Bison Women Return Home to Face Omaha

Friday, January 8

Fargo, N.D.

5 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

Omaha

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Photo by: Sarah Ritter/Western Illinois

Bison Women Return Home to Face Omaha

1/6/2021 12:27:00 PM | Women's Basketball

NDSU WBB Notes - Omaha Live Streams

Scene Setter
                The North Dakota State women's basketball team returns to the Scheels Center this weekend, as the Bison are set to face Omaha Friday, Jan. 8 and Saturday, Jan. 9. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. both days, with a men's game to follow as part of the doubleheader. Brian Shawn will have the call on MidcoSN and ESPN+ both days, while he will be joined by Freddy Coleman on Friday and Greg Stemen on Saturday. Keith Brake and Katie Johnson will have the radio call on Bison 1660.

Omaha Series History
                The Bison own a commanding 47-19 lead in the all-time series that dates back to a 64-58 Omaha victory on Feb. 8, 1980. NDSU has won three-straight in the series after the Mavericks won five-straight games. NDSU is 6-10 against Omaha since the move to NCAA Division I, including a 4-4 record at home. The Bison are 26-6 all-time against the Mavericks in Fargo and 46-14 in games played as conference opponents.

Summit League Openers
                The Bison dropped to 6-8 all-time in the opening game of the Summit League slate after falling at Western Illinois on Saturday. NDSU won its first four Summit League openers, starting with a 78-73 win over Centenary on Dec. 8, 2007. Saturday was the eighth time the Bison have opened the league slate on the road and was the first time ever facing Western Illinois in the league opener.

NDSU ranked in College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll
                For the fifth-straight week, the Bison are ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Women's Top 25. The Bison dropped to 24th after being ranked 19th the last three weeks. NDSU entered the poll for the first time in school history at 16th on Dec. 8. NDSU has also received a vote in USA Today/WBCA Top 25 Coaches Poll for three-straight weeks beginning on Dec. 15. The vote in the December 15 poll was the first vote as an NCAA Division I school in the poll.

Bison Notes

NDSU split games on the opening weekend of conference play, falling 77-65 on Saturday at Western Illinois before bouncing back with a 93-60 win on Sunday against the Leathernecks.
Senior Emily Dietz had her first double-double of the season, and ninth of her career, on Sunday with 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
NDSU finished the non-conference schedule with a 5-1 record. The five victories are tied for the most for the Bison since joining the Summit League. All five came against NCAA Division I opponents, which is the most in that span.
North Dakota State rallied for a 72-69 win over Kansas on Dec. 21 at Allen Fieldhouse.
The victory over Kansas was the first against a Big 12 school in NDSU history and the first win over a Power Five school since beating Minnesota on Dec. 22, 2006.

Scouting Omaha

The Mavericks are 1-4 on the year, having defeated Northern Colorado 66-64 on Nov. 29.
Omaha has not played since a 69-38 loss at Illinois State on Dec. 17. A non-conference game against Graceland and the opening weekend of league play against Oral Roberts were all postponed or canceled.
Averaging 13.6 turnovers per game, the Mavericks rank 46th in the nation. They also rank 66th with a 3.2 turnover margin.
Junior Mariah Murdie was a second team All-Summit League selection last year and was named the preseason first team this season. Murdie is averaging 7.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in three games this season.
The Mavericks are yet to play a home game, but are scheduled to face South Dakota State next weekend at Baxter Arena.

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 six teams ranked in the top 35 in the country in 3-point percentage and 3-point percentage defense. NDSU ranks 18th in 3-point percentage at 40.3, while ranking 34th in 3-point percentage defense at 24.7 percent. Both numbers are the best in the Summit League.

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 35 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 Omaha
                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 Feb. 29 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.

Last Time Out
                The North Dakota State women's basketball team used a 21-8 run in the first quarter and never looked back, as the Bison picked up a 93-60 win over Western Illinois to earn a season split with the Leathernecks on Sunday.
                The victory was the first in Western Hall since 2014 for the Bison, snapping a skid of seven games that included a 77-65 Leatherneck victory on Saturday. The Bison improved to 6-2 overall and 1-1 in Summit League play, while Western Illinois dropped to 2-8 overall and 1-1 in league play.
                Emily Dietz finished with a game-high 15 points and 14 rebounds, recording her ninth career double-double. It was the 25th time in her career she has led the Bison in rebounding. Dietz also added a season-high four assists. Kylie Strop had a career-high 11 points, while Reneya Hopkins, Kadie Deaton, Ryan Cobbins and Michelle Gaislerova each had 10 point. Gaislerova was 2-for-4 from 3-point range, moving into a tie for second in school history with 192 in her career. Strop had a career-high three steals, while Abby Schulte added a pair. Grace Gilmore led the Leathernecks with 15 points.
                The Bison scored 56 points off the bench, the most under head coach Jory Collins. NDSU also had a 27-13 advantage in points off turnovers, 40-20 advantage in the paint and a 15-3 advantage in second chance points. The Bison were 34-of-64 (53.1%) from the field and 10-of-23 (43.5%) from 3-point range. The Leathernecks were 18-of-50 (36%) from the floor and 8-of-19 (42.1%) from downtown. The Bison were 15-of-17 (88.2%) at the free throw line, while Western Illinois was 16-of-21 (76.2%).
                Western Illinois held an early 4-2 lead before the Bison went on a 21-8 run over the final 6:17 of the first quarter. NDSU pushed the lead to 17, but the Leathernecks went on an 11-3 run to cut the lead to nine. Marie Olson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to push the NDSU lead to 41-29 at the half. The Bison scored the first seven points of the second half and used a 13-0 run over a 3:08 span to end the third quarter and start the fourth. The Bison scored the final 15 points of the game in the last 2:38.

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 hits the road next weekend, traveling up I-29 to Grand Forks for a weekend set with North Dakota. The two teams will face each other on Friday, Jan. 15 and Saturday, Jan. 16. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. for both games.