NDSU Women Host Omaha in Regular Season Finale

Saturday, February 29

Fargo, N.D.

1 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

Omaha

Photo by: Carrie Snyder

NDSU Women Host Omaha in Regular Season Finale

2/28/2020 7:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball

NDSU WBB Notes - Omaha Live Video Live Audio Live Stats

Scene Setter
The North Dakota State women's basketball closes the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 29 against Omaha. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at the Scheels Center, as the game is part of a doubleheader with the NDSU men that will start at 4 p.m. Brian Shawn and Greg Stemen will have the call on MidcoSN2, while Keith Brake and Jeremy Jorgenson will be on the radio on Bison 1660 and 92.7 FM.

Omaha Series History
The Bison own a 47-19 lead in the all-time series that dates back to 1980. NDSU has won the last two meetings, including a 74-65 win in Omaha on Feb. 6. The Mavericks had won five-straight in the series prior to the last two Bison wins.

Bison Notes

The Bison dropped an 85-58 game against South Dakota State on Thursday night.
Junior Sofija Zivaljevic led the Bison with a game-high 18 points.
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 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.

Scouting Omaha

The Mavericks are 7-21 overall and 2-13 in Summit League play.
Omaha is currently in the final spot for the Summit League Championship. A victory on Saturday, or a loss by Purdue Fort Wayne at Oral Robert, would lock up the final spot for the Mavericks. If Omaha loses and PFW wins, the final spot will be determined by the final RPI rankings released on Sunday morning.
The Mavericks rank 79th in the nation with 108 blocked shots and 87th with 3.9 blocks per game.

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 24 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.

One Final Game at the Scheels Center
   On Saturday, North Dakota State will honor a pair of players in their final game at the Scheels Center. Senior Rylee Nudell and redshirt junior Sofija Zivaljevic will be honored in a pregame ceremony. Zivaljevic will graduate in May and will return to her home country of Montenegro.

Summit League Food Fight
   NDSU's Student-Athlete Advisory Council will be collecting non-perishable food and monetary donations Feb. 27 & 29 for this year's Summit League Food Fight, an annual competition among Summit League member schools. All donations will benefit the Fargo-Moorhead Emergency Food Pantry. NDSU SAAC representatives will be accepting donations inside the north and south entrances of the SHAC. Fans may donate funds online to @NDSU-SAAC using the Venmo mobile app available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Last Time Against Omaha
       The North Dakota State women's basketball team used one of the best free throw shooting performances in school history to beat Omaha 74-65 at Baxter Arena. NDSU moved to 7-15 on the year and 4-6 in Summit League play, while the Mavericks dropped to 6-16 overall and 1-8 in league play with their seventh-straight loss.
   Sofija Zivaljevic and Michelle Gaislerova paced the Bison with 15 points apiece. Rylee Nudell and Ryan Cobbins joined them in double figures with 12 points each. It was the 40th game of Nudell's career in double figures, while Cobbins reached double figures for the seventh-straight game. Emily Dietz added six points, as she went over 600 points for her career. Rayanna Carter finished with a game-high 20 points for the Mavericks.
   Danneka Voegeli had a game-high seven rebounds, while Dietz and Zivaljevic each had five. Cirkeline Rimdal and Zivaljevic each had two assists. Nudell started for the 100th time in her career, becoming the seventh player in school history to start as many games.
   The Bison were 21-of-43 (48.8%) from the field and 2-of-7 (28.6%) from 3-point range. The Bison had hit at least three 3-pointers in 18-straight games. Omaha was 25-of-60 (41.7%) from the floor and 4-of-15 (26.7%) from downtown. NDSU was 30-of-33 (90.9%) from the free throw line and connected on its first 20 attempts. It was the 10th highest percentage in school history and the highest by a team making 30 or more free throws. Omaha was 11-of-15 (73.3%) at the charity stripe. NDSU had a 29-12 advantage in bench points.
   Neither team led by more than five points until the final seconds of the game. A jumper by Carter and a 3-pointer by Josie Filer with 7:48 to play gave Omaha a 51-49 lead. The Bison responded with a 9-2 run over a 2:12 span to take the lead for good. Omaha cut the lead to two three times in the final 3:29, but couldn't get any closer. Gaislerova nailed six free throws in the final :24 to seal the victory.

Last Time Out
   South Dakota State closed the first quarter on a 10-0 run and never looked back Thursday night, as the Jackrabbits beat the North Dakota State women's basketball team 85-58 at the Scheels Center. The Jackrabbits entered the game ranked 18th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.
   NDSU dropped to 9-18 overall and 6-9 in the Summit League with the loss, while the Jackrabbits improved to 21-9 overall and 13-3 in league play.
   Zivaljevic had a game-high 18 points, while Michelle Gaislerova and Cirkeline Rimdal added nine and seven points respectively. Tagyn Larson led four Jackrabbits in double figures with 16 points. Nudell had a game-high nine rebounds, while Raquel Terrer van Gool added seven. Zivaljevic had a game-high four assists, while Emily Dietz and Danneka Voegeli each had a pair of steals.
   The Bison were 20-of-54 (37%) from the field and 6-of-15 (40%) from 3-point range. South Dakota State was 31-of-60 (51.7%) from the floor and 5-of-16 (31.3%) from downtown. NDSU was 12-of-23 (52.2%) from the free throw line, while SDSU was 18-of-26 (69.2%). The Jackrabbits had advantages in points off turnovers (17-7), points in the paint (48-22) and second chance points (13-2). The loss was the 12th-straight against the Jackrabbits.
   SDSU opened the game on a 9-2 run and never trailed. The Bison cut the lead to 16-10 with 3:56 to play in the first quarter before the Jackrabbits went on a 19-2 run that extended into the second quarter. NDSU trimmed the lead to 17 with 1:32 left in the third quarter, but SDSU answered with a 20-4 run over the next 7:50.

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.