Bison Women Host South Dakota Wednesday

Wednesday, January 4

Fargo, N.D.

7 p.m.

North Dakota State

South Dakota

Photo by: Carrie Snyder

Bison Women Host South Dakota Wednesday

1/3/2017 11:20:00 AM | Women's Basketball

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

North Dakota State vs. South Dakota
Wednesday, Jan. 4 | 7 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. (Scheels Center)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM (Keith Brake, play-by-play; Jeremy Jorgenson, color)
TV: MidcoSN, ESPN3, WatchESPN app (Brian Shawn, play-by-play; Greg Stemen, color)
Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video

The Game
The North Dakota State University women's basketball team (3-12, 1-1 Summit League) returns home to the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex on Wednesday, January 4, to host the Summit League-leading South Dakota Coyotes (13-2, 2-0 Summit League). Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.

Series History
Wednesday's Summit League contest against the Coyotes will mark the 67th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1977. The Bison lead the series, 41-25, but have lost the last seven meetings with USD. North Dakota State's last win in the series was a 57-50 triumph at USD on Feb. 2, 2013.

Thunstedt Sets New NDSU Career Record for Three-Pointers Made, Nears 1,000 Career Points

Junior guard Taylor Thunstedt is now the North Dakota State career leader in three-point field goals made with 196 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. She went on to make three more shots from beyond-the-arc in the game.
Entering Wednesday, Thunstedt is seven points shy of 1,000 career points.

Bison Notes

The North Dakota State University Bison enter the week at 3-12 overall and 1-1 in Summit League play after winning at Denver Dec. 31, 86-80.
Through 15 contests, Taylor Thunstedt leads the team and ranks third in The Summit League in scoring with 17.3 points per game, while senior forward Brianna Jones paces the team and ranks fifth in the league with 7.5 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Sarah Jacobson leads the Bison and ranks fourth in the league in assists with 3.7 assists per game. Freshman forward Reilly Jacobson leads NDSU in field-goal percentage at 48.7 percent and is averaging 7.1 points per game.
Thunstedt leads the nation in three-point field goals made with 59 treys in 15 games. She also leads the country in three-point field goals made per game with 3.9 threes per game.
Sarah Jacobson ranks 18th in the nation in minutes played at 514 minutes (34.3 minutes per game).
As a team, the Bison are averaging 65.3 points per game while giving up 73.5 points per game. NDSU is outrebounding opponents, 39.3 to 38.5. North Dakota State ranks second in The Summit League in rebounding (39.5 rebounds per game).
The Bison rank 37th in the country in three-point field-goal percentage (36.7 percent) and rebounds (589), and 39th in three-pointers made with 104 makes from downtown.

About South Dakota

The University of South Dakota Coyotes enter the week at 13-2 overall and 2-0 in Summit League play after defeating South Dakota State Dec. 31, 65-62. The Yotes have won their last seven games and are ranked eighth in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.
Through 15 games, sophomore guard Allison Arens leads the team and The Summit League in scoring with 20.9 points per game. She also is averaging a team-best 5.7 rebounds per game. Arens is the reigning ESPNW National Player of the Week and Summit League Player of the Week.
As a team, the Coyotes are outscoring opponents, 75.7 to 65.5, and outrebounding adversaries, 36.0 to 27.7. USD leads the league in free-throw shooting at 80.7 percent and ranks second in scoring offense (75.7 points per game) and three-point field-goal percentage (37.2 percent).
South Dakota was picked to finish third in The Summit League Preseason Poll.
The Coyotes are under the leadership of first season head coach Dawn Plitzuweit.

RJ Heating Up
        Reilly Jacobson is shooting a team-best 55 percent from the floor in her last six games, making 23-of-42 shots. In her opening two Summit League contests, she is shooting 68 percent from the field and averaging 16 points per game. 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.

Jones and Spier Owning the Glass
        Brianna Jones leads NDSU and ranks fifth in The Summit League with 7.5 rebounds per game. The senior from Indianapolis has two double-doubles this season and is averaging a team-high 8.9 rebounds in her last eight games. Emily Spier is second on the team and sixth in the league in rebounding with 6.9 boards per game. Spier has a team-best three double-doubles this season.

Jacobson Duo Making an Impact
        Freshmen Sarah Jacobson and Reilly Jacobson are averaging a combined 19.8 points per game in their last eight contests. Sarah Jacobson is averaging 10.3 points per game and shooting 45 percent from the floor while Reilly Jacobson is averaging 9.5 points per game and shooting 53 percent from the field.

Field-Goal Percentage Leaders
        Reilly Jacobson leads North Dakota State in field-goal percentage through 15 games, making 38 out of 78 shots for 48.7 percent. Brianna Jones ranks second, going 47-for-110 for 42.7 percent, and Emily Spier is third, making 57-of-134 from the field for 42.6 percent.

Jacobson Making the Pass
        Sarah Jacobson leads North Dakota State and ranks fourth in The Summit League in assists with 3.7 assists per game. The freshman from Fargo dished out a season-best eight assists in NDSU's victory over Mayville State Dec. 12. Jacobson has tallied at least one assist in every game this season, including 12 games with two or more.

Crashing the Boards
        The Bison rank second in The Summit League in rebounding with 39.3 boards per game. NDSU has snagged 589 boards through 15 games. North Dakota State ranks 37th nationally in total rebounds.

Taking Advantage of Second Chances
        Through 15 games, NDSU is outscoring opponents in second-chance points, 12.3 to 10.5.

Last Time Out: NDSU Women's Basketball Turns Back Denver Saturday, 86-80
        Taylor Thunstedt led all scorers with 23 points and set a new North Dakota State career record for made three-pointers, and freshman Reilly Jacobson netted a career-high 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field to help the NDSU women's basketball team defeat Denver, 86-80, inside Magness Arena on Saturday, Dec. 31 in Denver, Colorado.
        Thunstedt netted her 193rd career three-pointer with 5:18 to go in the first quarter to pass former Bison Amanda Gehrke (1998-02) for most treys made in a career. She drained three more shots from downtown in the contest to increase her total to 196.
        Freshman Sarah Jacobson scored 13 points and pulled down a season-high nine rebounds, while fellow freshman Tyrah Spencer netted a career-high 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, rounding out the Bison in double figures.
        NDSU dominated Denver on the glass in the game, outrebounding the Pioneers, 43-28, and held Denver to 21 percent shooting from three-point range. The Pioneers entered the game leading The Summit League in three-point field-goal percentage at 38.7 percent.
        After Denver scored the opening five points of the third quarter, The Bison used a 15-4 run to gain a 57-45 advantage with 4:58 to go in the stanza.
        The Pioneers cut the Bison lead to four a trio of times in the fourth quarter, but NDSU had an answer each time to secure the victory.
        For the game, North Dakota State shot 48 percent from the field, 46 percent from three-point range and 79 percent at the free-throw line.
        NDSU outscored Denver in the paint, 30-26, and 19-10 on second chance opportunities. The Bison bench also outscored the Pioneer bench, 38-34.
        Lauren Loven scored 18 points to lead the Pioneers.

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 hosts Fort Wayne at the Scheels Center Saturday, Jan. 7, at 2 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.