI was picked to finish second in The Summit League preseason poll.
The Jaguars are under the direction of seventh season head coach Austin Parkinson (Purdue, 2004).

Goodhope's Summit League Surge
        Anna Goodhope is shooting 67 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point range through six Summit League contests. The freshman from Sioux Falls has made 16-of-24 shots from the floor and 9-of-15 baskets from beyond-the-arc.

Jacobson Making the Pass
        Sarah Jacobson leads North Dakota State and is fifth in The Summit League in assists with 3.8 assists per game. The freshman from Fargo matched her career-high with eight assists in NDSU's game at Western Illinois Jan. 14. Jacobson has tallied at least one assist in every game this season, including 16 games with two or more.

RJ Heating Up
        Reilly Jacobson is shooting 63 percent from the field in the three Summit League games she has played in. Jacobson, a native of Waukee, Iowa, netted a season-best 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting in NDSU's victory at Denver Dec. 31. Jacobson returned to the floor in NDSU's game against Omaha Wednesday after missing three games due to injury.

Jones Crashing the Glass
        Brianna Jones leads NDSU and ranks third in The Summit League with 7.9 rebounds per game. The senior from Indianapolis has three double-doubles this season and is averaging a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game in league play.

Jones and Ogden Owning the Offensive Boards in League Action
        Through six league games, Brianna Jones and freshman forward Autumn Ogden are averaging 2.3 and 2.2 offensive rebounds per game. Jones has pulled down 14 offensive boards, while Ogden has snagged 13 offensive boards.

Jacobson Duo Making an Impact League Play
        Sarah Jacobson and Reilly Jacobson are averaging a combined 23.8 points per game in North Dakota State's six Summit League games. Sarah Jacobson is averaging 12.5 points per game and shooting 38 percent from the floor in six contests while Reilly Jacobson is averaging 11.3 points per game and shooting 63 percent from the field in three games.

Field-Goal Percentage Leaders
        Anna Goodhope leads North Dakota State in field-goal percentage through 19 games, making 24-of-40 attempts for 60 percent. Reilly Jacobson is second, making 38 out of 80 shots for 47.5 percent, while freshman forward Rylee Nudell is third, going 32-of-71 for 45.1 percent.

Thunstedt Sets New NDSU Career Record for Threes Made, Becomes 33rd Bison to Score At Least 1,000 Points

Junior guard Taylor Thunstedt is the North Dakota State career leader in three-point field goals made with 202 threes. The Spicer, Minn., native surpassed former Bison Amanda Gehrke's record of 192 treys after making a three with 5:18 to go in the first quarter at Denver Dec. 31.
Thunstedt became the 33rd NDSU women's basketball player to net at least 1,000 career points when she scored a layup in the second quarter against South Dakota Jan. 4. Entering Saturday, Thunstedt has 1,053 career points.

Taking Advantage of Second Chances
        Through 19 games, NDSU is outscoring opponents in second-chance points, 229-199. The Bison are averaging 12.1 second chance points per game, while limiting adversaries to 10.5 per game.

Success Off the Bench
        North Dakota State has a 398-311 bench scoring advantage through 19 games. NDSU is averaging 20.9 bench points per game while its opponents are averaging 16.4 per game. In Summit League play, the Bison bench is averaging 27.8 points per game while opposing benches are averaging just 17 per game.

Last Time Out: Omaha Defeats NDSU Women's Basketball
        The Omaha Mavericks defeated the North Dakota State University women's basketball team, 80-60, on Wednesday, Jan. 18, in front of 727 spectators inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
        With the loss, the Bison fall to 5-14 overall and 3-3 in Summit League action, while Omaha improves to 9-10 on the season and 2-4 in league play.
        Freshman Anna Goodhope scored a career-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-4 performance from three-point range, to lead NDSU. Senior Brianna Jones paced the Bison on the glass with eight rebounds.
        North Dakota State shot just 37 percent from the floor and 21 percent from three-point range in the contest.
        NDSU outrebounded Omaha, 38-36, but the Mavs tallied a 26-18 advantage in points in the paint.
        Michaela Dapprich netted a game-best 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting to pace Omaha.
        The Mavs shot 47 percent from the floor and 38 percent from three-point range.

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 NDSU's Summit League road game at South Dakota State Feb. 2.
        The Bison'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 travels to Vermillion, S.D., to take on the South Dakota Coyotes on Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.

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.