Scene Setter
    The North Dakota State women's basketball team returns to the Scheels Center for the final two games of the regular season, starting with a Thursday, Feb. 27, game against South Dakota State. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m., as the game is part of a doubleheader with the NDSU men that will start at 8 p.m. Brian Shawn and Greg Stemen will have the call on MidcoSN, while Keith Brake and Jeremy Jorgenson will be on the radio on Bison 1660 and 92.7 FM.

South Dakota State Series History
       The Jackrabbits own a 52-39 lead in the all-time series that dates back to 1976. South Dakota State has won 11-straight in the series, with the last NDSU win coming on Jan. 4, 2015 in Fargo.

Bison Notes

• NDSU picked up an 82-74 win at North Dakota on Sunday, earning a season sweep of the Fighting Hawks for the first time since 2003-04. The victory was the first in Grand Forks since 2004.
• All five Bison starters scored in double figures, led by senior Rylee Nudell and junior Sofija Zivaljevic with 18 points apiece.
• Junior Michelle Gaislerova hit a free throw in the fourth quarter before missing her first of the season. Her NCAA Division I women's record for most consecutive free throws made streak reached 75 before coming to a close.
• NDSU allowed a season-high 96 points last week, as 15th-ranked South Dakota defeated NDSU 96-57.
• Gaislerova scored in double-figures for the fifth-straight game, and 20th time this season, to lead the Bison with 15 points. 
• Gaislerova scored a game-high 18 points in NDSU's 74-53 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne.
• Gaislerova became the 34th member of the 1,000 point club early in the first quarter. She is the seventh member during the NCAA Division I era. Late in the first quarter, Gaislerova hit her 71st-straight free throw, breaking the NCAA Division I record for most consecutive free throws made.
• Nudell recorded her fifth double-double of the season, as NDSU fell 80-76 in overtime against Oral Roberts. Nudell finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
• Oral Roberts' Keni Jo Lippe set a Bison Sports Arena/Scheels Center record with 46 points for the Golden Eagles. It was also a Summit League record and was the most points scored by a player in NCAA Division I women's basketball this year until this past weekend. 
• Freshman Ryan Cobbins had 15 points, as she reached double digits for the eighth-straight game.
• Four Bison scored in double figures, as NDSU beat Omaha 74-65 at Baxter Arena.
• Nudell became the seventh player in school history to start 100 games, while her 12 points gave her the 40th double digit scoring game of her career.
• Cobbins scored in double figures for the seventh-straight game with 12 points. Junior Emily Dietz went over 600 points for her career.
• Western Illinois outscored NDSU 26-15 in the fourth quarter, as the Leathernecks defeated the Bison 86-79.
• Gaislerova led the Bison with 20 points, her 12th career game with 20 or more points. Cobbins added 14 points, her sixth-straight game in double figures.

Scouting South Dakota State

• The Jackrabbits are 20-9 overall and 12-3 in the Summit League. South Dakota State has locked in the number two seed in the Summit League Championship next week.
• South Dakota State ranks 11th in the nation, and first in the league, with 500 assists on the season and 13th with 17.2 per game.
• The Jackrabbits rank 24th in the country in field goal percentage at 44.9.
• South Dakota State ranks 32nd in the country with 1,119 rebounds and 41st with a 6.4 rebound margin per game.
• Paiton Burckhard ranks 41st in the country in field goal percentage at 53.3, while also ranking 73rd with 163 field goals made on the year.

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 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 two in each of the last 23 games, including a season-high 14 against Waldorf. 

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.

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. 

Last Time Against South Dakota State
    Perennial Summit League power South Dakota State outscored the North Dakota State women's basketball team 22-10 in the fourth quarter, as the Jackrabbits downed the Bison 60-52 at Frost Arena. The loss drops NDSU to 4-14 overall and 1-5 in Summit League play. The Jackrabbits improved to 15-7 overall and 7-1 in league play.
    Michelle Gaislerova led the Bison with 15 points, while Ryan Cobbins joined her in double figures with 10. Gaislerova moved into third in school history with her 161st career 3-pointer, while also becoming the sixth player in school history to attempt over 400 3-pointers. Senior Rylee Nudell made her 96th career start, moving into a tie for eighth in school history in starts. 
    Nudell led the Bison with seven rebounds, while Sofija Zivaljevic and Danneka Voegeli each had five. Zivaljevic added four assists, while Voegeli had a pair of steals. Paiton Burckhard led the Jackrabbits with a game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. 
    The Bison were 21-of-54 (38.9%) from the field and 7-of-20 (35%) from 3-point range. South Dakota State was 16-of-56 (28.6%) from the floor and 1-of-13 (7.7%) from downtown. The Jackrabbits were 27-of-32 (84.4%) at the free throw line, while NDSU was 3-of-6. The Bison led for 25:04 of the game.
    NDSU led 13-12 after the first quarter, as the Jackrabbits ended the first frame on a 7-0 run. The Bison took a 25-24 lead into halftime and led 42-38 going into the fourth quarter. The Jackrabbits opened the fourth quarter on an 11-0 run and didn't trail after that.

Last Time Out
    All five North Dakota State starters scored in double figures Sunday, as the Bison women's basketball team defeated North Dakota 82-74. 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. The Bison are now in sole possession of sixth place in the Summit League standings.
    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.

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. 

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. 

On The Horizon
    The Bison will play in the Summit League Championship March 7-10 in Sioux Falls, S.D. If the season ended today, the Bison would be the number six seed and would play on the second day of the tournament.