NDSU Women Travel to Kansas City for Weekend Set

Friday, January 29

Kansas City, Mo.

2 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

Kansas City

Photo by: Jacob Reiner

NDSU Women Travel to Kansas City for Weekend Set

1/27/2021 3:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball

NDSU WBB Notes - Kansas City Live Streams

Scene Setter
The North Dakota State women's basketball team hits the road this weekend, as the Bison travel to Kansas City on Friday, Jan. 29 and Saturday, Jan. 30. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. both days at the Swinney Center in Kansas City, Mo. Both games will be streamed on the Roos Sports Network, with Steven Davis having the call for both games. Keith Brake will have the radio call on Bison 1660.

Kansas City Series History
The all-time series between North Dakota State and Kansas City is tied at 7-7. The Roos are 6-4 in the last 10 meetings and have won four of the last five. NDSU is 2-4 all-time on the road against Kansas City and last played at the Swinney Center in 2013, a 62-60 Roos victory.

Bison Notes

NDSU split a pair of games with Denver last weekend, dropping a 62-60 contest on Friday night before beating the Pioneers 74-56 on Saturday.
Friday's game was the 300th as a head coach for Jory Collins, becoming the fourth coach in the Summit League to reach that mark.
With three 3-pointers in the win on Saturday, senior Michelle Gaislerova became the second player in school history to hit over 200 career 3-pointers.
NDSU completed a weekend sweep of North Dakota on Dec. 16, beating the Fighting Hawks for the fifth-straight time with a 64-60 win on Friday and a 71-68 overtime win on Saturday.
The Bison improved to 10-2 overall and 5-1 in Summit League play, marking the second time in school history the Bison have been 5-1 through six games in league play.
The victory on Dec. 16 was the fifth-straight for the Bison, the longest winning streak since winning six in a row in February 2008.
NDSU swept the weekend series from Omaha Jan. 8 and 9, winning 62-53 on Friday and 66-55 on Saturday. It was the fifth-straight win over Omaha.

Scouting Kansas City

The Roos are 6-7 on the year and 3-4 in Summit League play.
Last weekend, Kansas City went to overtime twice with Oral Roberts. The Roos won 101-93 on Saturday before falling 71-67 on Sunday.
Kansas City ranks 20th in the nation in 3-pointers made with 116 on the season, while ranking 33rd in attempts with 327. The Roos rank 22nd with 8.9 3-pointers per game, while ranking 45th in percentage at 35.5.
Naomie Alnatas was named the Summit League Player of the Week after dropping in a career-high 45 points in Saturday's win.
Alnatas ranks 42nd in the nation in 3-point percentage at 42.9, while ranking 54th in makes with 30 on the year. Alnatas also ranks 84th in field goal percentage at 49.7.

Off to a Hot Start
                NDSU's 8-2 start was the best 10-game start against NCAA Division I opponents in school history. It marked the fourth time since 2000 that NDSU had eight victories in the first 10 games and the second in the NCAA Division I era.

Individual Offensive Ratings
                According to HerHoopStats.com, the Bison have four players with an individual offensive rating over 110. An advanced statistic by Dean Oliver, individual offensive rating estimates the number of points produced by a player per 100 total individual possessions. Michelle Gaislerova leads the team with a 117.4, ranking 204th in the country. Last year, Gaislerova finished the season ranked 757th with a 101.5. Emily Dietz (116.8), Olivia Skibiel (114.3) and Emily Behnke (112.7) are in the 90th percentile among NCAA Division I players.

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.

Living at the 3-Point Line
                North Dakota State is one of four teams ranked in the top 40 in the country in 3-point percentage and 3-point percentage defense. NDSU ranks 24th in 3-point percentage at 37.2, while ranking 36th in 3-point percentage defense at 25.8 percent. Both numbers are the best in the Summit League. Rice, IUPUI and Louisville also rank in the top 40 in both categories.

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.

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.

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 41 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 City
                Kansas City went on a 17-0 run over the last 4:30 of the game, as the Roos downed the North Dakota State women's basketball team 69-59 at the Scheels Center on Dec. 2, 2018.
                The Roos had an early 7-2 lead 1:12 into the game, but the Bison answered with a 10-2 run over a 5:49 span to take a 12-9 lead on an and-one by Michelle Gaislerova with 1:51 left in the first quarter. UMKC hit a pair of free throws with :25 left in the quarter, cutting NDSU's lead to 14-13 after one.
                After an early bucket by Kansas City, NDSU went on a 12-4 run over a 3:55 span. A 3-pointer by Marina Fernandez with 3:38 left in the first half gave NDSU a 26-19 lead. The Bison lead would reach eight in the final seconds of the half before taking a 31-25 lead into the locker room at halftime, the largest halftime lead of the season for the Bison.
                A 3-pointer by Ericka Mattingly with 7:35 left in the third quarter cut the NDSU lead to 36-32, but the Bison answered with a 9-3 run to take their largest lead of the season at 45-35 with 4:48 left in the third quarter. The Roos scored the final six points of the third quarter, as NDSU led 53-50 going into the fourth quarter.
                Kansas City started the fourth quarter scoring on a jumper in the lane by Leilh Vigil with 9:27 to play, but NDSU answered with six-straight points to take a 59-52 lead with 5:03 to play. A free throw by Emily Dietz with 5:03 left was the final points of the game for NDSU, as the Roos scored the final 17 points over a 3:29 span for the 69-59 victory.
                Gaislerova led the Bison with 21 points, as she recorded back-to-back games with over 20 points. She has now scored in double figures in all eight games this season. Dietz added 16 points, while Tyrah Spencer had seven points. Mattingly led the Roos with a game-high 23 points. Dietz had a career-high 10 rebounds, as she recorded her first career double-double. Spencer added seven rebounds for the Bison. Rylee Nudell led NDSU with three assists, while Fernandez and Cirkeline Rimdal each had two. Spencer, Dietz and Rimdal each had two steals, a career-high for all three.
                NDSU was 20-of-47 (42.6%) from the field and 6-of-13 (46.2%) from 3-point range. The Bison were 1-of-10 from the field in the fourth quarter. Kansas City was 28-of-59 (47.5%) from the floor and 9-of-20 (45%) from downtown. The Roos were 4-of-5 at the free throw line, while NDSU was 13-of-17 (76.5%) at the charity stripe. Kansas City held advantages in points in the paint (36-26) and bench points (20-6).

Last Time Out
                The North Dakota State women's basketball team didn't trail after the first quarter, cruising to a 74-56 win over Denver Saturday to earn a weekend split with the Pioneers. NDSU improved to 11-3 overall and 6-2 in Summit League play, while Denver dropped to 4-10 overall and 2-4 in league play.
                Emily Dietz led the Bison with a game-high 17 points, while Heaven Hamling and Ryan Cobbins joined her in double figures with 16 and 11 points respectively. It was the 10th game this season in double figures for Hamling. Michelle Gaislerova hit three 3-pointers in the game, becoming the second player in school history to hit 200 in a career. Cobbins had a game-high nine rebounds, while Reneya Hopkins grabbed a career-high six boards. Cobbins had a season-high four assists, while Dietz, Gaislerova and Kadie Deaton each had three assists. Deaton tied a career-high with three steals, while Abby Schulte had two. Uju Ezeudu led the Pioneers with 15 points.
                After a season-low in 3-point and field goal percentage on Friday, the Bison filled up the stat sheet on Saturday. NDSU was 28-of-61 (45.9%) from the field and 11-of-20 (55%) from 3-point range. Denver was 18-of-45 (40%) from the floor and 6-of-20 (30%) from downtown. The Bison were 7-of-12 (58.3%) at the free throw line, while Denver was 14-of-22 (63.6%). NDSU had advantages in points off turnovers (21-10), points in the paint (34-18), second chance points (14-5) and bench points (17-8).
                The Bison used three-straight 3-pointers from Gaislerova, Hamling and Schulte late in the first quarter to take a 25-22 lead after the first quarter. NDSU used a 16-5 run over a 6:09 span in the second quarter, allowing just one Denver field goal in the span, to take a 46-35 lead at the half. Denver cut the lead to seven late in the third quarter, as the Bison took a 54-46 lead into the final quarter. NDSU scored the first 13 points of the fourth quarter over a 5:57 span, with Hamling scoring eight of them, to put the game away.

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.

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.

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.

On The Horizon
                The Bison return to the Scheels Center on Feb. 5 for the first of two games with Oral Roberts. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5 and Saturday, Feb. 6. Both games are the first in a doubleheader with the NDSU men and the Oral Roberts men.