No. 7 Seed Bison Women Open With No. 2 Seed IUPUI at Summit League Tournament

Saturday, March 4

Sioux Falls, S.D.

2:30 p.m.

North Dakota State

IUPUI

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Photo by: Carrie Snyder

No. 7 Seed Bison Women Open With No. 2 Seed IUPUI at Summit League Tournament

3/2/2017 4:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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No. 7 North Dakota State vs. No. 2 IUPUI
Summit League Women's Basketball Championship Quarterfinals
Saturday, March 4 | 2:30 p.m. | Sioux Falls, S.D. (Denny Sanford PREMIER Center)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app
TV: MidcoSN, ESPN3, WatchESPN app
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio

NDSU Game Notes (PDF) | IUPUI Game Notes (PDF) | Tournament Bracket (PDF)

Fan Fest Information | Championship Information

The Games
The North Dakota State University women's basketball team (6-23 overall) is scheduled to tip-off play in The Summit League Women's Basketball Championship Saturday, March 4, at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. The No. 7 seed Bison are slated to take on No. 2 seed IUPUI (22-7 overall) in a quarterfinal game at 2:30 p.m.

Series History
Saturday's Summit League tournament quarterfinal against IUPUI will mark the 23rd meeting in the all-time series. The Jaguars lead the series, 13-9, after winning both games against the Bison during the regular season. North Dakota State and IUPUI have met twice in The Summit League tournament (2011-12 and 2013-14), with the Jags winning both meetings.

NDSU in The Summit League Tournament

The Bison are 1-7 in Summit League tournament competition.
NDSU has lost its last seven games in Sioux Falls.
The lone North Dakota State victory in the league tournament was in 2008-09 when the Bison defeated Western Illinois in the quarterfinals, 46-43.
Saturday will mark the first appearance in the league tournament for NDSU since 2014-15. The Bison did not qualify for the tournament in 2015-16.

Bison Notes

The Bison enter The Summit League tournament at 6-23 overall after losing at Oral Roberts Feb. 25, 71-64. NDSU has dropped its last three games.
Through 29 contests, junior guard Taylor Thunstedt leads the team and ranks seventh in The Summit League in scoring with 14.8 points per game, while senior forward Brianna Jones paces the team and is tied for fourth in the league with 7.2 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Sarah Jacobson leads the Bison and is sixth in the league in assists with 3.5 assists per game. Freshman guard/forward Anna Goodhope leads the Bison in field-goal percentage at 48 percent (39-of-81), while freshman forward Reilly Jacobson ranks second at 47 percent (61-of-130).
Thunstedt ranks eighth in the nation in three-point field goals made with 92 treys in 29 games.
As a team, the Bison are averaging only 63.7 points per game while giving up 74.7 points per game. NDSU is outrebounding opponents, 37.8 to 36.8. NDSU's 37.8 rebounds per game rank second in The Summit League.
North Dakota State ranks 39th in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage at 35.4 percent.

About IUPUI

The IUPUI Jaguars enter tournament play with an overall record of 22-7 after earning a 66-55 win over Fort Wayne Feb. 25 in Indianapolis. The Jags have won five straight games and 11 of their last 12 contests.
Through 29 games, the Jaguars are led by first team All-Summit League junior guard Danielle Lawrence (16.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game), All-Summit League second team senior center Mikale Rogers (13.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game), and Honorable Mention all-league sophomore guard Sydney Hall (9.5 points per game).
As a team, IUPUI is scoring an average of 67.1 points per game while limiting opponents to a Summit League-low 56.3 points per game. The Jags are outrebouding its opponents, 32.8 to 32.6.
IUPUI was picked to finiah second in The Summit League Preseason Poll.
The Jaguars are under the leadership of seventh season head coach Austin Parkinson.

Sarah Jacobson Named to The Summit League All-Newcomer Team
        North Dakota State University freshman point guard Sarah Jacobson was named to The Summit League All-Newcomer Team, the league office announced on Thursday, March 2, at the annual Summit League tournament tip-off press conference at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls.
        Jacobson, a native of Fargo, N.D., led the Bison and ranked sixth in The Summit League with 3.5 assists per game and was second on the team in scoring (9.3 points per game) and third in rebounding (3.8 rebounds per game) during the regular season.
        She has scored in double figures in 16 of North Dakota State's 29 games this season, including a season-best 20 points at Fort Wayne Feb. 11. Jacobson has also dished out at least one assist in every game during 2016-17, including a career-best eight assists against Mayville State Dec. 12 and at Western Illinois Jan. 14.
        She has started in every game for NDSU this season.

Thunstedt Having Record-Breaking Season

Junior guard Taylor Thunstedt is the North Dakota State career leader in three-point field goals made with 229 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 1,163 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 92 treys on the season. Thunstedt owned the previous single-season record, making 82 last season.

Nudell Hitting Shots
        Rylee Nudell is shooting 46 percent from the field entering Summit League tournament play. The Buffalo, N.D., native has made 55 shots in 121 attempts.

Inside Presence
        NDSU post player Reilly Jacobson is shooting 47 percent from the floor through 29 games this season. The Waukee, Iowa, native has converted 61 out of 130 shots.

Jones Crashing the Glass
        Brianna Jones leads NDSU and is tied for fourth in The Summit League with 7.2 rebounds per game. The senior from Indianapolis has four double-doubles this season. Entering Saturday, she ranks ninth in NDSU career rebounding average with 7.5 boards per game and third in defensive rebounding average with 4.7 defensive rebounds per contest.

Goodhope's Good Shooting
        Anna Goodhope is shooting 48 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range through 29 games. The freshman from Sioux Falls has made 39-of-81 shots from the floor and 19-of-47 baskets from beyond-the-arc.

Jacobson Making the Pass
        Sarah Jacobson leads North Dakota State and is sixth in The Summit League in assists with 3.5 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 23 games with two or more.

Jones Owning the Offensive Glass
        Through 29 games, Brianna Jones is averaging 2.6 offensive rebounds per game. Jones has pulled down 75 offensive boards.

Success Off the Bench
        North Dakota State has a 601-478 bench scoring advantage through 29 games. NDSU is averaging 20.7 bench points per game while its opponents are averaging 16.5 per game.

Last Time Out: Comeback Attempt Falls Short as Bison Women Drop Regular Season Finale at Oral Roberts
        The North Dakota State University women's basketball team outscored the Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles, 21-14, in the fourth quarter but fell short of completing a comeback as it fell to ORU, 71-64, Saturday, Feb. 25, inside the Mabee Center in the regular season finale for both teams.
        Senior forward Brianna Jones scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor to lead the Bison in scoring. Taylor Thunstedt (11 points) and Sarah Jacobson (10 points) also reached double figures in the contest, while Emily Spier and Reilly Jacobson each pulled down seven rebounds to pace NDSU on the glass.
        North Dakota State shot 49 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range, and tied Oral Roberts (15-14, 7-9 Summit League) with 38 rebounds, but turned the ball over 21 times, which led to 25 Golden Eagle points.
        NDSU also only got to the free-throw line 11 times in the contest, compared to 34 trips for ORU.
        Trailing 65-47 with 5:02 to go in the fourth quarter, NDSU went on a 12-1 run to pull within seven at 66-59 with 1:38 to go after a jumper from Jones. That was as close as the Bison could get the remainder of the game, though.
        Junior Faith Ihim tallied a game-high 19 points while sophomore Maria Martianez posted a double-double with 15 rebounds and 14 points to lead Oral Roberts.
        ORU shot 37 percent from the field and 46 percent from beyond the arc, and collected a game-high 17 offensive rebounds in the contest.

Last Time Out in The Summit League Tournament: NDSU Women Fall to Oral Roberts in Summit League Tournament Quarterfinals, 71-58
        The North Dakota State women's basketball team fell to the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, 71-58, in the quarterfinals of The Summit League Women's Basketball Championship on Sunday, March 8, 2015, at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls.
        With the loss, NDSU finishes the 2014-15 season at 11-18 overall, while Oral Roberts improves to 16-14 on the season and advances to a semifinal contest on Monday, March 9, against South Dakota State.
        Senior Brooke LeMar led all scorers in the contest, netting 29 points on 11-for-25 shooting. LeMar surpassed 1,000 points at North Dakota State in the game after she converted a layup with 14:58 to go in the first-half. The Canyon Country, Calif., native finishes her two-year Bison career with 1,018 points.
        Junior Marena Whittle paced the Bison in rebounding with a team-high 12 boards, while senior Liz Keena added 11 rebounds.
        The Bison struggled shooting the basketball in the contest, going just 23-for-66 from the field for 35 percent and 4-of-12 from three-point range for 33 percent.
        Oral Roberts was led by redshirt-senior center Vicky McIntyre, who scored 18 points and pulled down a game-high 19 rebounds for her 24th double-double of the season.
        The Golden Eagles shot 41 percent from the field, making 25 of 61 shots. ORU outrebounded the Bison, 51-38, and outscored NDSU in the paint, 36-22.
        After the two teams traded leads the first 13 minutes of the opening half, Oral Roberts used an 8-0 run to gain a 14-9 lead after a jumper from McIntyre with 11:58 to go in the stanza. The Golden Eagles went into halftime with a 37-26 lead.
        The Bison clawed back within 42-33 after a layup from LeMar, but ORU went on an 11-5 spurt to gain a 53-38 edge with 12:14 remaining in the half. North Dakota State could get no closer than 12 the remainder of the game.

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.

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.