Bison Women Host Iowa State, Wyoming at Scheels Center

Friday, November 22

Fargo, N.D.

7 p.m.

North Dakota State

Iowa State

Photo by: Ryan Workman

Bison Women Host Iowa State, Wyoming at Scheels Center

11/20/2019 4:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball

NDSU Women's Basketball Notes - Iowa State & Wyoming Live Video (Iowa State)Live Audio (Iowa State)Live Stats (Iowa State)Live Video (Wyoming)Live Audio (Wyoming)Live Stats (Wyoming)

Scene Setter
   The North Dakota State women's basketball team returns home for a pair of games with Iowa State and Wyoming. The Bison will face Iowa State on Friday, Nov. 22, before hosting the Cowgirls on Monday, Nov. 25. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. for both games at the Scheels Center inside the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. Both games will be broadcast on MidcoSN2 and ESPN+, while being broadcast on the radio on Bison 1660 and 92.7 FM.

Iowa State Series History
   The Cyclones defeated NDSU 80-51 in the only previous meeting, coming Jan. 4, 2011 in Ames. NDSU is 0-5 all-time against the Big 12. The Cyclones are the first Big 12 opponent to ever play in Fargo.

Wyoming Series History
   The Cowgirls own a 3-0 lead in the all-time series that dates to a 68-51 Wyoming victory in Casper, Wyo. on Dec. 13, 2008. This will be the second meeting in Fargo between the two teams, with Wyoming defeating NDSU 68-60 on Nov. 20, 2009. The last meeting came at the Air Force Academy on Dec. 7, 2013, with Wyoming winning 72-69.

Bison Notes

NDSU led at halftime against Creighton on Monday night before falling 70-59.
Junior Emily Dietz turned in her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Dietz ranks 17th in the nation in double-doubles this season.
The Bison dropped a 66-54 contest against Valparaiso on Nov. 15.
NDSU went 0-for-14 from 3-point range against the Crusaders, snapping a streak of 113-straight games with at least two 3-pointers.
NDSU dropped a 74-68 overtime game against Northern Illinois in the home opener.
The overtime game was the first women's overtime game played at the Scheels Center and the first overtime game for the NDSU women since Jan. 14, 2016 against South Dakota.
Dietz recorded her second career double-double with 21 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
NDSU opened the season at Northern Iowa, falling 95-63. The Panthers are now 4-0 with wins over Missouri and Iowa.
Three players scored in double digits for the Bison, led by 15 points from Michelle Gaislerova. It was the 40th career double digit scoring effort from Gaislerova. Ryan Cobbins added 12 points, while Sofija Zivaljevic had 10.
Gaislerova moved into seventh in school history with her 127th career 3-pointer against the Panthers.
NDSU picked up an 88-51 victory over NCAA Division II Minnesota-Crookston in exhibition play.
Four players scored in double figures in the victory, led by Cobbins with 18 points. Dietz (16), Cirkeline Rimdal (11) and Nicole Scales (10) were also in double figures.
Dietz led the Bison with nine rebounds in the exhibition contest, while Zivaljevic added seven assists.
NDSU is led by new head coach Jory Collins. Collins spent last season as an assistant coach at Kansas after eight years as the head coach at NCAA Division II Emporia State.

Scouting Iowa State

The Cyclones are 2-1 after a 79-59 victory against Texas Southern on Tuesday morning. The lone loss for Iowa State was at Drake on Nov. 10, falling 86-81.
Head Coach Bill Fennelly ranks 13th among active NCAA Division I head coaches in victories with 673. Fennelly also has 20 seasons with 20 or more victories.
Sophomore Ashley Joens grabbed 20 rebounds against Texas Southern on Tuesday, the ninth time this year a player has had 20 or more rebounds in a NCAA Division I game this season.
Iowa State finished second in the Big 12 last year behind National Champion Baylor, while also finishing second at the Big 12 Tournament to the Bears.
The Cyclones have made the NCAA Tournament 18 times under Fennelly, including a trip to the second round last season.

Scouting Wyoming

The Cowgirls are 2-2 after a 2-0 start to the season. Wyoming has suffered back-to-back losses to Denver (71-57) and Colorado (66-54).
Wyoming went 25-9 last season and advanced to the WNIT Quarterfinals before losing 67-45 to eventual WNIT Champion Arizona.
Two players average in double figures for the Cowgirls in Alba Sanchez Ramos and Quinn Weidemann. Sanchez Ramos averages 10.3 points, while Weidemann averages 10.0.
Weidemann, Taylor Rusk and Karla Erjavec each have 10 or more assists on the season.

Ladies Night Against Iowa State
   When the Bison host Iowa State on Friday night, it will be Ladies Night. The first 200 ladies in attendance will receive a NDSU Tote Bag, sponsored by CI Sport. There will also be a pregame social in the Radio FM Club Suite when doors open that includes hors d'oeuvres. This is all included with the purchase of a ticket to the game.

Last Time Out
   Creighton scored 26 points off 21 North Dakota State turnovers Monday night, as the Bluejays beat the NDSU women's basketball team 70-59 in front of 888 fans at D.J. Sokol Arena.
   The loss dropped the Bison to 0-4 on the season, while the Bluejays improved to 3-1. All three wins for Creighton have come against Summit League schools (Omaha, South Dakota State, North Dakota State).
   Emily Dietz had her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 assists, while dishing out a season-high two assists. Ryan Cobbins had 11 points, scoring in double figures for the fourth-straight game. Cobbins joins teammate Michelle Gaislerova as the only two players in NDSU's NCAA Division I history to score in double figures in the first four games of their freshman year. Rylee Nudell added a season-high 10 points for her 30th career double digit scoring effort. Jaylyn Agnew and Tatum Rembao led the Bluejays with 25 and 22 points respectively.
   Gaislerova tied a career-high with seven rebounds, while Danneka Voegeli added six. Sofija Zivaljevic and Nicole Scales each had two assists. Cobbins had a season-high two blocked shots, while recording two steals as well.
   The Bison were 22-of-54 (40.7%) from the floor and 6-of-17 (35.3%) from 3-point range. Creighton was 28-of-58 (48.3%) from the field and 6-of-17 (35.3%) from downtown. NDSU was 9-of-16 (56.3%) at the free throw line, while the Bluejays were 8-of-12. Creighton had a 42-28 advantage in the paint and 26-8 in points off turnovers. NDSU won the battle on the glass with a 39-29 rebounding advantage.
   NDSU had a 6-2 lead in the first :44 of the game, but the Bluejays closed the remainder of the first quarter on a 13-4 run to take a 15-10 lead after the first quarter. The Bison opened the second quarter on a 13-4 run, taking a 23-19 lead on six-straight points from Dietz.
   The Bison led 28-25 at the half and extended that lead to 31-25 as Zivaljevic hit a 3-pointer to open the second half. Creighton responded with a 13-2 run over the next 3:41 to take the lead for good.

3-Point Streak Ends
   The Bison went 0-of-14 from 3-point range against Valparaiso on Nov. 15, ending a streak of 113-straight games with at least two 3-pointers. The last time NDSU didn't hit a 3-pointer in a game was Nov. 29, 2015 against Delaware.

Gaislerova Named to 2018-19 Google Cloud Academic All-District First Team
   Michelle Gaislerova was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District Women's Basketball First Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) last season.
   Gaislerova has a 4.0 GPA and majors in Journalism. The award recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The Google Cloud Academic All-America® program separately recognizes basketball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the Google Cloud Academic All-America® ballot.
    The Google Cloud Academic All-District® teams are divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada. North Dakota State is in district six, which includes schools from Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Gaislerova was one of three selections from the Summit League, joining South Dakota's Allison Arens and Ciara Duffy.

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 was tabbed the preseason favorite with 20 first-place votes, while South Dakota State was picked second with 13 first-place votes. Denver, picked for third, received the remaining first place vote.

Last Time Against Iowa State
   Whitney Trecker and Katie Birkel led the Bison with 12 and 11 points respectively, as the Cyclones beat NDSU 80-51 at Hilton Coliseum on Jan. 4, 2011.
   Iowa State shot 53.6% from the field, while NDSU was 18-of-59 (30.5%). The Bison had a 13-6 advantage in points off turnovers, but Iowa State dominated the glass with a 52-20 rebounding edge. Iowa State had a 40-10 advantage in the paint and 15-2 advantage in second chance points thanks to 14 offensive rebounds.
   Anna Prins led the Cyclones with a game-high 22 points, while adding nine rebounds.

Last Time Against Wyoming
   Holly Johnson scored a career-high 31 points, but it wasn't enough, as NDSU women's basketball (3-6) fell to the Wyoming Cowgirls (6-2), 72-69, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013, on the final day of the Air Force Classic inside Clune Arena at the United States Air Force Academy.
   The Bison fell behind early in the game after Fallon Lewis hit a three to give Wyoming the 5-2 lead with 19:02 remaining in the first half. NDSU responded, going on a 14-2 run, beginning with a three from Bree Whatman to tie the game with 18:36 left in the first half. The Bison lead grew to nine after Marena Whittle nailed a jumper at the 14:29 mark of the stanza.
   The Bison took a 12 point lead, 38-26, after Johnson hit a layup and was fouled and nailed the bonus free throw with three minutes remaining to play in the half. The Bison went into halftime leading Wyoming, 40-29.
   Wyoming came out strong in the second half, cutting the Bison lead to four, 53-49, after a three-pointer from Mileto with 12:22 remaining in the half.
   NDSU was able to push the lead to nine when Kahla Becken hit a pair of free throws at the 10:36 mark, but, the Cowgirls answered, cutting the Bison lead to five with 9:33 remaining on a layup from Fallon Lewis.
   Wyoming cut the NDSU advantage to just one with 6:50 on the clock in the second half after a jumper from Kaylie Rader. The Bison were able to increase the lead back to five after a Brooke LeMar layup with 4:48 remaining.
   The Cowgirls tied the game at 69 with 1:11 remaining to play in the second half after Fallon Lewis grabbed a missed free throw from Woodward and converted a layup.
   Wyoming took the lead with 27 seconds on the clock after Woodward was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws. Lewis increased the Cowgirl advantage to three with nine seconds remaining in the half after she hit both free throws. NDSU had one final opportunity to tie the contest, but could not get a shot off.
   Johnson led all scorers in the game with her career-high 31 points. She also snagged 12 boards to pick up the double-double. Lewis paced Wyoming with a double-double, scoring 20 points, with 14 of the 20 coming in the second half, while pulling down a game-high 21 boards.
   NDSU was 27-for-71 (38 percent) from the field, 7-for-24 (29 percent) from three and 8-of-10 from the charity stripe in the game. Wyoming shot 43 percent from the field, going 27-for-63, and were 4-for-15 from three for 27 percent. The Cowgirls shot 25 free throws in the contest, making 14 of them for 56 percent. The Bison pulled down 41 rebounds while the Cowgirls snagged 48.

MidcoSN to Televise 17 NDSU Women's Basketball Games in 2019-20
   Midco has announced that 17 NDSU women's basketball games during the 2019-20 season will be broadcast on the Midco Sports Network. All games will either be on MidcoSN or MidcsoSN2. In addition, all 17 Midco games, along with games at Northern Iowa and Bradley, will either be available on ESPN+ or ESPN3.

Bison Sign Three on National Signing Day
   NDSU will add a pair of high school players, while also getting a junior college transfer, head coach Jory Collins announced on Wednesday, Nov. 14.
   Abigail Schulte, a 5-10 guard from Maple Grove, Minn., Kylie Strop, a 5-7 guard from River Falls, Wis. and Reneya Hopkins, a 5-7 junior college transfer from Redlands Community College have all signed during the first signing day for Collins.
   An all-conference junior college performer, Hopkins averaged 14.4 points, 5.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks during her freshman year at RCC. An all-state selection as a junior, Schulte averaged 12.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a junior. Strop is the all-time leader in scoring and steals at River Falls High School, averaging 19.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.0 steals as a junior.

Head Coach Jory Collins
   Jory Collins was named the head coach of the North Dakota State women's basketball program on April 29, 2019.
   Collins is the 11th head coach of the Bison. Collins just finished his first year as an assistant at the University of Kansas after spending eight seasons as the head coach at NCAA Division II Emporia State.
   This past season at Kansas, Collins primarily worked with the post players. He helped recruit the No. 2 class in the Big 12 after the early signing period in November.
   Collins spent 12 years at Emporia State, including the last eight as the head coach. He compiled a record of 199-56 with five straight Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association tournament titles (2013-17) and six straight trips to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 (2012-17). In 2017, Emporia State finished the season ranked first in the NCAA Central Region for the third time in four years.
   His 2015 team won the NCAA Division II Central Region championship, advancing to the Final Four with a 29-5 record. Collins has a 33-9 career postseason record in the MIAA and NCAA tournaments, while compiling a 15-8 overall record against teams ranked in the top 10 in the nation.
   Collins was named the KBCA Women's Basketball Four-Year Coach of the Year in 2015, while being named the NCAA Division II Region 7 Russell Athletic/WBCA Coach of the Year in 2014. The Hornets finished with 20 or more wins in seven of his eight seasons as a head coach.
   Off the floor, the Hornets finished with the top GPA (3.72) in NCAA Division II in 2017. The 2018 squad finished fourth in the nation with a 3.71 GPA.
   Prior to being the head coach at Emporia State, Collins spent four years as an assistant for the Hornets. Emporia State won back-to-back MIAA championships in 2008 and 2009. In 2010, the Hornets won the NCAA Division II national championship with a 30-5 record. Collins served as the primary recruiter that identified, evaluated, recruited and signed the class that won the national championship.
   Collins earned a bachelor's degree in education from Emporia State in 2002 and a master's degree in science in school leadership from Emporia State in 2006.

On The Horizon
   NDSU will head East after Thanksgiving for a pair of games at Northeastern and New Hampshire. The Bison will face Northeastern in Boston on Nov. 30, before closing the weekend at New Hampshire on Dec. 1.