The Games
         The North Dakota State women's basketball team is scheduled to travel to Boulder, Colo., and Milwaukee, Wis., Wednesday, Nov. 29, and Friday, Dec. 1, for a pair of non-league games against the Colorado Buffaloes and Milwaukee Panthers. 
 
Series History

•  Colorado: Wednesday's contest at Colorado will mark the third meeting in the all-times series that dates back to 1978. The Buffaloes have won both previous meetings in the series, including a 76-59 triumph last season in Fargo.
• Milwaukee: Friday's game at Milwaukee will be the seventh meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 2006. The series is tied, 3-3. Last season, Milwaukee downed NDSU in Milwaukee, 79-74.

Bison Notes

• North Dakota State enters the week at 5-1 overall after splitting a pair of games in the Navy Classic Nov. 25-26 at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. The Bison fell to host Navy, 67-54, before defeating UMBC, 67-53.
• NDSU is off to its best start since the 2004-05 season when the Bison posted an overall record of 26-1.
• Through six games, NDSU is paced by senior Taylor Thunstedt (11.2 points per game), sophomores Sarah Jacobson (10.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game) and Rylee Nudell (10.3 points and five rebounds per game), and freshman Michelle Gaislerova (10.2 points per game, 51 percent field-goal percentage).
• Sophomore Reilly Jacobson leads the Bison in rebounding (6.8 boards per game) and blocked shots (two blocks per game), while fellow sophomore Autumn Ogden is shooting a team-best 56 percent from the floor.
• As a team, NDSU ranks second in The Summit League in scoring offense with 77 points per game and scoring defense, as it is limiting opponents to just 58.2 points per game. NDSU leads the league in rebounding with 43.2 boards per game.
• NDSU leads the league in field-goal percentage defense (33 percent), three-point field-goal percentage (40 percent) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (25 percent).
• North Dakota State was picked to finish sixth in The Summit League preseason poll.

About Colorado

• The University of Colorado Buffaloes enter the week at 5-1 overall after defeating George Mason at home in Boulder Nov. 25, 76-61. The Buffs have won their last four contests and have played four of their six games at home.
• Through six contests, Colorado is led by junior guard Kennedy Leonard (16 points per game, 40 assists), freshman forward Annika Jank (13.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game) and junior guard Alexis Robinson (12.8 points per game).
• As a team, the Buffaloes are averaging 75.8 points per game while limiting their opponents to 64.3 points per game. Colorado is outrebounding its adversaries, 45 to 38.3.
• The Buffs were picked to finish 10th in both the Pac-12 coaches' and media polls.
• Colorado is under the leadership of second season head coach JR Payne.

About Milwaukee

• The Milwaukee Panthers enter the week at 3-2 on the season after defeating Western Illinois on the road Nov. 26, 77-67. The Panthers have won their last three contests.
• Through five games, Milwaukee is led by senior forward Steph Kostowicz (17.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game) and senior guard Jenny Lindner (16 points and 7.8 rebounds per game). Lindner is the reigning Horizon League Player of the Week, while Kostowicz received the same honor Nov. 13.
• As a team, the Panthers are averaging 66 points per game while limiting their opponents to 61.8 points per game. Milwaukee is outrebounding it opponents, 42.2 to 32.
• Milwaukee was picked to finish fourth out of 10 teams in the Horizon League preseason poll.
• The Panthers are under the direction of sixth season head coach Kyle Rechlicz.

Last Time Out: North Dakota State Wins Navy Classic Finale vs. UMBC, 67-53
         The North Dakota State University women's basketball team wrapped up the Navy Classic with a 67-53 victory over the UMBC Retrievers Sunday, Nov. 26, inside Alumni Hall at the United States Naval Academy.
         The Bison (5-1) used a 14-2 run at the end of the second quarter to take control of the game after trailing UMBC (1-6) at the end of the first quarter.
         Sophomore Rylee Nudell scored 14 points to lead NDSU, while Reilly Jacobson added 12 points, and Sarah Jacobson netted 11 points while snagging a game-high seven rebounds and dishing out a game-best eight assists. Michelle Gaislerova compiled 10 points, rounding out the Bison in double figures.
         For the game, NDSU shot 41 percent from the field and outscored UMBC in the paint, 34-12, and off turnovers, 17-9.
         Laura Castaldo tallied a career-high 25 points to lead the Retrievers.
         UMBC shot just 27 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 14 times in the contest.
 
RJ Honored for Navy Classic Performance
         Reilly Jacobson was named to the Navy Classic All-Tournament Team after averaging 11.5 points, six rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in NDSU's two Navy Classic contests Nov. 25-26.
 
The Ogden and Jacobson Block Party
         Sophomores Autumn Ogden and Reilly Jacobson have tallied a combined 16 blocks through six games. Jacobson and Ogden have both compiled eight blocks, with Jacobson averaging a team-best two blocks per game and Ogden averaging 1.3 swats per game. The two sophomores are tied for third in The Summit League in blocked shots.
 
Crashing the Offensive Glass
         Rylee Nudell, Macey Kvilvang, Danneka Voegeli and Reilly Jacobson have been a force on the offensive glass through six games for NDSU. Nudell has snagged a team-high 15 offensive boards, while Kvilvang has 14, Voegeli has 13 and Jacobson has 11.
 
From Downtown
         Three Bison are currently shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range. Sarah Jacobson leads the team and ranks third in The Summit League at 52 percent, while Michelle Gaislerova is shooting 44 percent and Taylor Thunstedt is shooting 40 percent from long range. Entering the week, Thunstedt has made an NDSU career-record 243 three-pointers.
 
Good Offense and Lockdown Defense
         Through six games, the Bison are shooting 47 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. NDSU is limiting its opponents to just 33 percent shooting from the floor and 25 percent from beyond the arc. North Dakota State is also forcing 16.3 turnovers per game and has scored 133 points off turnovers.

Bench Contributions
         The NDSU bench has outscored opposing benches 218-62 through six games. NDSU is averaging 36.3 bench points per game while its opponents are only averaging 10.3 bench points per game.
 
Free-Throw Woes
         While the Bison are shooting the basketball well from the field and three-point range, they have struggled at the free-throw line to start the season. NDSU is shooting only 66 percent from the foul line, making 59-of-90 charity shots. North Dakota State currently ranks seventh in The Summit League in free-throw percentage.
 
International Playing Experience

• Freshman guard Michelle Gaislerova played for the U16, U17 and U20 Czech Republic National Team. Last summer, she averaged 12.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in seven contests for the Czech Republic in the 2017 FIBA U20 European Championship.
• Junior guard Marina Fernandez played for BF Sant Adria and CEJ Hospitalet in Spain in high school. At BF Sant Adria, her team won the Regional Catalan Championship and placed seventh at the Spanish U18 Championship.

Thunstedt Tabbed Preseason All-League for Second Straight Season
         Taylor Thunstedt was voted to the preseason all-league second team for the second straight season after averaging a team-high 14.5 points per game and tallying an NDSU single-season record 92 three-pointers last season.
 
NDSU Women's Basketball Inks Reagan Heun on National Signing Day
         North Dakota State University women's basketball head coach Maren Walseth announced Wednesday, Nov. 8, the signing of high school standout Reagan Heun to a National Letter of Intent to attend NDSU and play basketball starting in the fall of 2018.
 
Reagan Heun
G | 5-10
Spring Branch, Texas (Canyon Lake HS)
Plays for coach Zach Burleson at Canyon Lake High School … First all-time in scoring, three-point field goals made and free-throws made at Canyon Lake … Averaged 18 points and seven rebounds last season as a junior … Last season, led her high school team in points scored, rebounds, three-pointers, free-throws and blocks, while being second on her team in assists and steals … Was 136-of-151 from the foul line for 90 percent … All-District first team last season … Played for Texas Elite Adidas GATA AAU team … Shot 52 percent from three last summer with her AAU team … National Honor Society Office, Senior Class Vice President and Student Council Member … Daughter of Lisa and Scott Heun … Her father, Scott, played football for Kansas State.
 
NDSU Women's Basketball Picked 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 released Wednesday, Oct. 4, by the league office. The Bison tallied 150 points in the poll. South Dakota State was tabbed the preseason favorite to win the league with 380 points and 16 first-place votes, while defending Summit League regular season and tournament champion Western Illinois was picked second with 372 points and 12 first-place votes. South Dakota was voted third with 307 points, rounding out the top-three. Oral Roberts was fourth, followed by Omaha and NDSU in fifth and sixth. Denver and Fort Wayne rounded out the poll in seventh and eighth.
 
Head Coach Maren Walseth
         Maren Walseth enters her fourth season as the head women's basketball coach at North Dakota State University.
         In her inaugural season at NDSU in 2014-15, Walseth 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.
         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.
         The Bison concluded the 2016-17 season with a 6-24 overall record and a Summit League mark of 4-12. NDSU defeated 2015-16 WNIT and Summit League regular season champion South Dakota, 83-73, Jan. 4 inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. The Coyotes also entered the game ranked fifth in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. Freshman point guard Sarah Jacobson was named to The Summit League All-Newcomer Team.
         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.
 
On the Horizon
         NDSU returns home to the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex for a contest against UT Rio Grande Valley Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m.