NDSU Basketball Hosts Western Illinois Saturday

Saturday, January 15

Fargo, N.D.

1 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

Western Illinois

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Photo by: Zachary Lucy

NDSU Basketball Hosts Western Illinois Saturday

1/13/2022 2:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Complete NDSU Game Notes

The Game: Winners of six of the last seven games, the North Dakota State men's basketball team (11-5 overall, 3-1 Summit) will host Western Illinois on Saturday afternoon in Summit League play.

            ~~Thursday, Jan. 13          vs. St. Thomas                 Postponed          WDAY Xtra, ESPN+~~
            Saturday, Jan. 15           vs. Western Illinois         1 p.m. CT             WDAY Xtra, ESPN+

Where to Watch: The game will be broadcast on WDAY Xtra in the region, as well as being available on ESPN+ and streamed for purchase on GoBison.com/AllAccess.

Radio: Jeff Culhane and Dexter Werner will call Saturday's game on 107.9 The Fox, Bison 1660, and the respective apps for those stations. Audio of all NDSU basketball games is always streamed free at GoBison.com/AllAccess.

The Series vs. Western Illinois: Saturday will be the 32nd game between NDSU and Western Illinois dating back to 2007-08. NDSU holds a 23-8 lead in the all-time series. The Bison have won 17 of the last 18 vs. the Leathernecks, going a perfect 7-0 over the past three seasons.

Last Year in Macomb: The Bison won both games vs. Western Illinois in Macomb last season – 68-50 on Jan. 2, and 78-67 on Jan. 3. Tyree Eady averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in the two wins, shooting 70 percent from the field. Maleeck Harden-Hayes averaged 13.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in Macomb last year.

Maleeck's Week: Maleeck Harden-Hayes was one of the most valuable players for the Bison on their perfect 2-0 road trip. In Saturday's win at Omaha, he registered his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. In Monday's victory at Denver, he scored a season-high 15 points. Overall, Harden-Hayes shot 63 percent and pulled down seven offensive boards on the road trip.

The Streit Way: Freshman forward Joshua Streit played a season-high 13 minutes and grabbed a season-high six rebounds in NDSU's win at Denver.

Rocky Mountain High: Rocky Kreuser averaged 24.5 points and 8.5 rebounds on NDSU's 2-0 road trip to Omaha and Denver. He shot 15-for-28 (54 percent) over the two wins.

Winning Formula: The Bison used quick starts and dominant rebounding in both road wins at Omaha and Denver. At Omaha, NDSU went up 8-3 just over three minutes into the game, and NDSU led 10-0 after the first two minutes in Denver. The Bison out-rebounded both opponents by a plus-10 margin.

Multiple Threats: All six players who have started a conference game for NDSU this season are shooting 40 percent or better from three-point range in Summit League play. Sam Griesel is 7-for-12 (58 percent) from beyond the arc, Jarius Cook is 7-for-15 (47 percent), and Boden Skunberg is 6-for-13 (46 percent) from downtown.

Significant Difference: The Bison are shooting 42 percent from three-point range in Summit League play and limiting their opponents to 29 percent from beyond the arc.

Climbing the Charts: With 49 points over the past two games, Rocky Kreuser moved into NDSU's all-time Top 20 for career points. He now ranks 18th in school history with 1,404 points.

Over NDSU's Past Five Games:

Rocky Kreuser is averaging 19.2 points and 7.4 rebounds, shooting 57 percent overall.
Six Bison are averaging over 8 points per game -- Rocky Kreuser (19.2 ppg), Grant Nelson (13.8), Tyree Eady (12.6), Sam Griesel (12.0), Boden Skunberg (8.6), and Jarius Cook (8.4).
NDSU is shooting 41 percent from three-point range as a team.
Jarius Cook is 9-for-20 (45 percent) from beyond the arc.
Bison opponents are shooting 28 percent from three-point range.