North Dakota State Athletics
Oral Roberts
Players Mentioned
North Dakota State Continues Summit League Play at Oral Roberts and Denver
1/8/2018 5:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Thursday, Jan. 11 | 7 p.m. | Tulsa, Okla. (Mabee Center)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio
North Dakota State at Denver
Saturday, Jan. 13 | 1 p.m. MT | Denver, Colo. (Hamilton Gym)
Radio: Bison 1660 AM, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio
NDSU Notes (PDF)
NDSU WBB on Twitter: @NDSUwbb
Scene Setter
North Dakota State will look to bounce back from a pair of Summit League losses when it travels to Tulsa, Okla., and Denver, Colo., for a pair of league contests Thursday, Jan. 11, and Saturday, Jan. 13. The Bison are slated to play at Oral Roberts Thursday at 7 p.m. before playing at Denver Saturday at 1 p.m. MT.
Series History
- Oral Roberts: Thursday's game at Oral Roberts will mark the 19th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 2006. The Golden Eagles lead the series, 13-5, and have won the last six meetings against the Bison. Last season, NDSU fell to ORU in Fargo, 70-50, before losing in Tulsa, 71-64. North Dakota State's last victory in the series was a 77-64 triumph at home during the 2014-15 campaign.
- Denver: Saturday's tilt at Denver will be the 15th meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1987. The Bison lead the series, 9-5. Last season, NDSU swept the season series against the Pioneers, winning in Denver, 86-80, and at home, 67-58.
Bison Notes
- North Dakota State enters the week with an overall record of 7-9 and a Summit League tally of 0-2 after falling to South Dakota at home Jan. 2 and at South Dakota State Jan. 6.
- Through 16 games, NDSU is paced offensively by sophomore Rylee Nudell (9.9 points per game, 56 percent field-goal percentage), senior Taylor Thunstedt (9.8 points per game) and freshman Michelle Gaislerova (9.8 points per game, 47 percent three-point field-goal percentage).
- Sophomore Reilly Jacobson leads NDSU on the glass with 5.4 rebounds per game, while sophomore Sarah Jacobson paces the Bison in assists with 4.6 assists per game. Freshman Macey Kvilvang has a team-high 20 blocks and 1.3 blocks per game.
- As a team, North Dakota State is averaging 69.9 points, 37.4 rebounds and 15 turnovers per game while its opponents are averaging 69.2 points, 39.8 boards and 14.3 turnovers per game.
- NDSU ranks first in The Summit League in three-point field-goal percentage (38 percent) and blocked shots (4.3 blocks per game), second in assists (18.1 assists per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2), and third in field-goal percentage defense (40 percent) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (30 percent).
- The Bison were picked to finish sixth in The Summit League preseason poll.
About Oral Roberts
- The Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles enter the week with an overall record of 10-6 and a Summit League mark of 2-1 after winning at Fort Wayne, 73-48, Jan. 4 before losing at Western Illinois, 56-49, Jan. 6.
- Through 16 contests, ORU is led by senior forward Faith Ihim (12.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game), junior forward Maria Martianez (11.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game) and freshman guard Maya Mayberry (10.6 points per game).
- Mayberry leads The Summit League in three-point field-goal percentage (51 percent) through 16 games.
- As a team, Oral Roberts is averaging 66.1 points, 37.9 rebounds and 16.4 turnovers per game while its adversaries are averaging 58.2 points, 31.9 rebounds and 15.6 turnovers per game.
- The Golden Eagles lead The Summit League in scoring defense (58.2 points per game), field-goal percentage (45 percent), field-goal percentage defense (38 percent) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (29 percent).
- Oral Roberts was picked to finish fourth in The Summit League preseason poll.
- ORU is under the leadership of sixth season head coach Misti Cussen.
About Denver
- The University of Denver Pioneers enter the week at 10-7 overall and 1-1 in Summit League play after winning at home against Utah Valley Jan. 2, 72-53, and at Fort Wayne Jan. 6, 73-55.
- The Pioneers are scheduled to host South Dakota State Thursday before entertaining NDSU Saturday.
- Through 17 games, Denver is led by freshman guard Claire Gritt (9.4 points per game), sophomore guard Briana Johnson (8.6 points per game) and senior forward Jordyn Alt (7.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game).
- Alt leads The Summit League in rebounding (7.7 boards per game) through 17 contests.
- As a team, Denver is averaging 68.1 points, 40.4 rebounds and 14.4 turnovers per game while its opponents are averaging 63.5 points, 37.6 rebounds and 16.5 turnovers per game.
- The Pioneers were picked to finish seventh in The Summit League preseason poll.
- Denver is under the direction of first season head coach Jim Turgeon.
Last Time Out: South Dakota State Explodes to Start Second Half to Beat NDSU 83-63
South Dakota State outscored North Dakota State 25-10 in the third quarter on its way to an 83-63 victory in a Summit League women's basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 6, before 1,989 spectators in Frost Arena.
NDSU shot 63.3 percent from the field in the first half and did take the lead late in the second quarter. Emily Dietz hit 1 of 2 free throws to tie the game with 3:20 left and Taylor Thunstedt made 1 of 2 free throws to put the Bison ahead 31-30 with 3:01 remaining.
However, South Dakota State closed the first half with a 7-3 run for a 37-34 halftime lead and then exploded for the first eight to start the third quarter to set the tone. SDSU hit 12 three-pointers overall and came back to hold a 37-30 advantage on the boards led by Ellie Thompson's game-high eight.
Madison Guebert knocked in a game-high 18 points to lead a group of four players in double figures for the Jackrabbits. Macy Miller netted 14 points, while Tylee Irwin and Tagyn Larson both added 13 points.
Sarah Jacobson led North Dakota State with 16 points including 4 of 7 from the three-point line, while adding four assists and three assists. Michelle Gaislerova followed with 14 points, while Dietz scored 7 of her 11 points in the first half.
South Dakota State turned 15 Bison turnovers into 12 points and committed only eight miscues.
From Downtown
The Bison lead The Summit League and rank 19th nationally in three-point field-goal percentage at 38 percent through 16 games. Individually, NDSU has two players ranked in the top-10 in the league in three-point field-goal percentage. Michelle Gaislerova ranks third at 47 percent, while Sarah Jacobson ranks sixth at 44 percent.
Sharing the Basketball
Through 16 games, North Dakota State ranks second in The Summit League and 17th nationally in assists per game (18.1). The Bison rank 20th nationally in total assists (290).
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 16 games. Jacobson leads NDSU and ranks second in the league with 4.6 assist per game while Fernandez is sixth with 3.1 assists per game.
Gaislerova Finding Her Shot from Long Range
Michelle Gaislerova is averaging a team-best 12.7 points and shooting a blistering 53 percent from three-point range in her last three games, making eight out of 15 treys.
Rylee and Reilly Making an Impact Offensively and Defensively
Through 16 games, Rylee Nudell and Reilly Jacobson are averaging a combined 19.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and four assists per game. Nudell is averaging 9.9 points, 3.8 boards and 2.2 assists per game while Jacobson is averaging 9.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
Converting Shots
Rylee Nudell leads NDSU and ranks third in The Summit League in field-goal percentage at 56 percent. She has made 66 shots in 119 attempts in 16 games.
Dietz Making Impact in League Action
Freshman Emily Dietz is averaging 10.5 points per game and shooting a team-best 69 percent (9-of-13) from the field through NDSU's opening two Summit League games. The West Fargo native netted 10 points against South Dakota before netting 11 at South Dakota State.
The Bison Block Party
Coming into Thursday's contest at Oral Roberts, NDSU leads The Summit League in blocked shots with 69 blocks and 4.3 blocks per game. Individually, three Bison rank in the top-10 in the league in blocks. Macey Kvilvang is second with 20 blocks and 1.3 blocks per game, while Reilly Jacobson is sixth with 14 blocks and one block per game. Autumn Ogden is tied for 10th with 11 blocks and 0.7 blocks per game.
Taking Care of the Basketball
Through 16 games, Sarah Jacobson (1.7) ranks third and Marina Fernandez (1.6) ranks fourth in The Summit League in assist-to-turnover ratio. Jacobson has 74 assists and 44 turnovers while Fernandez has 50 assists and 31 turnovers.
Bench Contributions
The NDSU bench has outscored opposing benches 537-279 through 16 games. NDSU is averaging 33.6 bench points per game while its opponents are only averaging 17.4 bench points per game.
On the Horizon
The Bison return home to the Scheels Center to face Fort Wayne in a league contest Jan. 20 at 1 p.m. before traveling to Omaha and Western Illinois for league games Jan. 24 and 27.
