NDSU Women Face Denver in Summit League Tournament Quarterfinals

Sunday, March 8

Sioux Falls, S.D.

2:30 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

Denver

Photo by: Xavier Bonner

NDSU Women Face Denver in Summit League Tournament Quarterfinals

3/6/2020 4:31:00 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 the Summit League Tournament on Sunday against Denver. The Bison enter as the number six seed, while the Pioneers are seeded third. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. Brian Shawn (Play-By-Play), Greg Stemen (Analyst) and Elaina Lanson (Sideline) will have the call on MidcoSN and ESPN+, while Keith Brake and Jeremy Jorgenson will be on the radio on Bison 1660 and 92.7 FM.

Denver Series History
The all-time series is tied at 10-10 between the two schools. The series dates back to an 86-54 Bison victory on Dec. 19, 1987 in Denver. The Pioneers had won five-straight in the series until an 85-80 overtime victory for the Bison on Jan. 26 in Fargo. The two teams have never met in the Summit League Tournament.

Bison Notes

NDSU closed the regular season with a 67-64 victory over Omaha on Feb. 29.
Junior Emily Dietz had her seventh double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while tallying her 30th career double figure scoring night.
In her final game on North Dakota soil, senior Rylee Nudell had her sixth double-double of the year with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The Bison dropped an 85-58 game against South Dakota State on Feb. 27.
Junior Sofija Zivaljevic led the Bison with a game-high 18 points.
NDSU picked up an 82-74 win at North Dakota, 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 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 Denver

The Pioneers finished in a three-way tie for third place, earning the three seed based on tiebreakers. Denver tied with Western Illinois and Oral Roberts, with the three teams being 2-2 against each other. The Pioneers got the tiebreaker via a win over South Dakota State.
Denver leads the nation with 495 free throws made on the year and rank ninth with 643 attempts. The Pioneers are 19th in percentage at 77 percent.
At 77.9 points per game, the Pioneers rank 14th in the nation and second in the Summit League.
Senior Madison Nelson has 19 double-doubles on the year, ranking fourth in the country. She also ranks fourth in the nation in offensive rebounds per game at 4.7 and sixth in total rebounds with 333.

Gaislerova, Cobbins Honored by The Summit League
   Michelle Gaislerova and Ryan Cobbins were honored by the Summit League on Thursday. 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.

Summit League Tournament History
   The Bison have qualified for the Summit League Tournament 10 times in 11 chances, having just missed the tournament in 2016. NDSU owns a 1-10 record all-time. The Bison have lost 10-straight games in Sioux Falls after beating Western Illinois 46-43 in the first tournament game the Bison ever played in. This is the fourth time the Bison have been seeded sixth, having lost in the quarterfinals in 2011, 2013 and 2015.

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 25 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
   Last weekend, North Dakota State honored a pair of players in their final game at the Scheels Center. Senior Rylee Nudell and redshirt junior Sofija Zivaljevic played their final game at the Scheels Center. Zivaljevic will graduate in May and will return to her home country of Montenegro to pursue a professional career. Both scored 13 points, while Nudell added 13 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season.

Last Time Against Denver
       The North Dakota State women's basketball team scored the final six points of regulation to force overtime, where the Bison beat Denver 85-80 at the Scheels Center.
   NDSU improved to 5-14 overall and 2-5 in the Summit League with the victory. The Pioneers dropped to 9-12 overall and 3-5 in league play. The two teams split the season series, as the Pioneers won the Summit League opener for both schools on Dec. 29 in Denver.
   Emily Dietz and Rylee Nudell each had a double-double to lead the Bison. Dietz finished with 21 points and tied a career-high with 13 rebounds, while Nudell had 18 points and 12 rebounds. It was the fifth double-double of the season for Dietz and the third for Nudell. Dietz went over the 20 point mark for the fifth time in her career. Ryan Cobbins had 14 points, while Nicole Scales had a season-high 11 points. Cobbins had a season-high five assists, while Dietz dished out four. Nudell tied a career-high with three steals, while Sofija Zivaljevic and Cobbins each had two, tying a career-high for Zivaljevic. Nudell moved into eighth in school history with her 97th career start. Madison Nelson, the second-leading scorer and leading rebounder in the Summit League, finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
   Denver had a 32-9 advantage in points off turnovers, as the Pioneers capitalized on 32 NDSU turnovers. The Bison had a season-high 54 points in the paint. NDSU was 32-of-59 (54.2%) from the field and 4-of-18 (22.2%) from 3-point range. Denver was 30-of-80 (37.5%) from the floor and 6-of-27 (22.2%) from downtown. NDSU was 17-of-24 (70.8%) at the free throw line, while Denver was 14-of-18 (77.8%).
   The Pioneers had their largest lead of the game in the first quarter, using a 13-4 run over a 5:15 span to take a 19-11 lead after the first quarter. The Bison slowly cut into the lead, using a 12-4 run over the final 4:23 of the first half to tie the game at 33-33 at the break. Denver again pushed the lead to eight late in the third quarter on a 10-2 run. NDSU used a 19-7 run over a 5:28 span late in the third quarter into the fourth quarter to take a 60-56 lead with 6:17 to play. The Pioneers responded with a 13-3 run, taking a 69-63 lead with 1:33 to play on back-to-back jumpers by Meghan Boyd. A layup by Dietz with :06 to play in regulation tied the game before Cobbins stole the Denver inbounds pass to send the game to overtime. NDSU opened overtime with an 8-3 run and never trailed in the extra period.
   The overtime victory was the first for the Bison since defeating Oral Roberts 75-72 in overtime on March 1, 2008.

Last Time Out
   North Dakota State scored the final five points of the game at the free throw line, as the Bison women's basketball team defeated Omaha 67-64 in the regular season finale at the Scheels Center.
   The Bison finished the regular season 10-18 overall and 7-9 in the Summit League, while Omaha closed the regular season at 7-22 overall and 2-14 in league play.
   Emily Dietz led the Bison with 17 points and 11 rebounds, recording her seventh double-double of the season and the 30th double-figure scoring game of her career. Rylee Nudell and Sofija Zivaljevic, both playing their final game at the Scheels Center, finished with 13 points apiece. Nudell added a game-high 13 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the year. Zivaljevic had a game-high two assists. Ella Ogier led the Mavericks with 17 points.
   NDSU was 25-of-55 (45.5%) from the field and 4-of-15 (26.7%) from 3-point range, while Omaha was 26-of-59 (44.1%) from the floor and 5-of-20 from downtown. The Bison were 13-of-18 (72.2%) at the free throw line, while Omaha was 7-of-9 (77.8%). The Bison had a 38-28 advantage in rebounds and a 42-34 advantage in points in the paint.
   Omaha used an 11-2 run in the first quarter to take its largest lead of the game at 19-8 with 3:10 to play in the first quarter. Down by nine, NDSU went on an 11-0 run in the second quarter to take their its first lead of the game at 23-21 on a pair of free throws by Zivaljevic. The Bison led 34-29 at the half and extended that lead to seven throughout the early part of the third quarter. NDSU led 51-44 with 8:16 to play before Omaha went on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 53-53 with 5:12 to play. A 3-pointer by Mariah Murdie with 1:25 to play gave Omaha a 64-62 lead, but it would be the final points of the game for the Mavericks. Nudell hit a pair of free throws with 1:07 to play to tie the game. Dietz blocked a shot by Rayanna Carter with :39 left and then hit a free throw on the other end to give NDSU a 65-64 lead with :09 to play. Dietz missed the second free throw, but Ryan Cobbins grabbed the rebound. Nudell was fouled with :04 left and hit two free throws to secure the victory.

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 winner of the NDSU-Denver game will advance to the semifinals on Monday, where they will face the winner of the North Dakota-South Dakota State game. The second semifinal is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.