North Dakota State Athletics
UT Rio Grande Valley
Players Mentioned
North Dakota State Welcomes UT Rio Grande Valley to Scheels Center Tuesday
12/4/2017 11:29:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Tuesday, Dec. 5 | 7 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. (Scheels Center)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM & 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app
TV: MidcoSN & ESPN3
Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video
NDSU Notes (PDF)
NDSU WBB on Twitter: @NDSUwbb
Scene Setter
The North Dakota State women's basketball team will look to snap a two-game skid when it hosts the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
Series History
Tuesday's contest against UTRGV will be the second meeting in the all-time series. In the inaugural meeting last season, the Bison fell to the Vaqueros in Edinburg, Texas, 81-67.
Bison Notes
- North Dakota State enters Tuesday's game with an overall record of 5-3 after dropping a pair of games at Colorado and Milwaukee Nov. 29 and Dec. 1.
- Through eight contests, the Bison are led in scoring by senior Taylor Thunstedt, who is averaging 10.8 points per game. Sophomore Rylee Nudell is averaging 9.1 points per game, while fellow sophomores Sarah Jacobson and Reilly Jacobson, and freshman Michelle Gaislerova are each averaging nine points per game.
- Reilly Jacobson leads NDSU in rebounding with six rebounds per game, while freshman Macey Kvilvang is averaging 4.8 boards per game.
- Sarah Jacobson leads the team and ranks third in The Summit League with 5.1 assists per game.
- Gaislerova is shooting a team-best 43 percent from three-point range, ranking her tied for sixth in The Summit League. Sarah Jacobson is 10th in the league in three-point shooting percentage and second on the team at 42 percent.
- As a team, NDSU ranks third in The Summit League in scoring at 69.9 points per game, and rebounding with 40 rebounds per game. The Bison rank second in the league in assists per game at 18.3, and first in blocks per game at 5.4.
- North Dakota State is averaging 69.9 points per game while holding its opponents to 66.4 points per game. NDSU is being outrebounded by its adversaries, 43.6 to 40.
- The Bison were picked to finish sixth in The Summit League preseason poll.
About UT Rio Grande Valley
- The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros enter the week at 8-2 overall after defeating UTSA at home Dec. 2, 70-58.
- The Vaqueros have won five of their last six games.
- Through 10 games, UTRGV is led by senior forward Laura Van Tilburg, who is averaging 9.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
- As a team, UT Rio Grande Valley is averaging 60.8 points per game while holding its opponents to 57 points per game. The Vaqueros are outrebounding their adversaries, 40.3 to 36.
- UTRGV was picked to finish sixth out of eight teams in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) preseason poll.
- UT Rio Grande Valley is under the direction of fifth season head coach Larry Tidwell.
Last Time Out: Big Second Quarter Helps Milwaukee Roll Past Bison Women
The Milwaukee Panthers outscored the North Dakota State University women's basketball team 26-4 in the second quarter and never looked back as they defeated the Bison, 74-38, Friday, Dec. 1, at the Klotsche Center.
Freshman Michelle Gaislerova netted nine points to lead NDSU, while sophomore Reilly Jacobson tallied eight points and snagged a team-high five rebounds. Freshman Danneka Voegeli also pulled down five boards in the contest.
The Bison were held to just 29 percent shooting from the field and 31 percent shooting from three-point range in the game, and were outrebounded, 53-28.
Jenny Lindner scored a game-high 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting to lead the Panthers. Steph Kostowicz added 12 points and a game-best eight boards.
Milwaukee shot 43 percent from the floor and 31 percent from beyond the arc, and outscored the Bison in the paint, 28-14. The Panthers also posted a 21-8 advantage in second-chance points and tallied 17 points off 15 NDSU turnovers.
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
Autumn Ogden and Reilly Jacobson have tallied a combined 20 blocks through eight games. Jacobson and Ogden have both compiled 10 blocks, with Jacobson averaging a team-best 1.7 blocks per game and Ogden averaging 1.3 swats per game. Jacobson is second in The Summit League in blocks per game while Ogden is fifth.
Crashing the Offensive Glass
Danneka Voegeli, Rylee Nudell, Macey Kvilvang and Reilly Jacobson have been a force on the offensive glass through eight games for NDSU. Voegeli has pulled down a team-high 17 offensive rebounds, while Nudell has 16, Kvilvang has 15 and Jacobson has 14. Voegeli is currently tied for fifth in The Summit League in offensive rebounding with 2.4 offensive boards per game.
From Downtown
Three Bison are currently shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range. Michelle Gaislerova leads the team and is tied for sixth in The Summit League at 43 percent, while Sarah Jacobson ranks second on the team and 10th in the league at 42 percent. Taylor Thunstedt rounds out the Bison shooting at least 40 percent from long range at 40 percent. Entering the week, Thunstedt has made an NDSU career-record 248 three-pointers.
Bench Contributions
The NDSU bench has outscored opposing benches 262-146 through eight games. NDSU is averaging 32.8 bench points per game while its opponents are only averaging 18.2 bench points per game.
Free-Throw Woes
NDSU has struggled at the free-throw line so far this season. NDSU is shooting only 64 percent from the foul line, making 75-of-117 charity shots. North Dakota State currently ranks last 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 Grand Forks to take on North Dakota Saturday, Dec. 9, at 2 p.m. before hosting Cal Poly at the Scheels Center Saturday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m.
