
Photo by: Carrie Snyder
Bison Women Travel to Omaha for First Summit League Road Game
1/4/2019 7:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball
North Dakota State at Omaha
Sunday, Jan. 5 | 2 p.m. (Central) | Omaha, Neb. (Baxter Arena)
Radio: Bison 1660 / 92.7 FM
TV: MidcoSN2 / ESPN+
Live Stats: OMavs.com
Full Game Notes (PDF)
NDSU WBB on Twitter: @NDSUwbb
Scene Setter
After a week off, the North Dakota State women's basketball team returns to action on Sunday, Jan. 5 against Omaha. The game in Omaha, Neb. will be the first of the 2019 portion of the schedule for the Bison.
Omaha Series History
North Dakota State leads the all-time series 45-18. The Mavs have won the last four games in a series that started in 1980. The Bison are 0-3 in three trips to Baxter Arena.
Bison Notes
Last Time Out
An early 7-0 lead wasn't enough for the North Dakota State women's basketball team on Sunday, as South Dakota beat the Bison 67-41 at the Scheels Center.
With the Bison leading 7-0 with 6:39 to play in the first quarter, the Coyotes answered with a 15-0 run over the next 5:13 to take the lead for good. The Bison scored the final six points of the first quarter, cutting the South Dakota lead to 15-13 after the first quarter.
South Dakota scored the first five points of the second quarter en route to an 11-3 run in the opening 4:20 of the quarter to take a 26-16 lead. A layup by Tyrah Spencer cut the lead to 26-18 with 5:23 left in the first half, but the Coyotes went on a 10-2 run in the next 2:26 to put the lead into double digits for the remainder of the game. An and-one from Emily Dietz with :07 left cut the South Dakota lead to 38-25 at the half.
The Coyotes outscored North Dakota State 19-5 in the third quarter, while using an early 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 35 with 4:11 to play. The Bison scored the final nine points over a 3:04 span.
Dietz led the Bison with 12 points, while Michelle Gaislerova and Rylee Nudell each had eight points. Hannah Sjerven led the Coyotes with a game-high 15 points. Marina Fernandez, Danneka Voegeli and Dietz each had a team-high five rebounds. Gaislerova, Fernandez and Nudell each had a team-high two assists, while Dietz finished with a career-high two blocked shots.
NDSU was 14-of-50 (28%) from the field and 3-of-15 (20%) from 3-point range. The Coyotes were 27-of-61 (44.3%) from the floor and 7-of-13 (53.8%) from downtown. The Bison were 10-of-13 (76.9%) at the free throw line, while the Coyotes were 6-of-9 at the charity stripe. The Coyotes had advantages in all the specialty stats including points in the paint (34-20), points off turnovers (19-6), second chance points (12-3), fastbreak points (9-0) and bench points (26-10).
94 and Counting
North Dakota State has made at least two 3-pointers in 96-straight games dating back to a loss against Delaware on Nov. 29, 2015. The Bison are averaging 5.6 3-pointers per game this year and have hit at least seven in six games.
Mixing It Up
The Bison have played 10 different players in 14 games, with eight of them playing at least 36 minutes. The Bison have tallied 51 different lineups with the 10 players. NDSU has used 10 different lineups for at least 10 minutes. The combination of Michelle Gaislerova, Tyrah Spencer, Emily Dietz, Marina Fernandez and Rylee Nudell have the highest plus rating in 157:43 of playing together. The group has outscored opponents 242-233. Spencer has the highest plus rating of the year in the win over Purdue Fort Wayne, as the Bison were +28 in her 34:46 of action in the victory.
Making Them When They Matter
The Bison are shooting 65.8 percent (133-for-202) at the free throw line this year, but they are hitting them when it matters. NDSU is 29-of-36 (80.6%) at the charity stripe in the final three minutes of games this season. Sofija Zivaljevic (six), Cirkeline Rimdal (four), Rylee Nudell (three) and Emily Dietz (two) are all perfect in the final three minutes at the line this year. Michelle Gaislerova has the most attempts and is shooting 8-of-11 (72.7) in the final three minutes.
Zivaljevic is Eligible
After sitting out the first semester following her transfer from Iowa State, Sofija Zivaljevic became eligible to play against Valparaiso. Zivaljevic played in eight games as a freshman at Iowa State, averaging 0.9 points in 3.5 minutes for a Cyclone team that went 18-13 in 2016-17.
2018-19 NDSU Women's Basketball Captains Announced
Rylee Nudell, Tyrah Spencer and Marina Fernandez have been voted team captains for the Bison for the upcoming 2018-19 season. This is the second year that Spencer has been voted a captain.
Bison Sign Two on National Signing Day
NDSU announced the signing of high school standouts, Nicole Scales and Olivia Skibiel, to a National Letter of Intent to attend NDSU and play basketball starting in the fall of 2019. Scales is a 5-9 guard from Park Ridge, Ill., while Skibiel is a 6-1 guard/forward from Snohomish, Wash. In 31 games last season, Scales averaged a team-best 12.4 points per game. She also owns the Maine South single-season record for 3-pointers in a season with 80 and highest free throw percentage (47-of-59 – 80%).Skibiel averaged 18.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game as a junior. She was 69-of-80 (86%) at the free throw line during junior season.
NDSU Women's Basketball Picked Seventh In Summit League Preseason Poll
The North Dakota State Bison women's basketball team was voted seventh in the Summit League preseason poll released by the league office. South Dakota State was tabbed the preseason favorite with 24 first-place votes, while South Dakota was picked second with the remaining nine first-place votes. The Summit League finished 12th out of 32 conferences in RPI last season.
MidcoSN to Televise Every NDSU Women's Basketball Home Game in 2018-19
Midco has announced that all 14 NDSU home games during the 2018-19 season will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network. All games will either be on MidcoSN or MidcoSN2. In addition, all home games will be covered by ESPN+ or ESPN3. Road games at Omaha (Jan. 6), South Dakota State (Jan. 23), North Dakota (Feb. 7) and South Dakota (Feb. 28) will also be on the Midco Sports Network.
On the Horizon
The Bison will be back in action on Friday, Jan. 11 against Western Illinois at the Scheels Center.
Sunday, Jan. 5 | 2 p.m. (Central) | Omaha, Neb. (Baxter Arena)
Radio: Bison 1660 / 92.7 FM
TV: MidcoSN2 / ESPN+
Live Stats: OMavs.com
Full Game Notes (PDF)
NDSU WBB on Twitter: @NDSUwbb
Scene Setter
After a week off, the North Dakota State women's basketball team returns to action on Sunday, Jan. 5 against Omaha. The game in Omaha, Neb. will be the first of the 2019 portion of the schedule for the Bison.
Omaha Series History
North Dakota State leads the all-time series 45-18. The Mavs have won the last four games in a series that started in 1980. The Bison are 0-3 in three trips to Baxter Arena.
Bison Notes
- North Dakota State raced out to a 7-0 lead against South Dakota last week. The Coyotes answered with a 15-0 run and didn't trail in the game from that point on.
- The Bison beat Purdue Fort Wayne 70-54 in the Summit League opener. It was the first victory in a league opener since beating Oral Roberts 77-64 to open league play in 2014-15.
- Holding a three point lead with 7:18 to play in the first half, the Bison ended the opening half against Purdue Fort Wayne on a 21-0 run. The Bison hit just one 3-pointer during the run, while eight of the points came at the free throw line.
- During the non-conference portion of the season, the Bison used the same starting five of Michelle Gaislerova, Marina Fernandez, Emily Dietz, Rylee Nudell and Tyrah Spencer. The group started in six different states (North Dakota, Wisconsin, California, Illinois, Indiana and Florida). Iowa State transfer Sofija Zivaljevic has started in the two Summit League games in replace of Nudell.
- Gaislerova was named to the 31st Annual Hatter Classic All-Tournament Team. Gaislerova averaged 14.5 points per game in the two Bison games in Florida.
- In five games since becoming eligible (NCAA Transfer Rule), Zivaljevic is second on the team in scoring for the year with 9.2 points per game. She is also averaging 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game, while averaging 22.6 minutes per game.
- For the third time this season, Gaislerova scored at least 20 points with 20 against Stetson. Gaislerova has scored in double figures in 11 of 14 game this season.
- The Bison trailed by 11 with 4:07 to play in the second quarter against Valparaiso. It was the largest lead the Bison have overcome in a victory this season, as NDSU pulled out the 51-48 win.
- The Mavs are looking for their first win in nearly a month, as Omaha has dropped five-straight games. The last victory for the Mavs came on Dec. 9 against CSU Bakersfield, a 53-46 Mavs victory.
- Sophomore Claire Killian became the first Maverick to eclipse the 20-point mark this season with a career-high 21 points against Denver last Friday.
- Three Mavericks are averaging 9.0 points per game or more this season: Killian (10.1 ppg), Rayanna Carter (9.9ppg) and Elena Pilakouta (9.1 ppg).
- Killian is the only returning starter for the Mavericks back from last season.
- With 109 rebounds on the season, Josie Filer ranks 92nd in the nation.
- Omaha ranks 15th in the nation in fewest fouls per game. The Mavericks are committing just 13.7 fouls per game.
Last Time Out
An early 7-0 lead wasn't enough for the North Dakota State women's basketball team on Sunday, as South Dakota beat the Bison 67-41 at the Scheels Center.
With the Bison leading 7-0 with 6:39 to play in the first quarter, the Coyotes answered with a 15-0 run over the next 5:13 to take the lead for good. The Bison scored the final six points of the first quarter, cutting the South Dakota lead to 15-13 after the first quarter.
South Dakota scored the first five points of the second quarter en route to an 11-3 run in the opening 4:20 of the quarter to take a 26-16 lead. A layup by Tyrah Spencer cut the lead to 26-18 with 5:23 left in the first half, but the Coyotes went on a 10-2 run in the next 2:26 to put the lead into double digits for the remainder of the game. An and-one from Emily Dietz with :07 left cut the South Dakota lead to 38-25 at the half.
The Coyotes outscored North Dakota State 19-5 in the third quarter, while using an early 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 35 with 4:11 to play. The Bison scored the final nine points over a 3:04 span.
Dietz led the Bison with 12 points, while Michelle Gaislerova and Rylee Nudell each had eight points. Hannah Sjerven led the Coyotes with a game-high 15 points. Marina Fernandez, Danneka Voegeli and Dietz each had a team-high five rebounds. Gaislerova, Fernandez and Nudell each had a team-high two assists, while Dietz finished with a career-high two blocked shots.
NDSU was 14-of-50 (28%) from the field and 3-of-15 (20%) from 3-point range. The Coyotes were 27-of-61 (44.3%) from the floor and 7-of-13 (53.8%) from downtown. The Bison were 10-of-13 (76.9%) at the free throw line, while the Coyotes were 6-of-9 at the charity stripe. The Coyotes had advantages in all the specialty stats including points in the paint (34-20), points off turnovers (19-6), second chance points (12-3), fastbreak points (9-0) and bench points (26-10).
94 and Counting
North Dakota State has made at least two 3-pointers in 96-straight games dating back to a loss against Delaware on Nov. 29, 2015. The Bison are averaging 5.6 3-pointers per game this year and have hit at least seven in six games.
Mixing It Up
The Bison have played 10 different players in 14 games, with eight of them playing at least 36 minutes. The Bison have tallied 51 different lineups with the 10 players. NDSU has used 10 different lineups for at least 10 minutes. The combination of Michelle Gaislerova, Tyrah Spencer, Emily Dietz, Marina Fernandez and Rylee Nudell have the highest plus rating in 157:43 of playing together. The group has outscored opponents 242-233. Spencer has the highest plus rating of the year in the win over Purdue Fort Wayne, as the Bison were +28 in her 34:46 of action in the victory.
Making Them When They Matter
The Bison are shooting 65.8 percent (133-for-202) at the free throw line this year, but they are hitting them when it matters. NDSU is 29-of-36 (80.6%) at the charity stripe in the final three minutes of games this season. Sofija Zivaljevic (six), Cirkeline Rimdal (four), Rylee Nudell (three) and Emily Dietz (two) are all perfect in the final three minutes at the line this year. Michelle Gaislerova has the most attempts and is shooting 8-of-11 (72.7) in the final three minutes.
Zivaljevic is Eligible
After sitting out the first semester following her transfer from Iowa State, Sofija Zivaljevic became eligible to play against Valparaiso. Zivaljevic played in eight games as a freshman at Iowa State, averaging 0.9 points in 3.5 minutes for a Cyclone team that went 18-13 in 2016-17.
2018-19 NDSU Women's Basketball Captains Announced
Rylee Nudell, Tyrah Spencer and Marina Fernandez have been voted team captains for the Bison for the upcoming 2018-19 season. This is the second year that Spencer has been voted a captain.
Bison Sign Two on National Signing Day
NDSU announced the signing of high school standouts, Nicole Scales and Olivia Skibiel, to a National Letter of Intent to attend NDSU and play basketball starting in the fall of 2019. Scales is a 5-9 guard from Park Ridge, Ill., while Skibiel is a 6-1 guard/forward from Snohomish, Wash. In 31 games last season, Scales averaged a team-best 12.4 points per game. She also owns the Maine South single-season record for 3-pointers in a season with 80 and highest free throw percentage (47-of-59 – 80%).Skibiel averaged 18.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game as a junior. She was 69-of-80 (86%) at the free throw line during junior season.
NDSU Women's Basketball Picked Seventh In Summit League Preseason Poll
The North Dakota State Bison women's basketball team was voted seventh in the Summit League preseason poll released by the league office. South Dakota State was tabbed the preseason favorite with 24 first-place votes, while South Dakota was picked second with the remaining nine first-place votes. The Summit League finished 12th out of 32 conferences in RPI last season.
MidcoSN to Televise Every NDSU Women's Basketball Home Game in 2018-19
Midco has announced that all 14 NDSU home games during the 2018-19 season will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network. All games will either be on MidcoSN or MidcoSN2. In addition, all home games will be covered by ESPN+ or ESPN3. Road games at Omaha (Jan. 6), South Dakota State (Jan. 23), North Dakota (Feb. 7) and South Dakota (Feb. 28) will also be on the Midco Sports Network.
On the Horizon
The Bison will be back in action on Friday, Jan. 11 against Western Illinois at the Scheels Center.
Players Mentioned
NDSU Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference - March 22, 2026
Sunday, March 22
NDSU Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference - March 19, 2026
Friday, March 20
The Bison Basketball Show - March 11, 2026
Thursday, March 12
The Bison Basketball Show - March 4, 2026
Thursday, March 05



























