North Dakota State Athletics
Western Illinois
NDSU Wraps Up Regular Season with Home Games vs. Western Illinois and Omaha
2/20/2018 4:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Thursday, Feb. 22 | 7 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. (Scheels Center)
Radio: Bison 1660, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app (Keith Brake, pxp; Jeremy Jorgenson, color)
TV: MidcoSN2, ESPN3 (Brian Shawn, pxp; Greg Stemen, color)
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio | Promotions
Senior Day
North Dakota State vs. Omaha
Saturday, Feb. 24 | 2 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. (Scheels Center)
Radio: Bison 1660, 92.7 FM, Bison1660.com, Bison 1660 app (Keith Brake, pxp; Jeremy Jorgenson, color)
TV: MidcoSN2, ESPN3 (Brian Shawn, pxp; Greg Stemen, color)
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio | Promotions
NDSU Notes (PDF)
NDSU WBB on Twitter: @NDSUwbb
Scene Setter
The North Dakota State women's basketball team will wrap up the 2017-18 regular season with a pair of home games Thursday, Feb. 22, and Saturday, Feb. 24, inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. NDSU will take on Western Illinois Thursday at 7 p.m. before hosting Omaha in the regular season finale Saturday at 2 p.m.
Series History
- Western Illinois: Thursday's contest against WIU will be the 23rd meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 2008. Western Illinois leads the series, 13-9. The Bison fell to the Leathernecks in Macomb, Ill., earlier this season, 97-72.
- Omaha: Saturday's regular season finale against the Mavericks will mark the 63rd meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 1980. NDSU leads the series, 45-17. The Bison lost to the Mavs earlier this season in Omaha, Neb., 80-67.
Bison Notes
- North Dakota State enters the week at 9-17 overall and 2-10 in Summit League play after winning at Fort Wayne Feb. 15, 66-52.
- Through 26 contests, the Bison are led by sophomores Reilly Jacobson (11 points and six rebounds per game), Sarah Jacobson (10.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game) and Rylee Nudell (10.2 points per game, 55 percent field-goal percentage).
- Sarah Jacobson ranks second in The Summit League in assists and fourth in three-point field-goal percentage (44 percent), while Nudell ranks fourth in the league in field-goal percentage. Freshman Macey Kvilvang ranks fourth (1.2 blocks per game), and Reilly Jacobson ranks fifth (one block per game) in blocked shots.
- As a team, NDSU is averaging 68.1 points, 35.8 rebounds and 15.3 turnovers per game while its opponents are averaging 71.9 points, 38.3 boards and 13 turnovers per game.
- The Bison lead The Summit League in three-point field-goal percentage (37.2 percent) and blocked shots (4.4 per game), and rank third in assists (16.3 per game).
- North Dakota State was picked to finish sixth in The Summit League preseason poll.
About Western Illinois
- The Western Illinois University Leathernecks enter the week with an overall record of 19-8 and a Summit League record of 8-4 after falling to South Dakota State Feb. 17, 70-42.
- Through 27 games, WIU is led by senior Emily Clemens, who leads The Summit League with 7.9 assists and 3.1 steals per game, and ranks second with 17.6 points per game. Junior Taylor Higginbotham (16.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game) and senior Morgan Blumer (14.9 points per game) are also averaging in double figures for the Leathernecks.
- As a team, Western Illinois is averaging 82.6 points, 38.2 rebounds and 12.6 turnovers per game its opponents are averaging 67 points, 42.5 rebounds and 20 turnovers per game.
- WIU leads The Summit League in scoring offense (82.6 points per game), assists (18.3 per game) and steals (12.4 per game).
- The Leathernecks were picked to finish second in The Summit League preseason poll.
- Western Illinois is under the leadership of seventh season head coach J.D. Gravina.
About Omaha
- The Omaha Mavericks enter the week at 11-14 overall and 2-10 in Summit League action after falling at Denver Feb. 17, 81-60.
- UNO is scheduled to play at Oral Roberts Wednesday before facing the Bison Saturday.
- Through 25 games, the Mavs are led by junior Amber Vidal, who is averaging 13.3 points per game. Juniors Ellie Brecht (10.6 points per game) and Jess Walter (10.2 points per game) are also averaging in double figures.
- Junior Courtney Vaccher leads Omaha on the glass with 6.6 rebounds per game.
- Vaccher leads The Summit League with a 63 percent field-goal percentage.
- As a team, Omaha is averaging 64.5 points, 34.8 rebounds and 16.2 turnovers per game while its opponents are averaging 72.5 points, 37.9 boards and 13.2 turnovers per game.
- The Mavericks were picked to finish fifth in The Summit League preseason poll.
- UNO is under the direction of fifth season head coach Brittany Lange.
Last Time Out: NDSU Women's Hoops Earns 66-52 Victory at Fort Wayne
The North Dakota State University women's basketball team earned a 66-52 win over the Fort Wayne Mastodons Thursday, Feb. 15, at the Gates Sports Center.
Sophomore Sarah Jacobson scored a game-high 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting to lead three NDSU players in double figures. Reilly Jacobson posted 17 points, including a 7-of-7 performance at the free-throw line, and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds, while Michelle Gaislerova and Rylee Nudell each netted 10 points.
After trailing at the end of the first quarter, 17-15, North Dakota State caught fire in the second quarter, outscoring Fort Wayne 22-11 to take a 37-28 lead going into halftime.
The Mastodons trimmed the NDSU lead to five with 5:35 to go in the third quarter, but the Bison responded with a 9-2 run, gaining a 50-38 advantage with less than a minute remaining in the stanza.
Fort Wayne would get no closer than seven points the remainder of the game.
NDSU shot 41 percent from the floor and 33 percent from three-point range in the game, while making 18-of-21 free throws for 86 percent.
The Bison outrebounded the Mastodons, 38-31, and scored 20 second-chance points, compared to just seven for the home team. North Dakota State also posted a 26-14 advantage in points scored in the paint.
KeShyra McCarver tallied 15 points to pace Fort Wayne.
Jacobson² Leading Bison in League Play
Sophomores Sarah Jacobson and Reilly Jacobson are averaging a combined 25.2 points, 11.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in North Dakota State's 12 Summit League games. Reilly Jacobson is averaging a team-high 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, and is shooting 50 percent from the floor, while Sarah Jacobson is averaging 12.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and a team-best 3.3 assists per game in league play.
Jacobson among NDSU Career Leaders
Sarah Jacobson ranks in the NDSU career records top 10 in both three-point field-goal percentage and assists average. Jacobson is second in career three-point field-goal percentage at 39 percent and seventh in career assists average with 3.8 assists per game.
Thunstedt on the NDSU Career Charts
Senior Taylor Thunstedt ranks 12th on the NDSU women's basketball career scoring chart with 1,370 career points entering Thursday's game. She holds the NDSU career records for both three-point field goals made (273) and attempted (727), and ranks fifth in career three-point field-goal percentage (37.6 percent).
From Downtown
The Bison lead The Summit League and 25th nationally in three-point field-goal percentage at 37 percent through 26 games. Individually, NDSU has two players ranked in the top-10 in the league in three-point field-goal percentage. Sarah Jacobson is fourth at 44.1 percent while Michelle Gaislerova is seventh at 41.6 percent.
Sharing the Basketball
Through 26 games, North Dakota State ranks third in The Summit League and 39th nationally in assists per game (16.3). The Bison rank 52nd nationally in total assists (423).
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 26 games. Jacobson leads NDSU and ranks second in the league with 4.2 assist per game while Fernandez is 7th with 2.7 assists per game.
Reilly and Rylee Making an Impact Offensively and Defensively
Through 26 games, Reilly Jacobson and Rylee Nudell are averaging a combined 21.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Jacobson is averaging 11 points, six rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while Nudell is averaging 10.2 points, 3.8 boards and 2.1 assists per game.
Converting Shots
Rylee Nudell leads NDSU and ranks fourth in The Summit League in field-goal percentage at 55 percent. She has made 102 shots in 187 attempts in 26 games.
The Bison Block Party
Entering the week NDSU leads The Summit League in blocked shots with 114 blocks and 4.4 blocks per game. Individually, three Bison rank in the top-10 in the league in blocks. Macey Kvilvang is fourth with 31 blocks and 1.2 blocks per game, Reilly Jacobson is fifth with 25 blocks and one block per game and Autumn Ogden is 10th with 19 blocks and 0.7 blocks per game.
Taking Care of the Basketball
Through 26 games, Sarah Jacobson ranks third in The Summit League in assist-to-turnover ratio. Jacobson has 108 assists and 69 turnovers for a 1.6 ratio.
Bench Contributions
The NDSU bench has outscored opposing benches 742-514 through 26 games. NDSU is averaging 28.5 bench points per game while its opponents are only averaging 19.8 bench points per game.
Tourney Time
With the regular season wrapping up Saturday, NDSU will travel to Sioux Falls, S.D., for The Summit League Women's Basketball Championship March 3-6 at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. NDSU's game date, time and opening round opponent will be announced Saturday evening by the league office.
