Bison Close Out Regular Season With Two-Game Road Trip

Wednesday, February 22

Omaha, Neb.

7 p.m.

North Dakota State

Omaha

Photo by: Carrie Snyder

Bison Close Out Regular Season With Two-Game Road Trip

2/21/2017 2:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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Complete NDSU Game Notes (PDF)

North Dakota State at Omaha
Wednesday, Feb. 22 | 7 p.m. | Omaha, Neb. (Baxter Arena)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM (Keith Brake, play-by-play)
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

North Dakota State at Oral Roberts
Saturday, Feb. 25 | 12:30 p.m. | Tulsa, Okla. (Mabee Center)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM (Keith Brake, play-by-play)
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

The Games
The North Dakota State University women's basketball team (6-21 overall, 4-10 Summit League) concludes the regular season with a two-game road trip to Omaha and Oral Roberts. The Bison are scheduled to face Omaha (13-14 overall, 6-8 Summit League) Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. in Omaha, Neb., before traveling to Tulsa, Okla., to battle Oral Roberts (14-14 overall, 6-9 Summit League) in the regular season finale Saturday, Feb. 25, at 12:30 p.m.

Series History

Omaha: Wednesday's game at Omaha will mark the 60th meeting in the all-time series. The Bison lead the series, 44-14, after losing to Omaha earlier this season in Fargo, 80-60. The Bison haven't won in Omaha since a 77-60 win over the Mavericks during the 2014-15 season.
Oral Roberts: Saturday's regular season finale at Oral Roberts will be the 18th meeting in the all-time series. ORU leads the series, 12-5, after defeating the Bison earlier this season in Fargo, 70-50. NDSU hasn't won in Tulsa since a 64-55 victory over the Golden Eagles during the 2008-09 season.

Bison Notes

The North Dakota State University Bison enter the week at 6-21 overall and 4-10 in Summit League play after losing to IUPUI Feb. 18, 76-53.
Through 27 contests, junior guard Taylor Thunstedt leads the team and ranks sixth in The Summit League in scoring with 15.4 points per game, while senior forward Brianna Jones paces the team and is third in the league with 7.5 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Sarah Jacobson leads the Bison and is fourth in the league in assists with 3.6 assists per game. Freshman guard/forward Anna Goodhope leads the Bison in field-goal percentage at 49 percent (37-of-76), while freshman forward Reilly Jacobson ranks second at 48 percent (56-of-118).
Thunstedt ranks sixth in the nation in three-point field goals made with 89 treys in 27 games.
As a team, the Bison are averaging only 63.7 points per game while giving up 74.3 points per game. NDSU is outrebounding opponents, 38 to 36.9. NDSU's 38 rebounds per game rank second in The Summit League.

About Omaha

The Omaha Mavericks enter Wednesday at 13-14 on the season and 6-8 in Summit League action after falling at South Dakota Feb. 18, 91-56.
The Mavericks are led by senior forward Mikaela Shaw (16.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game) and redshirt senior forward Michaela Dapprich (13.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game) through 27 games.
Shaw ranks second in the league in rebounding and fourth in scoring.
As a team, UNO is averaging 67.7 points per game while limiting its opponents to 64.9 points per game. The Mavs are outrebounding adversaries, 36.1 to 32.9. Omaha ranks second in the league with 16.6 assists per game.
The Mavs were picked to finish fifth in The Summit League Preseason Poll.
Omaha is under the leadership of fourth season head coach Brittany Lange.

About Oral Roberts

The Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles enter the week at 14-14 overall and 6-9 in Summit League play after winning at Denver Feb. 19, 70-57.
Through 28 games, ORU is led by junior forward Faith Ihim (12.9 points and 8.0 rebounds per game), sophomore forward Maria Martianez (12.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game), senior guard Kaylan Mayberry (11.4 points per game) and redshirt junior guard Lakota Beatty (11.8 points per game).
Ihim leads the league in rebounding.
As a team, Oral Roberts is averaging 63.8 points per game while limiting opponents to 63.6 points per game. ORU is outrebounding adversaries, 37.5 to 37. The Golden Eagles rank second in the league with 8.1 steals per game.
Oral Roberts is under the direction of fifth season head coach Misti Cussen.

Nudell Finding Her Shooting Rhythm in League Play
        Rylee Nudell is shooting 49 percent from the floor and 41 percent from three-point range in North Dakota State's 14 Summit League contests. The freshman from Buffalo, N.D., has gone 35-for-72 from the field and 7-for-17 from downtown.

RJ Converting Shots
        Reilly Jacobson is shooting a team-best 53 percent from the field in the 11 Summit League games she has played in. 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. She added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting at IUPUI Jan. 21.

Jones Crashing the Glass
        Brianna Jones leads NDSU and is third in The Summit League with 7.5 rebounds per game. The senior from Indianapolis has four double-doubles this season and is averaging a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game in league play. Entering Wednesday, she ranks ninth in NDSU career rebounding average with 7.6 boards per game and second in defensive rebounding average with 4.8 defensive rebounds per contest.

Goodhope's Good Shooting
        Anna Goodhope is shooting 48 percent from the field and 43 percent from three-point range through 14 Summit League contests. The freshman from Sioux Falls has made 29-of-60 shots from the floor and 15-of-35 baskets from beyond-the-arc in league action.

Jacobson Making the Pass
        Sarah Jacobson leads North Dakota State and is fourth in The Summit League in assists with 3.6 assists per game. The freshman from Fargo matched her career-high with eight assists in NDSU's game at Western Illinois Jan. 14. Jacobson has tallied at least one assist in every game this season, including 22 games with two or more.

Jones Owning the Offensive Boards in League Action
        Through 14 league games, Brianna Jones is averaging 2.2 offensive rebounds per game. Jones has pulled down 31 offensive boards.

Thunstedt Having Record-Breaking Season

Junior guard Taylor Thunstedt is the North Dakota State career leader in three-point field goals made with 226 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 against South Dakota Jan. 4. Entering the weekend, Thunstedt has 1,150 career points.
Thunstedt set a new NDSU single-season record for three-pointers made after converting four threes in the Bison's game at Fort Wayne Feb. 11. She has 89 treys on the season. Thunstedt owned the previous single-season record, making 82 last season.

Success Off the Bench
        North Dakota State has a 544-430 bench scoring advantage through 27 games. NDSU is averaging 20.1 bench points per game while its opponents are averaging 15.9 per game. In Summit League play, the Bison bench is averaging 22.4 points per game while opposing benches are averaging just 15.8 per game.

Last Time Out: NDSU Women's Basketball Drops Home Finale to IUPUI Saturday
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball team got off to a slow start and could never recover as the Bison fell to IUPUI, 76-53, on Saturday, Feb. 18, in front of 957 spectators inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. The game marked the final home contest of the season for NDSU.
        With the loss, the Bison drop to 6-21 overall and 4-10 in Summit League play, while IUPUI improves to 20-7 on the season and 10-4 in league action.
        Senior Emily Spier and freshman Sarah Jacobson both scored 12 points to lead North Dakota State in scoring, with Jacobson also snagging a team-high seven rebounds.
        NDSU shot just 32 percent from the field and 24 percent from three-point range for the game.
        The Bison outrebounded the Jaguars, 32-31.
        IUPUI raced out to a 15-point lead late in the first quarter and never looked back. The closest the Bison could get the remainder of the game was six at the beginning of the second quarter.
        Danielle Lawrence netted a game-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting to pace the sizzling IUPUI offense, while Jenna Gunn pulled down a team-high nine boards.
        The Jaguars shot 57 percent from the floor and 48 percent from three-point range.

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.

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.