Scene Setter
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball team is scheduled to return home to the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex Saturday, Dec. 16, for a 7 p.m. game against the Cal Poly Mustangs.

Series History
        Saturday's contest against Cal Poly will mark the third meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1989. The series is tied, 1-1, after the Mustangs defeated the Bison last season in San Luis Obispo, 73-46.

Bison Notes

• NDSU enters Saturday's contest with an overall record of 5-5 after falling at North Dakota Saturday, Dec. 9, 79-68.
• Through 10 games, North Dakota State is led by sophomore forward Reilly Jacobson, who is averaging a team-high 11 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Senior Taylor Thunstedt is also averaging in double figures with 10.6 points per game.
• In NDSU's two games last week against UTRGV and North Dakota, Jacobson averaged 17 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. She netted a career-high 21 points vs. UT Rio Grande Valley before tallying 13 points with six rebounds and a career-best four assists at UND.
• Jacobson leads NDSU and ranks fourth in The Summit League with 1.3 blocks per game.
• Sophomore Rylee Nudell is shooting a team-best 52 percent from the floor through 10 games. She ranks fourth in The Summit League in field-goal percentage.
• Junior Marina Fernandez ranks first on the team and third in The Summit League in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.3. She has 30 assists and only 13 turnovers.
• As a team, NDSU is averaging 70.6 points per game while allowing 69.2 points per game. The Bison are being outrebounded, 42.3 to 39.0.
• North Dakota State leads The Summit League in blocked shots (4.6 per game) and three-point field-goal percentage (38 percent), and is tied for second in scoring offense (70.6 points per game). NDSU is also second in assists (18.6 per game).
• The Bison were picked to finish sixth in The Summit League preseason poll.

Scouting Cal Poly

• The Cal Poly Mustangs enter the weekend at 4-5 overall after losing at Minnesota Dec. 13, 112-68.
• Through nine games, Cal Poly is led by senior guards Lynn and Dynn Leaupepe. Lynn Leaupepe is averaging 14.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while Dynn Leaupepe is averaging 13.6 points and 5.1 boards per game.
• As a team, the Mustangs are averaging 72.7 points per game while giving up 76.3 points per game. Cal Poly is being outrebounded, 42 to 39.2
• The Mustangs were picked to finish sixth out of nine teams in the Big West preseason coaches' poll.
• Cal Poly is under the leadership of 21st season head coach Faith Mimnaugh.

Last Time Out: North Dakota Turns Back NDSU Women's Basketball Saturday, 79-68
        The University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks outscored the North Dakota State University women's basketball team in the fourth quarter, 29-18, to guide them to a 79-68 victory over the Bison on Saturday, Dec. 9, in front of 2,571 spectators at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
        Freshman Michelle Gaislerova scored a career-high 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including a 4-of-7 performance from three-point range, and went 5-of-6 at the free-throw line to lead North Dakota State.
        Sophomores Sarah Jacobson and Reilly Jacobson also posted double figures with 13 points each, with Reilly Jacobson also snagging a team-high six rebounds and dishing out a team-best four assists.
        For the game, the Bison shot 41 percent from the floor, 53 percent from beyond the arc, and 88 percent at the free-throw line. 
        NDSU was outrebounded by UND, 38-34, but outscored the Fighting Hawks' bench, 40-10.
        Fallyn Freije posted a double-double with a game-high 26 points and 12 rebounds to pace North Dakota.
        UND shot 42 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range, and went 25-of-32 at the foul line for 78 percent.
 
RJ Finding Her Shot
        Reilly Jacobson has scored in double figures in five of her eight games this season, including a career-best 21 points on 10-of-20 shooting in NDSU's contest against UTRGV Dec. 5. She tallied 13 points on 6-for-12 shooting in the Bison's game at North Dakota Dec. 9. 
 
The Jacobson, Kvilvang and Ogden Block Party
        Reilly Jacobson, Macey Kvilvang and Autumn Ogden have each blocked a team-high 10 shots through 10 games. Jacobson leads the team and ranks fourth in The Summit League with 1.3 blocks per game, while Kvilvang and Ogden are tied for sixth with one block per contest.
 
Fernandez and Jacobson Making the Pass
        Sarah Jacobson and Marina Fernandez both rank in the top-10 of The Summit League in assists per game through 10 games. Jacobson leads NDSU and ranks third with 4.9 assist per game while Fernandez is tied for seventh with three assists per game.
 
Taking Care of the Basketball
        The Bison rank second in The Summit League and 15th out of 345 in the nation with a 1.43 assist-to-turnover ratio through 10 contests. NDSU has dished out 186 assists while only turning the ball over 130 times. Individually, Marina Fernandez ranks third in the league and 68th out of 250 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.31 (30 assists, 13 turnovers), and Sarah Jacobson ranks fourth in the league at 1.81 (49 assists, 27 turnovers).
 
Crashing the Offensive Glass
        Through 10 games, Reilly Jacobson leads NDSU and ranks seventh in The Summit League with 2.3 offensive rebounds per game. She has snagged 18 offensive boards this season.
 
From Downtown
        Two Bison are currently shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range. Michelle Gaislerova leads the team and is tied for fourth in The Summit League at 45 percent, while Sarah Jacobson ranks second on the team and sixth in the league at 44 percent.
 
Bench Contributions
        The NDSU bench has outscored opposing benches 337-179 through 10 games. NDSU is averaging 33.7 bench points per game while its opponents are only averaging 17.9 bench points per game.
 
Free-Throw Woes
        NDSU has struggled at the free-throw line so far this season. NDSU is shooting only 66 percent from the foul line, making 92-of-139 charity shots. North Dakota State currently ranks seventh out of eight teams 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
        North Dakota State travels to Miami, Fla., to play two games in the Florida International University Holiday Tournament. NDSU faces the host FIU Panthers Wednesday, Dec. 20, before taking on either Clemson or Central Arkansas Thursday, Dec. 21. Both games will tip-off at noon ET.