NDSU Women's Basketball Welcomes Fort Wayne to Scheels Center Saturday

Saturday, January 7

Fargo, N.D.

2 p.m.

North Dakota State

Fort Wayne

Photo by: Carrie Snyder

NDSU Women's Basketball Welcomes Fort Wayne to Scheels Center Saturday

1/6/2017 2:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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North Dakota State vs. Fort Wayne
Saturday, Jan. 7 | 2 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. (Scheels Center)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM (Keith Brake, play-by-play; Jeremy Jorgenson, color)
TV: None
Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video

The Game
The North Dakota State University women's basketball team (4-12, 2-1 Summit League) concludes a two-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 2 p.m. inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex with a Summit League contest against the Fort Wayne Mastodons (3-13, 0-3 Summit League).

Series History
Saturday's Summit League showdown against the Mastodons will be the 24th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1996. NDSU leads the series, 15-8. Last season, the Bison defeated Fort Wayne at home, 94-85, before falling to the Mastodons in Fort Wayne, Ind., 85-69.

Bison Notes

The North Dakota State University Bison enter Saturday at 4-12 overall and 2-1 in Summit League play after upsetting Mid-Major No. 5-ranked South Dakota on Wednesday, 83-73.
The 2-1 start to league play is the best start for the Bison since 2014-15, when they won their first three league games.
Through 16 contests, junior guard Taylor Thunstedt leads the team and ranks third in The Summit League in scoring with 17.4 points per game, while senior forward Brianna Jones paces the team and ranks second in the league with 7.9 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Sarah Jacobson leads the Bison and ranks fourth in the league in assists with 3.7 assists per game, and is averaging 10.1 points 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 61 treys in 16 games.
Sarah Jacobson ranks 12th in the nation in minutes played at 554 minutes (34.6 minutes per game).
As a team, the Bison are averaging 66.4 points per game while giving up 73.5 points per game. NDSU is outrebounding opponents, 39.8 to 38.7. NDSU's 39.8 rebounds per game ranks second in The Summit League.
The Bison rank 26th in the country in three-point field-goal percentage (37.5 percent), 27th in three-point field goals made (116), and 33rd in rebounds (636).

About Fort Wayne

The Fort Wayne Mastodons enter Saturday at 3-13 overall and 0-3 in Summit League action after falling at South Dakota State Thursday, 73-51.
Through 16 games, Fort Wayne is led by sophomore guard De'Jour Young, who is averaging 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
As a team, the Mastodons are averaging 56.1 points per game and surrendering 69.1 points per game. Fort Wayne is being outrebounded, 34.1 to 31.5.
The Mastodons were picked to finish ninth in The Summit League Preseason Poll.
Fort Wayne is under the leadership of first season head coach Niecee Nelson.

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

Junior guard Taylor Thunstedt is now the North Dakota State career leader in three-point field goals made with 198 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 Wednesday against South Dakota. Entering Saturday, Thunstedt has 1,012 career points.

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 the two Summit League games she has played in, 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 second in The Summit League with 7.9 rebounds per game. The senior from Indianapolis has two double-doubles this season and is averaging a team-high 9.3 rebounds per game in league play. 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.

Ogden and Jones Owning the Offensive Boards in League Action
        Freshman Autumn Ogden and senior Brianna Jones are each averaging 2.3 offensive rebounds per game through NDSU's three Summit League contests. Ogden pulled down three offensive boards in the Bison's win at Denver before corralling a team-high four offensive rebounds in NDSU's victory over South Dakota. Jones snagged three offensive boards against South Dakota State and South Dakota, and one at Denver.

Jacobson Duo Making an Impact to Start League Play
        Freshmen Sarah Jacobson and Reilly Jacobson are averaging a combined 31 points per game in North Dakota State's three Summit League games. Sarah Jacobson is averaging 15 points per game and shooting 43 percent from the floor in three games while Reilly Jacobson is averaging 16 points per game and shooting 68 percent from the field in two games.

Field-Goal Percentage Leaders
        Reilly Jacobson leads North Dakota State in field-goal percentage through 16 games, making 38 out of 78 shots for 48.7 percent. Emily Spier ranks second, going 57-for-134 for 42.5 percent, and Brianna Jones is third, making 50-of-120 from the field for 41.7 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 13 games with two or more.

Crashing the Boards
        The Bison rank second in The Summit League in rebounding with 39.8 boards per game. NDSU has snagged 636 boards through 16 games. North Dakota State ranks 33rd nationally in total rebounds.

Taking Advantage of Second Chances
        Through 16 games, NDSU is outscoring opponents in second-chance points, 12.4 to 10.4.

Success Off the Bench
        North Dakota State has a 19.8 to 16.4 advantage in bench scoring after 16 contests. In Summit League play, the Bison bench is outscoring opposing benches, 28.3 to 17.7.

Last Time Out: Fourth Quarter Surge Helps Bison Women Upset South Dakota Wednesday, 83-73
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball team shot a blistering 62 percent from the field in the fourth quarter to claim an 83-73 upset victory over Mid-Major No. 5-ranked South Dakota on Wednesday, Jan. 4, inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex in Fargo.
        The win improved NDSU to 4-12 on the season and 2-1 in Summit League play, while South Dakota had its seven-game winning streak snapped and fell to 13-3 overall and 2-1 in league action.
        Junior Taylor Thunstedt led the Bison with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and became the 33rd NDSU women's basketball player to score at least 1,000 career points after she converted a layup in the second quarter.
        Freshman Sarah Jacobson added a career-high 18 points to go along with four assists, while sophomore Kennedy Childers netted 14 points and went 4-of-6 from three-point range.
        Senior Brianna Jones controlled the glass, pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds.
        North Dakota State used a 15-5 run midway through the fourth quarter to turn a five-point lead into a 15-point advantage, 74-59, with four minutes to go in the stanza.
        Freshman Anna Goodhope drained two three-pointers, Childers knocked down a three and scored a layup, and Thunstedt drove to the basket and converted a pair of layups in the Bison run.
        Goodhope scored nine points, all in the fourth quarter, and went 3-of-5 from the floor and 2-of-3 from beyond-the-arc.
        NDSU shot 44 percent from the field and made 12 three-pointers in the game. The Bison outrebounded USD, 47-41, and outscored the Coyotes in the paint, 30-26.
        North Dakota State held South Dakota to just 37 percent shooting from the field and only 27 percent shooting from three-point range.
        Allison Arens scored a game-high 28 points on 9-for-17 shooting to pace the Yotes.

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
        The Bison travel to Western Illinois on Saturday, Jan. 14, for a Summit League game. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. in Macomb, Ill.

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.