NDSU Women Face Kansas in Non-Conference Finale Monday

Monday, December 21

Lawrence, Kan.

1 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

Kansas

Photo by: Zachary Lucy

NDSU Women Face Kansas in Non-Conference Finale Monday

12/19/2020 4:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball

NDSU WBB Notes - Kansas Live Streams

Scene Setter
              The North Dakota State women's basketball team hits the road for the final scheduled non-conference game of the year on Monday, Dec. 21 at Kansas. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. Steven Davis (Play-By-Play) and Jill Dorsey-Hall (Analyst) will have the call on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Keith Brake will have the radio call on Bison 1660.

Kansas Series History
              Monday's meeting will be just the second in school history between the Bison and the Jayhawks. Kansas defeated NDSU 61-53 on Nov. 26, 2010 in Lawrence, Kan. The game was the opening game of the BTI Tip-Off Classic game, where the Bison went 1-2 with a win over Fordham and a loss to Memphis in the final game of the classic.

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 last week'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 entered the poll ranked 16th on Dec. 8. In the most recent poll, the Bison dropped to 19th. NDSU also received a vote in this week's USA Today/WBCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. It was the first vote as an NCAA Division I school in the poll.

Bison Notes

NDSU used a 13-3 run in the final 2:55 of regulation to force overtime on Wednesday, as the Bison beat North Dakota 74-67 in a non-conference game.
Sophomore Ryan Cobbins had her first career double-double, finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
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 Dec. 12.
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.

Scouting Kansas

The Jayhawks are 4-1 on the year, including a 1-0 mark in Big 12 play.
Kansas had a pair of games this past week canceled and postponed due to Covid-19. The Jayhawks canceled a game with UTRGV and postponed a league game with Texas.
The Jayhawks own a win over a Summit League opponent, having defeated Oral Roberts 100-59 on Dec. 6.
Holly Kersgieter leads three Kansas players averaging double figures with 17.4 points per game.
Kansas ranks 21st in the nation in defensive rebounds, averaging 32.2 per game.

Deaton is Eligible for 2020-21 Season
              On Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 4:28 p.m., the NCAA passed a blanket waiver that allowed all transfers from one NCAA Division I school to another to be eligible this season. The waiver allowed sophomore transfer Kadie Deaton to become eligible, after her waiver had been previously denied. Deaton proceeded to score six points and grab two rebounds in 14 minutes in NDSU's victory over North Dakota later that night.

Bison-Jayhawk Connections
              Monday's game will be a reunion of sorts for many people involved between the Bison and Jayhawks. NDSU Head Coach Jory Collins spent a season on the staff under Kansas Head Coach Brandon Schneider. It was the second time that Collins was on a staff under Schneider, as Schneider was the head coach at Emporia State while Collins was an assistant. Collins was named the head coach at Emporia State after Schneider left for Stephen F. Austin. NDSU assistant coach Dylan Geissert spent two seasons at Kansas as a graduate student manager from 2017-19.

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.

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 32 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 Kansas
              Aishah Sutherland scored 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead Kansas (4-0) to a 61-53 victory over North Dakota State in women's basketball on Friday, Nov. 26, 2010 at the BTI Tip-Off Classic.
              Junior Katie Birkel led three Bison (2-2) in double figures with 17 points. Danielle DeGagne tallied 13 points and a career-high eight rebounds, while Janae Burich added 11 points. Abby Plucker led the team with 10 rebounds. Carolyn Davis added 14 points for the Jayhawks and Keena Mays had 13.
              NDSU had four three-point leads in the first half, but also suffered two five-minute scoring droughts. Hannah Linz snapped the first with a pair of free throws at the 10:38 mark in the half.
              Sutherland gave the Jayhawks a seven-point lead, their biggest of the first half, after hitting a lay-up with 1:26 remaining. Birkel hit a jumper with three seconds left to make the score 29-24 heading into the break, snapping a five-minute scoring drought in the process. The Bison shot 26.5 percent in the first half while Kansas shot 41.2 percent.
              DeGagne hit a layup to open the second half scoring and cut the Kansas lead to three, but the Jayhawks went on an 11-3 run to extend the lead to 12. A layup by Whitney Trecker and a pair of free throws from Burich brought the lead back down to single digits with 10:32 left in the half.
              The Jayhawks extended their lead to 12 twice more in the half, but a strong defensive stand and a 7-0 run by the Bison closed the gap to five points with 5:38 remaining. NDSU would get the deficit down to five once more, but got no closer than six the rest of the way.
              NDSU had its lowest shooting percentage of the season in the loss, going 18 for 59 for 30.5 percent. The Bison went 1 for 11 from 3-point range. The Jayhawks shot 33.3 percent overall and went 0-11 from beyond the arc. NDSU had 17 turnovers, while Kansas had nine.

Last Time Out
              The North Dakota State women's basketball team never led in regulation, but tied the game late before defeating North Dakota 74-67 in overtime of a non-conference game Wednesday night at the Scheels Center. NDSU improved to 4-1 on the year, while the Fighting Hawks dropped to 0-5 on the season.
              Ryan Cobbins led the Bison with a season-high 18 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Heaven Hamling added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists. Reneya Hopkins had a career-high 13 points, while Emily Dietz added seven rebounds. Abby Schulte had two steals. Sophomore transfer Kadie Deaton became eligible at 4:28 p.m. on Wednesday when the NCAA passed a blanket waiver allowing transfers to play this season. She tallied six points and two rebounds in 14 minutes in her first outing as a Bison. Julia Fleecs led the Fighting Hawks with 21 points, while Megan Zander added 20.
              NDSU was 21-of-65 (32.3%) from the floor and 6-of-18 from 3-point range. The Bison were 0-for-16 in the first quarter. North Dakota was 20-of-56 (35.7%) from the field and 2-of-13 (15.4%) from downtown. The Bison were 26-of-31 (83.9%) at the free throw line, while North Dakota was 25-of-35 (71.4%). The Bison held the Fighting Hawks to just one field goal for the final 9:09 of the fourth quarter and overtime. NDSU led for just 4:23.
              The Fighting Hawks led 58-48 with 4:10 to play. A layup by Hopkins with 1:16 to play cut the lead to 60-57. Hamling hit a pair of free throws with :47 left to make it a one possession game at 61-59. After getting a stop on the defensive end, Hopkins hit two free throws with :14 left to force overtime at 61-61. The Fighting Hawks took a 62-61 lead with 4:39 left in the extra frame, but a jumper by Deaton with 4:23 left gave NDSU the lead for good. North Dakota would not score again until :42 left, as the Bison had built up a 10 point lead.

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 will open Summit League play on Saturday, Jan. 2 at Western Illinois. The two teams will also face each other on Sunday, Jan. 3. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. both days at Western Hall in Macomb, Ill.