Women's Basketball | 11/7/2017 10:52:00 AM

North Dakota State vs. Mayville State
Friday, Nov. 10 | 5 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. (Scheels Center)
TV: MidcoSN, ESPN3, WatchESPN.com, WatchESPN app
Radio: Bison 1660 AM & 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

North Dakota State vs. NJIT
Sunday, Nov. 12 | 1 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. (Scheels Center)
TV: MidcoSN, ESPN3, WatchESPN.com, WatchESPN app
Radio: Bison 1660 AM & 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio
NDSU WBB on Twitter: @NDSUwbb

---

The Games
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team is scheduled to tip-off the 2017-18 regular season with a pair of home games Friday, Nov. 10, and Sunday, Nov. 12, inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. NDSU is slated to host the Mayville State University Comets Friday at 5 p.m. before welcoming the NJIT Highlanders to Fargo Sunday, Nov. 12, for a 1 p.m. contest.
 
Series History

• Mayville State: Friday's regular season opener against the Comets will mark the 25th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1967. The Bison are a perfect 24-0 in the series. Last season, NDSU rolled to a 93-44 victory over Mayville State in Fargo.
• NJIT: Sunday's contest against the Highlanders will mark the third meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 2015. North Dakota State leads the series 2-0. The last time the two teams met was during the 2015-16 season in Newark, N.J., with the Bison defeating the Highlanders, 64-59.

Bison Notes

• North Dakota State compiled an overall record of 6-24 and finished seventh in The Summit League with a 4-12 league record last season.
• NDSU returns four of five starters from last season's team, including senior Taylor Thunstedt, and sophomores Sarah Jacobson, Tyrah Spencer and Rylee Nudell.
• A Summit League Preseason All-League Second Team honoree, Thunstedt led the Bison in scoring with 14.5 points per game and made a North Dakota State single-season record 92 three-pointers last season. The Spicer, Minn., native enters 2017-18 as the NDSU career leader in three-pointers made with 229 treys.
• Jacobson, a native of Fargo, was named to The Summit League All-Newcomer Team last season after averaging a team-best 3.5 assists per game to go along with 9.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. She played and started in every game for NDSU in 2017-18.
• A native of Oakdale, Minn., Spencer averaged 3.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, while Nudell, a native of Buffalo, N.D., averaged 5.1 points and 3.5 boards per game.
• NDSU also returns junior Kennedy Childers, and sophomores Reilly Jacobson, Anna Goodhope and Autumn Ogden.
• The Bison welcome five newcomers in junior Marina Fernandez, and freshmen Macey Kvilvang, Michelle Gaislerova, Emily Dietz and Danneka Voegeli.

About Mayville State

• The Mayville State University Comets, a member of the North Star Athletic Association in the NAIA, enter the week at a perfect 4-0 after defeating Northwestern College Nov. 4 in Mayville, N.D., 88-81.
• Through four games, the Comets are paced by senior forward Andi Gayner (21.7 points and eight rebounds per game), sophomore guard Claire Blascziek (17.3 points per game) and junior guard Joelle Ertl (16.7 points per game).
• As a team, Mayville State is averaging 103.8 points per game while holding opponents to just 55.5 points per game. The Comets are outrebounding adversaries, 46 to 43, and are shooting .455 from the field, .340 from three-point range and .788 at the free-throw line.
• Mayville State was picked to finish second out of nine teams in the North Star Athletic Association preseason poll.
• The Comets are under the direction of 13th season head coach Dennis Hutter.

About NJIT

• The New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders compiled an overall record of 11-19 last season and finished fifth in the eight-team Atlantic Sun Conference with a 4-10 conference record.
• NJIT is scheduled to travel to South Dakota State for its regular season opener Friday before taking on the Bison Sunday in Fargo.
• The Highlanders' top returning scorer from last season is redshirt junior guard Tatianna Torres, who averaged 10.3 points and four rebounds per game. 
• As a team in 2016-17, NJIT averaged 56.7 points per game while giving up 63.7 points per game. The Highlanders were outrebounded last season, 40.1 to 34.3. NJIT shot .373 from the floor, .309 from three-point range and .651 at the foul line.
• NJIT was picked to finish sixth in both the ASUN preseason coaches' and media polls.
• The Highlanders are under the leadership of sixth season head coach Steve Lanpher.

Last Time Out: Bison Women Defeat Minnesota Morris in Exhibition Game, 81-56
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball team used a strong second-half to pull away and defeat the Minnesota Morris Cougars, 81-56, in an exhibition game Thursday, Nov. 2, inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
        Senior Taylor Thunstedt scored 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field to lead the Bison offensive attack, while freshman Macey Kvilvang added 11 points and six rebounds. Rylee Nudell pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, and Autumn Ogden netted eight points and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor.
        North Dakota State used a 17-0 run at the end of the third-quarter until 4:30 remaining in the fourth-quarter to take control of the game and gain a 73-48 advantage after Kennedy Childers drilled a three. The Cougars never got closer than 23 the remainder of the contest.
        The Bison outscored UMM in the second-half, 55-24, after leading by only four points at halftime.
        For the game, NDSU went 30-of-68 from the field for 44 percent, including a 10-for-27 performance from three-point range (37 percent). The Bison made 11-of-16 free throws for 69 percent.
        North Dakota State claimed a 43-42 advantage in rebounding, and only turned the ball over 15 times while forcing Minnesota Morris into 23 miscues.
        Mauren Thiesen and Kendra Raths each scored 11 points, leading the Cougars.
 
Friendly Confines
        NDSU will play its first four games in the friendly confines of the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. The Bison won't go on the road until they travel to Annapolis, Md., to take part in the Navy Classic Nov. 25-26.
 
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. A native of Spicer, Minn., Thunstedt enters the 2017-18 season as the North Dakota State career leader in three-pointers made with 229 treys.
 
2017-18 NDSU Women's Basketball Team Captains Announced
        Taylor Thunstedt, Sarah Jacobson and Tyrah Spencer were voted team captains for the Bison for the upcoming 2017-18 season.
 
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.
 
MidcoSN to Televise Every NDSU Women's Basketball Home Game in 2017-18
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball program and Midco announced Friday, Sept. 29, that all 15 NDSU home games during the 2017-18 season will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network.
        MidcoSN will televise every Bison home contest in high definition, starting with the exhibition game against Minnesota-Morris Nov. 2. All regular season North Dakota State home games will also be available on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
        In addition, MidcoSN will broadcast the road contest at North Dakota Dec. 9. Other away contests may be added to the broadcast schedule at a later date.
 
On the Horizon
        NDSU wraps up its four-game homestand with contests against UMass and Valley City State Nov. 17 and 19.
 
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.