Bison Women Open Summit League Play at Denver

Sunday, December 29

Denver, Colo.

2 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

Denver

Photo by: Xavier Bonner

Bison Women Open Summit League Play at Denver

12/27/2019 4:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball

NDSU WBB Notes - Denver Live Video Live Audio Live Stats

Scene Setter
The North Dakota State women's basketball team opens Summit League play on Sunday, Dec. 29 at Denver. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. central time at Magness Arena, with the men's game between the two schools to follow. The game is available on Altitude 2 TV, while on radio on Bison 1660 and 92.7 FM. Keith Brake has the radio call for the Bison.

Denver Series History
Both teams have won nine games in a series that dates back to an 86-54 victory on Dec. 19, 1987 in Denver. The Pioneers have won the last four meetings, while the last NDSU victory came on Feb. 15, 2017, winning 67-58 in Fargo. The last victory in Denver was Dec. 31, 2016, as the Bison came away with an 86-80 victory.

Bison Notes

The Bison closed non-conference play on Sunday, defeating Waldorf 92-26.
NDSU attempted 35 3-pointers, the second most in school history, while making 14, the fifth most in school history, in the win over Waldorf.
Junior Michelle Gaislerova moved into fourth in school history with her 147th career 3-pointer against Waldorf.
NDSU used a 38-7 third quarter advantage in a 97-59 victory over Mayville State on Dec. 15.
The Bison moved to 27-0 all-time against the Comets.
Emily Dietz had a season-high 22 points against Mayville State, while Gaislerova tied a season-high with 21 points.
Wisconsin defeated NDSU 64-63 Dec. 8 in the final non-conference game against an NCAA Division I opponent. NDSU had a shot in the final possession, but couldn't get it to fall.
Gaislerova surpassed 800 points for her career against the Badgers.
The Badgers were the second Power Five school to play at the Scheels Center this year, as Iowa State came to town on Nov. 22. It was the first time in school history that the Bison have hosted two Power Five schools in the same season.
The Bison dropped a 70-64 game at Bradley on Dec. 5. The game was tied 61-61 with 4:30 to play.
Dietz led the Bison with 16 points and eight rebounds against the Braves.
NDSU picked up the first win of the season at New Hampshire, defeating the Wildcats 67-61.
Sofija Zivaljevic had a career-high 28 points off the bench in the victory over New Hampshire.
Dietz fell just short of her second-straight double-double, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds.
The Bison opened a Thanksgiving Weekend trip to the east coast at Northeastern, where the Bison dropped a 72-61 contest to the Huskies.
Dietz had a double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds against the Huskies.
Wyoming used a 16-2 run late in the third and early in the fourth quarters to beat NDSU 66-57.
Iowa State defeated NDSU 86-58 on Nov. 22. The game marked the first time a Big 12 school had played in Fargo.
Freshman Ryan Cobbins became the first player in NDSU's NCAA Division I history to score in double figures in the first five games of her freshman career with 12 points against Iowa State.
NDSU led at halftime against Creighton before falling 70-59. Dietz turned in her second double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
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.

Scouting Denver

The Pioneers are 6-7 on the year. Denver has dropped its last two games, with both losses coming at the Puerto Rico Classico before Christmas.
Denver normally plays games in Hamilton Gymnasium, while Sunday's game is the second of three for the Pioneer women in Magness Arena this year. Denver dropped a 78-75 game against New Mexico State in the home opener on Nov. 9 and will face Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 8 in the other game at Magness Arena.
The Pioneers lead the nation in free throws made with 235, while ranking fifth in attempts with 304 and 16th in percentage at 77.3.
Denver has 551 rebounds on the year, ranking seventh in the nation. Offensively, the Pioneers rank 32nd in the nation with 77.1 points per game.
Madison Nelson has eight double-doubles on the year, ranking third in the nation. Nelson ranks third in the nation with 147 points and 89th with 16.8 points per game.
Lauren Loven ranks seventh in the nation in 3-point attempts with 103, while ranking ninth with 39 makes. Her 3.00 3-pointers per game rank 20th in the nation, while she ranks 115th in percentage at 37.9.

Last Time Against Denver
   Emily Dietz scored a career-high 26 points, but it wasn't enough as Denver (13-11, 6-5 Summit) beat the North Dakota State (6-17, 3-7 Summit) women's basketball team 87-67 at the Scheels Center.
   The Bison held an early 4-3 lead on baskets by Dietz and Rylee Nudell. A jumper by Jasmine Jeffcoat in the lane with 7:21 left in the first quarter started a 9-2 Pioneer run that gave Denver the lead for good. The Pioneers held an 18-11 lead after the first quarter and opened the second quarter on a 12-0 run, pushing the lead to 30-11 with 6:18 left in the first half. Denver pushed the lead to 25 late in the half, but a layup by Tyrah Spencer with :59 left in the half cut the lead to 47-24 at the break.
   Denver took its largest lead of the game early in the second half, as a 9-3 run to start the third quarter gave Denver a 56-27 lead with 5:43 to play in the quarter. Four free throws by Sofija Zivaljevic in the final minute of the third quarter cut the lead to 63-39 going into the final frame. NDSU closed the game on a 12-3 run in the final 2:30, leaving Denver with the 87-67 victory.
   Dietz, playing the game with a facemask after taking an elbow to the nose in the previous game, finished with a career-high 26 points to lead all scorers. Zivaljevic joined her in double figures with 11 points, while Nudell and Michelle Gaislerova each had seven points. Samantha Romanowski led the Pioneers with 17 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. Marina Fernandez led the Bison with seven rebounds, while Dietz grabbed five. Nudell and Cirkeline Rimdal each had three assists, tying a career-high for Rimdal. Spencer finished with a game-high three steals.
   NDSU was 20-of-46 (43.5%) from the floor and 4-of-16 from 3-point range. Denver was 32-of-60 (53.3%) from the field and 10-of-19 (52.6%) from downtown. The Bison were 23-of-27 (85.2%) at the free throw line, while Denver was 13-of-21 (61.9%) at the charity stripe. The Pioneers had advantages in points off turnovers (17-8), second chance points (19-5) and bench points (31-20).

Last Time Out
   The North Dakota State women's basketball team scored the first 10 points of the game and never looked back Sunday afternoon, as the Bison beat Waldorf 92-26 at the Scheels Center.
   NDSU improved to 3-9 on the year in the final non-conference game of the season. The Warriors are 2-9 and played the game as an exhibition.
   Senior Rylee Nudell and junior Michelle Gaislerova each scored 18 points to pace the Bison. It was a season-high for Nudell, who played in her 100th game as a Bison. Gaislerova moved into fourth in school history with her 147th career 3-pointer. Cirkeline Rimdal added a career-high 17 points, as all nine Bison that stepped on the floor hit at least one shot. Tina Lair-VanMeter led the Warriors with 12 points. Danneka Voegeli tied a career-high with 12 rebounds, while Emily Dietz grabbed seven. Gaislerova and Olivia Skibiel each had six boards. Nicole Scales had a career-high eight assists, while Ryan Cobbins had a career-high three. Voegeli finished with four steals, while Scales, Rimdal and Skibiel each had two, a career-high for all four.
   The Bison were 35-of-77 (45.5%) from the floor and 14-of-35 (40%) from 3-point range. The 14 3-pointers are the fifth most in school history, while the 35 attempts are the second most in school history. Waldorf was 12-of-53 (22.6%) from the field, while missing on all nine attempts from downtown. The Warriors were perfect on both trips to the free throw line, while the Bison were 8-of-10. NDSU held advantages in points off turnovers (30-2), points in the paint (40-20), second chance points (23-4), fast break points (19-0) and bench points (36-4).
   NDSU scored the final 11 points of the first quarter, taking a 30-4 lead after the first 10 minutes. The Bison scored the final 13 points of the second quarter to take a 51-10 lead at halftime. NDSU closed the game on a 12-4 run over the final 7:16 for the 92-26 victory.

A New 3-Point Streak
   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. Since the game against Valparaiso, the Bison have hit at least five in each of the last nine games, including a season-high nine against Iowa State.

Collins Earns 200th Career Victory
   With NDSU's win over New Hampshire on Dec. 1, head coach Jory Collins earned his 200th career victory. In his ninth season overall as a head coach, Collins earned his first win on Nov. 13, 2010, as Emporia State beat Tulsa 68-64. His 100th career win came on Nov. 25, 2014, as Emporia State beat Henderson State 93-53.

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.

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.

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.

On The Horizon
   The Bison return home on Jan. 2, as NDSU faces Western Illinois. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at the Scheels Center, with a men's game against the Leathernecks to follow at 8 p.m.