Bison Women Set to Host North Dakota in Non-Conference Action

Wednesday, December 16

Fargo, N.D.

7 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

North Dakota

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Photo by: Luke Lu

Bison Women Set to Host North Dakota in Non-Conference Action

12/15/2020 4:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball

NDSU Notes North Dakota Notes Live Streams Game Program

Scene Setter
                The North Dakota State women's basketball team returns to the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex for a non-conference game against North Dakota on Wednesday, Dec. 16. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Fargo. Brian Shawn (Play-By-Play) and Greg Stemen (Analyst) will have the call on MidcoSN2 and ESPN3. Keith Brake and Katie Johnson will have the radio call on Bison 1660.

North Dakota Series History
                The Fighting Hawks own a 48-43 lead in the all-time series. NDSU has won three of the last four meetings, including a season sweep last year. Assuming the two conference games are played in January in Grand Forks, this will mark the first time since the 2003-04 season that the two rivals have played at least three games against each other. The 2003-04 season featured four games, with NDSU winning the first two and UND winning the last two.

Bison Against the Top 25
                NDSU dropped to 0-12 all-time against teams ranked in the USA Today-WBCA and Associated Press polls with Saturday's loss at Iowa State. The Bison dropped two games against a ranked South Dakota squad last season.

NDSU ranked in College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll
                For the first time in school history, the North Dakota State women's basketball team is ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Women's Top 25 Poll. The Bison enter the poll ranked 16th. NDSU was the highest ranked newcomer to the poll this week. The Bison are one of three Summit League teams ranked in the poll, as South Dakota State is number two and South Dakota is number four. The Summit League and the MAC are the only two leagues with three teams ranked in the top 16.

Bison Notes

North Dakota State turned the ball over 13 times in the first half, leading to 22 points, as #24 Iowa State beat NDSU 85-64 on Saturday.
The Bison opened the season with three-straight wins over NCAA Division I opponents. It was the first time in program history the Bison have accomplished that.
After a win over Northern Iowa in the season opener, NDSU swept a weekend series with Green Bay. The Phoenix were ranked 10th in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25.
The 59-51 win over Green Bay on Dec. 5 was the first over a team ranked in the mid-major poll since beating fifth-ranked South Dakota 83-73 on Jan. 14, 2017.
The Bison tied a school record for the fourth time in the Green Bay finale, hitting 16 3-pointers in the 82-66 victory. NDSU nailed 11 long balls in the opening half.

Scouting North Dakota

The Fighting Hawks are 0-4 on the year under interim head coach Mallory Bernhard.
North Dakota is shooting 82.3 percent at the free throw line, leading the Summit League and ranking 12th in the nation.
The Fighting Hawks average 7.8 3-pointers per game, ranking 65th in the nation.
Julia Fleecs has a pair of double-doubles on the season, ranking second in the Summit League and 28th in the nation.
Maggie Manson ranks 33rd in the nation with 3.25 3-pointers per game.

Young and Ready to Run
                The Bison enter the 2020-21 season as one of the youngest teams in America. The Bison average 19.769 years old (year only), which ranks as the 12th youngest team in the country. Oral Roberts, LaSalle, Incarnate Word and Montana State all average 19.3 years.

Experience on the Fly
                Seniors Emily Dietz and Michelle Gaislerova are the only two players on the NDSU roster with more than two years experience playing at the NCAA Division I level. With 84.6 percent of the NDSU roster having two years or less experience, the Bison rank 16th in the country. Murray State, Ole Miss and Indiana State all have a roster complete with players with two or less years of NCAA Division I experience.

Tickets Available for Dec. 16 Game Against North Dakota
                Beginning with the Dec. 16 women's basketball game vs. North Dakota, NDSU anticipates a fan capacity limited to 1,000 people per game. All seating will be general admission and limited to designated, socially distanced areas. Masks are required for all in attendance.
                Tickets for the single women's game Dec. 16 vs. North Dakota will be $13, and tickets for all doubleheader dates in January and February will be $21 – good for admission to both games of the doubleheader. Admission remains free for NDSU students. Tickets for the game with North Dakota are on sale now at GoBison.com/Tickets.

Gaislerova, Cobbins Honored by The Summit League
                Michelle Gaislerova and Ryan Cobbins were honored by the Summit League last year. Gaislerova earned a spot on the All-Summit League Honorable Mention team, while Cobbins was named to the Summit League All-Newcomer Team.
                Gaislerova led the Bison with 13.1 points per game in league play, ranking 10th in the league. She ranked seventh in the league in 3-point percentage at 39.4, while leading the Summit League in free throw percentage at 97.4 percent. Her 28 3-pointers were the sixth most in the league.
                Cobbins averaged 10.1 points per game in league play, ranking third among newcomers to the league. She also averaged 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in league play. Cobbins ranked 10th in the league in free throw percentage at 78 percent.

Gaislerova Joins 1,000 Point Club
                Junior Michelle Gaislerova scored 18 points against Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 13, becoming the 34th member of the 1,000 point club. Needing just one point to start the game, Gaislerova scored the opening basket of the game. She is the seventh player to have done so with all years being played during the NCAA Division I era.

A New 3-Point Streak
                The Bison went 0-of-14 from 3-point range against Valparaiso last year, 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 two in each of the last 31 games.

Gaislerova Makes NCAA History
                With her third made free throw against Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 13, junior Michelle Gaislerova broke the NCAA Division I women's record for most consecutive free throws made with 71. Gaislerova extended the streak to 75 before missing her second attempt against North Dakota on Feb. 23. Her total is the third longest streak in all NCAA women's divisions.

Last Time Against North Dakota
                All five North Dakota State starters scored in double figures, as the Bison women's basketball team defeated North Dakota 82-74 Feb. 23. It was the first victory in Grand Forks since 2004 and the first regular season sweep of the Fighting Hawks since the 2003-04 season. NDSU improved to 9-17 overall and 6-8 in the Summit League, while North Dakota dropped to 14-13 overall and 5-9 in league play.
                Rylee Nudell and Sofija Zivaljevic led the Bison with 18 points apiece. Zivaljevic went over 400 points for her career in the game. Michelle Gaislerova added 16 points, while Ryan Cobbins and Emily Dietz had 11 and 10 respectively. Megan Zander had a game-high 20 points off the bench for the Fighting Hawks. Dietz finished with a game-high 10 rebounds, collecting her sixth double-double of the season. Zivaljevic and Nudell each had seven rebounds. Nudell moved into seventh in school history with 346 career defensive rebounds with six in the game. Zivaljevic had a team-high five assists, while Nudell tied a career-high with three steals. Dietz tied a season-high with a pair of blocked shots.
                Gaislerova entered the game with an NCAA Division I women's record 74 consecutive made free throws. She made her first attempt of the game to extend the record to 75 before missing her second, snapping a streak that reached back to December 2018. Gaislerova made two additional free throws and currently sits at 98.2 percent for the season and 91.8 percent for her career.
                NDSU was 37-of-59 (45.8%) from the floor and 5-of-14 (35.7%) from 3-point range. The Fighting Hawks were 28-of-70 (40%) from the field and 4-of-22 (18.2%) from downtown. NDSU entered the game ranked 37th in the nation in free throw percentage at 75.1, but went 23-of-39 (59%) in the game. North Dakota was 14-of-20 (70%) at the charity stripe. The Fighting Hawks had a 34-9 advantage in bench points, while both teams finished with 38 points in the paint.
                The Bison scored the first points of the game, but North Dakota led for a majority of the first quarter. NDSU used an 11-2 run late in the first quarter to take the lead for good. The Bison used a 13-6 run over a 3:47 span in the second quarter to take a 42-30 lead, but Zander scored the final four points of the half to cut NDSU's lead to 42-34 at the break. North Dakota trimmed the lead to six with 8:24 left in the third quarter, but five-straight points from Nudell sparked a 12-5 run to give NDSU its largest lead of the game at 58-45 with 4:51 to play in the quarter. The Fighting Hawks scored nine-straight points after that and cut the lead to 60-58 into the fourth quarter. Jaclyn Jarnot tied the game at 60-60 with 8:15 to play, but Nudell drilled a 3-pointer with 7:58 left to give NDSU the lead for good.

Last Time Out
                Iowa State scored 22 points in the first half off 13 Bison turnovers, as the 24th-ranked Cyclones beat the North Dakota State women's basketball team 85-64 at Hilton Coliseum Saturday afternoon. It was the first loss of the season for the Bison, as NDSU dropped to 3-1 on the year. The Cyclones improved to 3-3 after stopping a two-game skid.
                Ryan Cobbins led the Bison with 14 points, while tying a career-high with seven rebounds. Abby Schulte added 12 points off the bench, while Michelle Gaislerova had 10 points. Emily Dietz finished with six rebounds, while Reneya Hopkins had three assists. Cobbins and Hopkins each had three steals, while Marie Olson blocked a career-high three shots. Lexi Donarski led the Cyclones with 25 points, while Ashley Joens had 24 points and 10 rebounds. Joens entered the game averaging nearly 33 points a game, the best in the nation.
                The Bison were 25-of-53 (47.2%) from the field and 4-of-9 (44.4%) from 3-point range. Iowa State was 32-of-62 (51.6%) from the floor and 8-of-21 (38.1%) from downtown. The Bison were 10-of-16 (62.5%) at the free throw line, while Iowa State was 13-of-16 (81.3%) at the line. Iowa State had a 24-11 advantage in points off turnovers, while NDSU's bench outscored Iowa State's 25-14.
                Olson scored the first basket of the game, but the Cyclones answered with a 10-4 run to take the lead for good. NDSU cut the lead to two with under two minutes to go in the first quarter before the Cyclones went on a 12-4 run into the second quarter. Iowa State closed the half on a 9-2 run to take a 44-28 lead at the break. A 15-3 run by the Cyclones early in the third quarter extended the lead to 26 for Iowa State, the largest of the game.

NDSU Women's Basketball Picked Fifth In Summit League Preseason Poll
                The North Dakota State Bison women's basketball team was voted fifth in the Summit League preseason poll. This is the first time NDSU has been picked inside the top five since being projected for fourth in 2012. Defending champion South Dakota was tabbed the preseason favorite with 25 first-place votes, while South Dakota State was picked second with 11 first-place votes. Western Illinois was picked for third, while Oral Roberts was tabbed fourth. NDSU was picked for fifth, followed by Kansas City and Denver. North Dakota and Omaha round out the poll in eighth and ninth, respectively. The Bison received 371 points, sitting just five behind Oral Roberts for fourth. Kansas City, the defending WAC Champion who returns to the league this year, had 323 points.

Bison Add Four on National Signing Day
                The North Dakota State women's basketball team has announced four additions to the roster, beginning in the 2021-22 season. Ellie Dague, a 5-10 guard from Henning, Minn., Katie Hildebrandt, a 6-2 forward from McFarland, Wis., Abbey Kubas, a 5-11 forward from Dickinson, N.D. and Sophie Olson, a 5-10 guard/forward from El Dorado Hills, Calif. are all set to join the Bison.
                Dague is ranked the fifth-best guard in Minnesota and the 13th best player overall. She was named to the Minnesota 1A All-State team while averaging 20.7 points and 5.3 rebounds as a junior.
                Hildebrandt is ranked the 18th best player and second-best small forward in Wisconsin. She averaged 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game as a junior.
                Kubas is ranked the 12th best player and fourth-best small forward in North Dakota. She hit the 1,000 point mark as a junior, while averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds per game.
                Olson is ranked the 10th best shooting guard and 43rd player overall in California. She led Oak Ridge High School to the state tournament in 2018 and 2020. Olson is the younger sister of Bison redshirt-sophomore Marie Olson.

The Jory Collins Show
                Tune in every Monday night to the Bison Basketball Radio Show with Jory Collins on Bison 1660. Collins and Keith Brake recap the last few games and preview the upcoming schedule. The show airs at 7 p.m. on the following dates: Dec. 7, Dec. 14, Dec. 28, Jan. 11, Jan. 18, Jan. 25, Feb. 1, Feb. 8, Feb. 15, Feb. 22, March 1 and March 15.

On The Horizon
                NDSU is scheduled to close the non-conference portion of the schedule on Monday, Dec. 21 at Kansas. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. The game will be broadcast by Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and Bison 1660.