Thursday, January 19
Tulsa, Okla.
7 p.m.
North Dakota State Athletics
at
Oral Roberts
Photo by: Zachary Lucy
NDSU Women’s Basketball Prepared for Road Test at Oral Roberts and Kansas City
1/18/2023 1:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball
THIS WEEK
The North Dakota State (12-5, 6-1 Summit) women's basketball team is back on the road at Oral Roberts (6-12, 3-4 Summit) on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The Bison will finish the trip at Kansas City (5-13, 1-6 Summit) on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.
GAME COVERAGE
Radio: Andy Rieckhoff (play-by-play) will be on the call on Bison 1660 for both games.
Watch: The contest at Oral Roberts will be available on ORUSN and the game at Kansas City will be streamed on Roos All-Access.
GoBison.com: Live statistics, audio and video links are available on GoBison.com.
BISON QUICK HITS
NDSU netted a season-high 14 triples in the 83-71 win over Omaha on Saturday to stay unbeaten at Scheels Center. Heaven Hamling led the way for the Bison with a team-high 26 points on 6-of-13 shooting from three. She also added six rebounds, six assists and three steals to her stat line. Elle Evans notched her first career 20-point game with a career-high 20 points to go along with six rebounds and two steals.
JUST GETTING STARTED
The Bison have started Summit League play with a 6-1 mark, which is their best start since joining the conference in 2007-08. NDSU is averaging 76.4 points per game in Summit League play and holding its opponents to 68.0. Heaven Hamling leads the way with a team-high 18.3 points per game in conference play.
TOUGH DEFENSE
NDSU is limiting opponents to 65.4 points per game this season, which ranks third in the Summit League. The Bison have held eight opponents this season to 65 points or less, including a season-low 43 points against Denver.
COMFORTABLE BEHIND THE ARC
The Bison drained a season-high 14 triples on 31 attempts with six different players posting at least one in the win over Omaha. That total ranks tied for the sixth-most in a single-game in NDSU history and was the third time this season the Bison have notched 10 or more triples.
BALL MOVEMENT
NDSU distributed a season-high 20 assists in the win over Western Illinois with Abby Schulte leading the way with a game-high eight. It marked the most assists in a single-game since the Bison passed out 21 against Waldorf on Dec. 22, 2019.
LOCKED IN AT THE LINE
NDSU buried a season-high 33 free throws in the win over North Dakota with seven different players contributing at least one. Heaven Hamling led the way connecting on a career-high 14 free throws on 15 attempts, which is tied for the third-most in a single-game in NDSU history. She currently leads the Summit League and 10th in the nation in free throw percentage shooting 92.0 percent.
HEAVY WORKLOAD
Heaven Hamling and Elle Evans have both started all 17 games this season and averaging over 30 minutes per game. Evans is averaging 31.0 minutes, while Hamling is logging a team-high 32.0 minutes per game. Over three seasons at NDSU, Hamling is averaging 32.3 minutes per contest, which ranks fourth all-time in Bison history.
HAMLING FROM DEEP
Heaven Hamling has established herself as one of the best three-point shooters in the Summit League and currently ranks in the top three in three-pointers per game (1st, 2.53), three-point percentage (1st, 35.2) and three-pointers (2nd, 43).
Prior to shooting 0-of-2 at South Dakota State, Hamling had connected on at least one triple in 17 straight games dating back to last season. She has since bounced back and notched at least one in each of the last three games.
NOT PLAYING LIKE A FRESHMAN
Elle Evans is off to a fast start in her freshman season starting all 17 games and is averaging 11.9 points per game. That total ranks second among freshmen in the Summit League. Denver freshman guard Emma Smith leads all freshman in the conference with 12.4 points per game.
Evans has also hit double figures in scoring in 13 games this season, including a season-high 20 points against Omaha.
BEHNKE SURGING
After not starting a game in each of her first two seasons at NDSU, Emily Behnke has started 16 games this season and has hauled in a team-high and career-best 111 rebounds. The Two Rivers, Wis., native has also notched a career-high 23 blocks this season, which ranks second in the Summit League.
BROWN FITS RIGHT IN
In her first season at NDSU, Taylor Brown has fit right in starting all 17 games. The Lakeville, Minn., native is averaging 9.6 points per game and has reached double digits in scoring in seven games. Brown notched her first double-double of the season with a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Minnesota.
CONTRIBUTING OFF THE BENCH
Abbie Draper and Abby Graham have both come off the bench in all 17 games this season. Graham is averaging 6.7 points per game and notched a season-high 22 points in the win over Denver. Draper has contributed 5.2 points with 2.6 rebounds per game.
IN THE ROTATION
Kristina Ekofo Yomane has provided a boost off the bench contributing at least five points in seven games this season. She has logged at least 10 minutes of action in four of the last five games for the Bison and made her first career start in the win over Denver last week.
1,000 CAREER POINTS FOR NO. 11
Heaven Hamling has surpassed the 1,000 career points milestone with 1,179. She started her career at Stephen F. Austin State for one season in 2018-19 and netted 174 points. Hamling has totaled 1,005 points over the last three seasons at NDSU.
HAMLING CHASES HISTORY
Heaven Hamling enters the 2022-23 season with the opportunity to leave her name in NDSU history. She's positioned inside the top 10 in Bison history in scoring average (6th, 14.4), three-point field goals made (4th, 167), three-point field goal percentage (3rd, .388), free throw percentage (2nd, .893), defensive rebounding average (7th, 3.8) and minutes average (4th, 32.3).
WHO'S BACK THIS YEAR?
The Bison return six letterwinnners from last season, including three starters: Heaven Hamling, Abby Schulte and Katie Hildebrandt.
NDSU GRAD
Heaven Hamling graduated in December with her degree in construction management and a minor in business administration. She will begin graduate school starting in January.
WELCOME TO THE SQUAD
The roster features eight newcomers this season: Taylor Brown, Kristina Ekofo Yomane, Abbie Draper, Elle Evans, Marwa Bedziri, Abby Graham, Leah Mackenzie and Georgia Baldwin.
NEW, BUT PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE
Three of the eight newcomers on the roster this season have played at least 10 NCAA games in their careers. Taylor Brown appeared in 95 games over four seasons at American and Abbie Draper played in 26 games with 15 starts during her freshman season at Bradley last year. Georgia Baldwin also appeared in 11 games at Eastern Kentucky over the last two seasons.
NEW LOOK COACHING STAFF
The NDSU coaching staff has a new look this season with addition of assistant coaches Jaime Adams and Michaela Crall. Adams is back for her second stint with the program after spending four seasons from 2008-12 as an assistant coach. She also played at NDSU from 1997-01 and was inducted to the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.
Crall comes to NDSU after spending last season at Dubuque as an assistant coach. She also played for Wisconsin for three seasons from 2013-16 before starting her career in coaching as an undergraduate coach. Emily Dietz, who played at NDSU from 2017-22 and is the all-time leader games played, returns as a graduate manager this season.
PRESEASON ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE FIRST TEAM
Heaven Hamling was selected to the Preseason All-Summit League First Team. She started all 29 games last season and logged a team-high 34.4 minutes per contest. Hamling ranked ninth in the Summit League with a team-best 14.3 points per game and reached double digits in scoring in 24 of 29 games. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native led the conference in three-point field goals per game with 2.31 and three-point field goal percentage shooting 39.0 percent.
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
NDSU was picked to finish fifth in the Summit League Preseason Poll. South Dakota State garnered 36 first place votes to take the top spot, while South Dakota picked up four first place votes in second place. Oral Roberts closed out the top three in third place.
BISON IN GREECE
Over the span of eight days, the Bison had the opportunity to practice, play two games and learn about the culture in Greece during a trip in August. NDSU spent the first four days in Athens before concluding the trip in Glyfada.
THE SERIES VS. ORAL ROBERTS
This will be the 29th all-time meeting between NDSU and Oral Roberts dating back to 2006 with the Golden Eagles leading the series, 20-8. In their most recent matchup last season, NDSU fell short on the road at Oral Roberts, 68-64. Heaven Hamling paced the Bison with a game-high 24 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists and one steal.
THE SERIES VS. KANSAS CITY
This will be the 20th all-time meeting between NDSU and Kansas City dating back to 2008 with the Roos holding the slight edge in the series, 11-8. In their most recent meeting last season, NDSU came up short against Kansas City, 81-74, in the Summit League Tournament Quarterfinals. Abby Schulte led the way with a career-high 21 points, while Heaven Hamling added 16 points with a team-high eight rebounds and career-best seven assists.
LOOKING AHEAD
NDSU will be back in action at North Dakota on Saturday, Jan. 28. Tip-off is set for 1:05 p.m.
The North Dakota State (12-5, 6-1 Summit) women's basketball team is back on the road at Oral Roberts (6-12, 3-4 Summit) on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The Bison will finish the trip at Kansas City (5-13, 1-6 Summit) on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.
GAME COVERAGE
Radio: Andy Rieckhoff (play-by-play) will be on the call on Bison 1660 for both games.
Watch: The contest at Oral Roberts will be available on ORUSN and the game at Kansas City will be streamed on Roos All-Access.
GoBison.com: Live statistics, audio and video links are available on GoBison.com.
BISON QUICK HITS
- NDSU begins the week in second place in the Summit League and has won its last three games.
- The Bison most recently rolled past Omaha, 83-71.
- NDSU is off to its first 6-1 start in conference play since joining the Summit League in 2007-08.
- Oral Roberts enters the week with a 6-12 (3-4 Summit) overall record and most recently fell short at St. Thomas, 76-75.
- The Golden Eagles are 3-2 over their last five games and 4-2 at home this season.
- Kansas City begins the week with a 5-13 (1-6 Summit) overall record and has dropped its last two games, including a 78-68 decision at Western Illinois.
- The Roos are 4-4 at home this season.
- NDSU leads the Summit League in three-point percentage defense limiting opponents to 29.8 percent behind the arc.
- Heaven Hamling leads the Summit League and ranks 10th in the nation in free throw percentage shooting 92.0 percent.
- Elle Evans has reached double figures in scoring in 13 games this season, including a season-high 20 points against Omaha.
- Heaven Hamling has drained a team-high 43 three-pointers this season. She has totaled 167 triples over three seasons and ranks fourth all-time in NDSU history.
NDSU netted a season-high 14 triples in the 83-71 win over Omaha on Saturday to stay unbeaten at Scheels Center. Heaven Hamling led the way for the Bison with a team-high 26 points on 6-of-13 shooting from three. She also added six rebounds, six assists and three steals to her stat line. Elle Evans notched her first career 20-point game with a career-high 20 points to go along with six rebounds and two steals.
JUST GETTING STARTED
The Bison have started Summit League play with a 6-1 mark, which is their best start since joining the conference in 2007-08. NDSU is averaging 76.4 points per game in Summit League play and holding its opponents to 68.0. Heaven Hamling leads the way with a team-high 18.3 points per game in conference play.
TOUGH DEFENSE
NDSU is limiting opponents to 65.4 points per game this season, which ranks third in the Summit League. The Bison have held eight opponents this season to 65 points or less, including a season-low 43 points against Denver.
COMFORTABLE BEHIND THE ARC
The Bison drained a season-high 14 triples on 31 attempts with six different players posting at least one in the win over Omaha. That total ranks tied for the sixth-most in a single-game in NDSU history and was the third time this season the Bison have notched 10 or more triples.
BALL MOVEMENT
NDSU distributed a season-high 20 assists in the win over Western Illinois with Abby Schulte leading the way with a game-high eight. It marked the most assists in a single-game since the Bison passed out 21 against Waldorf on Dec. 22, 2019.
LOCKED IN AT THE LINE
NDSU buried a season-high 33 free throws in the win over North Dakota with seven different players contributing at least one. Heaven Hamling led the way connecting on a career-high 14 free throws on 15 attempts, which is tied for the third-most in a single-game in NDSU history. She currently leads the Summit League and 10th in the nation in free throw percentage shooting 92.0 percent.
HEAVY WORKLOAD
Heaven Hamling and Elle Evans have both started all 17 games this season and averaging over 30 minutes per game. Evans is averaging 31.0 minutes, while Hamling is logging a team-high 32.0 minutes per game. Over three seasons at NDSU, Hamling is averaging 32.3 minutes per contest, which ranks fourth all-time in Bison history.
HAMLING FROM DEEP
Heaven Hamling has established herself as one of the best three-point shooters in the Summit League and currently ranks in the top three in three-pointers per game (1st, 2.53), three-point percentage (1st, 35.2) and three-pointers (2nd, 43).
Prior to shooting 0-of-2 at South Dakota State, Hamling had connected on at least one triple in 17 straight games dating back to last season. She has since bounced back and notched at least one in each of the last three games.
NOT PLAYING LIKE A FRESHMAN
Elle Evans is off to a fast start in her freshman season starting all 17 games and is averaging 11.9 points per game. That total ranks second among freshmen in the Summit League. Denver freshman guard Emma Smith leads all freshman in the conference with 12.4 points per game.
Evans has also hit double figures in scoring in 13 games this season, including a season-high 20 points against Omaha.
BEHNKE SURGING
After not starting a game in each of her first two seasons at NDSU, Emily Behnke has started 16 games this season and has hauled in a team-high and career-best 111 rebounds. The Two Rivers, Wis., native has also notched a career-high 23 blocks this season, which ranks second in the Summit League.
BROWN FITS RIGHT IN
In her first season at NDSU, Taylor Brown has fit right in starting all 17 games. The Lakeville, Minn., native is averaging 9.6 points per game and has reached double digits in scoring in seven games. Brown notched her first double-double of the season with a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Minnesota.
CONTRIBUTING OFF THE BENCH
Abbie Draper and Abby Graham have both come off the bench in all 17 games this season. Graham is averaging 6.7 points per game and notched a season-high 22 points in the win over Denver. Draper has contributed 5.2 points with 2.6 rebounds per game.
IN THE ROTATION
Kristina Ekofo Yomane has provided a boost off the bench contributing at least five points in seven games this season. She has logged at least 10 minutes of action in four of the last five games for the Bison and made her first career start in the win over Denver last week.
1,000 CAREER POINTS FOR NO. 11
Heaven Hamling has surpassed the 1,000 career points milestone with 1,179. She started her career at Stephen F. Austin State for one season in 2018-19 and netted 174 points. Hamling has totaled 1,005 points over the last three seasons at NDSU.
HAMLING CHASES HISTORY
Heaven Hamling enters the 2022-23 season with the opportunity to leave her name in NDSU history. She's positioned inside the top 10 in Bison history in scoring average (6th, 14.4), three-point field goals made (4th, 167), three-point field goal percentage (3rd, .388), free throw percentage (2nd, .893), defensive rebounding average (7th, 3.8) and minutes average (4th, 32.3).
WHO'S BACK THIS YEAR?
The Bison return six letterwinnners from last season, including three starters: Heaven Hamling, Abby Schulte and Katie Hildebrandt.
NDSU GRAD
Heaven Hamling graduated in December with her degree in construction management and a minor in business administration. She will begin graduate school starting in January.
WELCOME TO THE SQUAD
The roster features eight newcomers this season: Taylor Brown, Kristina Ekofo Yomane, Abbie Draper, Elle Evans, Marwa Bedziri, Abby Graham, Leah Mackenzie and Georgia Baldwin.
NEW, BUT PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE
Three of the eight newcomers on the roster this season have played at least 10 NCAA games in their careers. Taylor Brown appeared in 95 games over four seasons at American and Abbie Draper played in 26 games with 15 starts during her freshman season at Bradley last year. Georgia Baldwin also appeared in 11 games at Eastern Kentucky over the last two seasons.
NEW LOOK COACHING STAFF
The NDSU coaching staff has a new look this season with addition of assistant coaches Jaime Adams and Michaela Crall. Adams is back for her second stint with the program after spending four seasons from 2008-12 as an assistant coach. She also played at NDSU from 1997-01 and was inducted to the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.
Crall comes to NDSU after spending last season at Dubuque as an assistant coach. She also played for Wisconsin for three seasons from 2013-16 before starting her career in coaching as an undergraduate coach. Emily Dietz, who played at NDSU from 2017-22 and is the all-time leader games played, returns as a graduate manager this season.
PRESEASON ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE FIRST TEAM
Heaven Hamling was selected to the Preseason All-Summit League First Team. She started all 29 games last season and logged a team-high 34.4 minutes per contest. Hamling ranked ninth in the Summit League with a team-best 14.3 points per game and reached double digits in scoring in 24 of 29 games. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native led the conference in three-point field goals per game with 2.31 and three-point field goal percentage shooting 39.0 percent.
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
NDSU was picked to finish fifth in the Summit League Preseason Poll. South Dakota State garnered 36 first place votes to take the top spot, while South Dakota picked up four first place votes in second place. Oral Roberts closed out the top three in third place.
BISON IN GREECE
Over the span of eight days, the Bison had the opportunity to practice, play two games and learn about the culture in Greece during a trip in August. NDSU spent the first four days in Athens before concluding the trip in Glyfada.
THE SERIES VS. ORAL ROBERTS
This will be the 29th all-time meeting between NDSU and Oral Roberts dating back to 2006 with the Golden Eagles leading the series, 20-8. In their most recent matchup last season, NDSU fell short on the road at Oral Roberts, 68-64. Heaven Hamling paced the Bison with a game-high 24 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists and one steal.
THE SERIES VS. KANSAS CITY
This will be the 20th all-time meeting between NDSU and Kansas City dating back to 2008 with the Roos holding the slight edge in the series, 11-8. In their most recent meeting last season, NDSU came up short against Kansas City, 81-74, in the Summit League Tournament Quarterfinals. Abby Schulte led the way with a career-high 21 points, while Heaven Hamling added 16 points with a team-high eight rebounds and career-best seven assists.
LOOKING AHEAD
NDSU will be back in action at North Dakota on Saturday, Jan. 28. Tip-off is set for 1:05 p.m.
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