Wednesday, December 20
Fargo, N.D.
7 p.m.
North Dakota State Athletics
vs
Central Michigan
Photo by: Zachary Lucy
NDSU Women’s Basketball Welcomes Central Michigan on Wednesday
12/18/2023 3:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball
THIS WEEK
The North Dakota State (4-6) women's basketball team returns home against Central Michigan (1-7) on Wednesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., at Scheels Center.
GAME COVERAGE
Watch: The contest will be available on WDAY Xtra and the Summit League Network for subscribers.
Radio: Andy Rieckhoff (play-by-play) will be on the call on Bison 1660.
GoBison.com: Live statistics, audio and video links are available on GoBison.com.
GAME PROMOTION
The Wednesday night game against Central Michigan is happy holidays themed with fans encouraged to wear ugly sweaters and Santa hats.
BISON QUICK HITS
Three Bison reached double figures in scoring as NDSU fell short at Iowa State, 89-59, back on Dec. 10. Heaven Hamling recorded a game-high 18 points after delivering four triples on five attempts. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native also distributed a season-high six assists with three rebounds and two steals. Elle Evans added 10 points with a team-best six rebounds, while Abby Schulte contributed 10 points of her own to round out the top performers.
THE SERIES VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
This will be the third all-time meeting between NDSU and Central Michigan dating back 2016-17 with the Chippewas leading the series, 2-0. In their most recent meeting last season, Central Michigan edged NDSU, 66-65, after erasing an eight point deficit in the fourth quarter. Sydney Harris capped the comeback win for the Chippewas after being fouled on a three-point attempt and hitting on three free throws with one second to play. Elle Evans led the way for the Bison with 17 points, five assists and five rebounds.
Central Michigan is the last of three Mid-American Conference opponents the Bison will face this season. NDSU fell short against Toledo, 73-58, on Nov. 25 before rolling past Eastern Michigan, 93-73, on Dec. 1. NDSU is 3-12 all-time against MAC opponents.
GOT THE THREE LOCKED IN
The Bison have found their rhythm from beyond the arc after notching a season-high 13 triples against Eastern Michigan and Mayville State. That mark is tied for the eighth-most in Bison history. NDSU leads the Summit League and ranks 45th in nation in three-point percentage shooting 35.7 percent.
YOUNG BISON PRODUCING
All four true freshmen on the roster have seen action in at least seven games and average at least 9.0 minutes per game this season. The Bison have totaled 716 points as a team through the first 10 games with 28.6 percent (205 points) of that total coming from true freshmen. Abby Krzewinski, who has started each of the last seven games, leads the freshmen group with 7.1 points over 20.2 minutes per game.
THE THREE-POINT CHASE IS ON
Heaven Hamling has connected on a team-best 26 three-pointers and pushed her career total at NDSU to 225 over four seasons, which ranks second all-time in Bison history. Hamling is 54 triples away from passing Taylor Thunstedt (2014-18) for the top spot with 279. Thunstedt connected on 278 triples over four seasons from 2014-18.
COLLEGE INSIDER MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL
NDSU debuted at No. 24 in the College Insider Mid-Major Preseason Top 25 Poll earlier this season after climbing as high as No. 19 last year.
HIGH SCORING HOME OPENER
NDSU rolled past Jamestown in its home opener at Scheels Center, 112-59, with all 13 players on the roster reaching the scoring column. It ranks tied as the third-most points in NDSU history and is the most scored under head coach Jory Collins over the last five seasons.
THE STARTING FIVE
NDSU has shuffled up the starting five in four of the first 10 games this season. Abby Krzewinski made her first career start with 10 points in the win over Northern Colorado and has been in the lineup each of the last seven games, while Abby Graham also made her first career start against Mayville State. Prior to not playing against Mayville State, Abby Schulte appeared in 90 straight games and made 53 consecutive starts. Abbie Draper, Heaven Hamling and Elle Evans are the only Bison to start all 10 games this season.
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
NDSU was selected second in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bison garnered 526 total points and five first-place votes to earn their highest ranking in the preseason poll since joining the Summit League in 2007-08. South Dakota State was picked first with 577 points and 27 first-place votes. South Dakota closed out the top three in third place with 485 points and two first-place votes.
PRESEASON ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE FIRST TEAM
Heaven Hamling and Elle Evans were also both selected to the Preseason All-Summit League First Team making NDSU the only team in the Summit League to have multiple first team selections. Hamling, who was named to the All-Summit League First Team last season, ranked fourth in scoring in the conference in 2022-23 after averaging a team-best 16.5 points per game. Evans, who was named the Summit League Freshman of the Year last season, averaged 13.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in her freshman season.
LOOKING BACK AT LAST SEASON
NDSU put together one of the most successful seasons in the Division I era last season after posting its most wins since 2004-05 with an 18-12 overall record and advancing to the WNIT for the first time in program history. The Bison also notched a 12-6 mark in Summit League play and finished in second place in the conference.
PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE IN THE LINEUP
The Bison return six players this season, including three seniors: Heaven Hamling, Kristina Ekofo Yomane and Abby Schulte. Hamling and Schulte provide the most experience in the lineup combining for 155 career starts entering the season. Hamling has started a team-high 83 games (includes one start at Stephen F. Austin State) over four seasons, while Schulte has started 72 games over three seasons at NDSU.
WELCOME TO THE SQUAD
The roster features four newcomers to the roster this season: Taryn Hamling, Avery Koenen, Miriley Simon and Abby Krzewinski.
TWICE THE HAMLING FUN
Heaven Hamling is joined by her sister, Taryn Hamling, on the roster this season. The two were briefly teammates at Grand Rapids High School in basketball when Heaven Hamling was in her senior season and Taryn Hamling was in seventh grade. The duo also played tennis together with Heaven Hamling on varsity and Taryn Hamling on junior varsity.
GEISSERT ELEVATED
Dylan Geissert was elevated to associate head coach over the offseason. He has spent the last four seasons with the Bison as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Prior to joining NDSU in 2019, Geissert was a graduate student manager at the University of Kansas from 2017-19. He got his start in coaching as a male practice player for the Emporia State women's basketball program and served as a student assistant under current NDSU head coach Jory Collins for three seasons.
250 CAREER WINS
Following the victory over South Dakota on Feb. 2, 2023, head coach Jory Collins earned his 250th career win. He has currently amassed a 258-122 overall record spanning 13 seasons. He notched a 199-58 mark during eight seasons at Emporia State. Collins has posted a 59-64 mark at NDSU over his first four seasons. His 59 wins at NDSU rank third all-time in Bison history behind Amy Ruley (671 wins) and Carolyn DeHoff (72 wins).
HEAVEN DOING HEAVEN THINGS
Heaven Hamling enters the 2023-24 season with the chance to leave her mark in NDSU history and currently ranks in the top 10 in scoring average (6th, 14.6), three-point field goals made (2nd, 225), three-point field goal percentage (3rd, .384), free throw percentage (4th, .853), defensive rebounding average (T7th, 3.7), defensive rebounds (9th, 348), assists average (10th, 3.0) and minutes average (4th, 32.3).
Hamling has also surpassed the 1,500 career scoring mark with 1,528. She started her career at Stephen F. Austin State for one season in 2018-19 and netted 174 points. Hamling has totaled 1,354 points over the last four seasons at NDSU.
Among active players in NCAA Division I women's basketball and including one season at Stephen F. Austin State, Hamling has drained 260 three-pointers, which ranks tied for 13th in the nation. Caitlin Clark (Iowa) leads the country with 403 career triples.
HISTORIC FRESHMAN SEASON
Elle Evans wasted no time making an impact in her freshman season after becoming the first player in program history to be named the Summit League Freshman of the Year. The Edwardsville, Ill., native was also the first player to earn Summit League All-Defensive Team honors in program history.
Evans ranked fifth in the Summit League shooting 43.8 percent from the field and averaged 13.4 points with 4.9 rebounds per game. She reached double digits in scoring in 26 of 30 games, including 14 straight to close the season. She was also a force on the defensive side of the floor and ranked second in the Summit League with a team-high 42 blocks.
BALL MOVEMENT
Heaven Hamling and Abby Schulte both reached the 100-assist mark last season and it marked the first time since the 2003-04 season that NDSU had two different players record 100 or more assists in a single-season. Hamling passed out the most assists by a Bison player since 2018 with a career-high 112, while Schulte handed out a career-best 103 assists of her own.
STARTING A NEW 3-POINT STREAK
NDSU shot 1-of-9 from three at Kansas State on Nov. 29, 2021, which ended a streak of 56 straight games that the Bison have netted at least two triples. The Bison have bounced back and have connected at least two triples in each of their last 61 games.
NDSU has a recent history of assembling lengthy three-point streaks. The Bison went 0-of-14 from three-point range against Valparaiso on Nov. 15, 2019, ending a streak of 113 straight games with at least two 3-pointers.
THIS IS OUR HOUSE
NDSU is 475-142 all-time at home dating back to 1977-78. NDSU finished last season with an 11-1 mark at Scheels Center after starting the season 9-0. It marked the most home wins since 2009-10.
NDSU has started this season winning each of its first three home games and has won five straight dating back to last season. The Bison have scored 85 or more points in each those games over that span, including two 100-point performances.
UP NEXT
NDSU will begin Summit League play at South Dakota on Friday, Dec. 29. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
The North Dakota State (4-6) women's basketball team returns home against Central Michigan (1-7) on Wednesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., at Scheels Center.
GAME COVERAGE
Watch: The contest will be available on WDAY Xtra and the Summit League Network for subscribers.
Radio: Andy Rieckhoff (play-by-play) will be on the call on Bison 1660.
GoBison.com: Live statistics, audio and video links are available on GoBison.com.
GAME PROMOTION
The Wednesday night game against Central Michigan is happy holidays themed with fans encouraged to wear ugly sweaters and Santa hats.
BISON QUICK HITS
- NDSU enters the week having dropped each of its last two games following a 89-59 loss at Iowa State back on Dec. 10.
- The Bison are 3-0 at home this season and have won each of their last five games at Scheels Center dating back to last season.
- The Bison are on a stretch of only two games in 19 days between playing at Iowa State on Dec. 10 and beginning Summit League play at South Dakota on Dec. 29. NDSU will have had nine days off entering the game against Central Michigan this week.
- This will be the third all-time meeting between NDSU and Central Michigan with the Chippewas leading the series, 2-0. It will also mark the first-ever trip to Fargo for Central Michigan after NDSU fell short in Mount Pleasant last season, 66-65.
- Central Michigan is the third Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponent NDSU has faced this season. This Bison faced Toledo on Nov. 25 and hosted Eastern Michigan on Dec. 1.
- Heaven Hamling has totaled 225 three-pointers over four seasons and moved into second place on the all-time NDSU list. She's 54 triples away from passing Taylor Thunstedt (2014-18) for the top spot in NDSU history with 279.
- Abby Schulte enters the week with 199 career assists and is one away from reaching the 200-career assist plateau.
- Elle Evans saw her 17-game double digit scoring streak snapped after netting eight points at Northern Colorado. She has reached double digits in nine of the first 10 games this season and finished her freshmen season with 14 straight double figure scoring efforts.
- After being limited to four points in the season opener against Creighton, Heaven Hamling has bounced back recording double figures in each of the last nine games, including a season-high 23 points against Eastern Michigan.
- NDSU posted its most wins in a single-season since 2004-05 with an 18-12 (12-6 Summit) overall record and advanced to the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) for the first time in program history last season.
- NDSU enters the season picked second in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll, which is the highest ranking since joining the conference in 2007-08.
- Heaven Hamling and Elle Evans were also both selected to the Preseason All-Summit League First Team making NDSU the only team in the conference to have multiple first team selections.
Three Bison reached double figures in scoring as NDSU fell short at Iowa State, 89-59, back on Dec. 10. Heaven Hamling recorded a game-high 18 points after delivering four triples on five attempts. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native also distributed a season-high six assists with three rebounds and two steals. Elle Evans added 10 points with a team-best six rebounds, while Abby Schulte contributed 10 points of her own to round out the top performers.
THE SERIES VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
This will be the third all-time meeting between NDSU and Central Michigan dating back 2016-17 with the Chippewas leading the series, 2-0. In their most recent meeting last season, Central Michigan edged NDSU, 66-65, after erasing an eight point deficit in the fourth quarter. Sydney Harris capped the comeback win for the Chippewas after being fouled on a three-point attempt and hitting on three free throws with one second to play. Elle Evans led the way for the Bison with 17 points, five assists and five rebounds.
Central Michigan is the last of three Mid-American Conference opponents the Bison will face this season. NDSU fell short against Toledo, 73-58, on Nov. 25 before rolling past Eastern Michigan, 93-73, on Dec. 1. NDSU is 3-12 all-time against MAC opponents.
GOT THE THREE LOCKED IN
The Bison have found their rhythm from beyond the arc after notching a season-high 13 triples against Eastern Michigan and Mayville State. That mark is tied for the eighth-most in Bison history. NDSU leads the Summit League and ranks 45th in nation in three-point percentage shooting 35.7 percent.
YOUNG BISON PRODUCING
All four true freshmen on the roster have seen action in at least seven games and average at least 9.0 minutes per game this season. The Bison have totaled 716 points as a team through the first 10 games with 28.6 percent (205 points) of that total coming from true freshmen. Abby Krzewinski, who has started each of the last seven games, leads the freshmen group with 7.1 points over 20.2 minutes per game.
THE THREE-POINT CHASE IS ON
Heaven Hamling has connected on a team-best 26 three-pointers and pushed her career total at NDSU to 225 over four seasons, which ranks second all-time in Bison history. Hamling is 54 triples away from passing Taylor Thunstedt (2014-18) for the top spot with 279. Thunstedt connected on 278 triples over four seasons from 2014-18.
COLLEGE INSIDER MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL
NDSU debuted at No. 24 in the College Insider Mid-Major Preseason Top 25 Poll earlier this season after climbing as high as No. 19 last year.
HIGH SCORING HOME OPENER
NDSU rolled past Jamestown in its home opener at Scheels Center, 112-59, with all 13 players on the roster reaching the scoring column. It ranks tied as the third-most points in NDSU history and is the most scored under head coach Jory Collins over the last five seasons.
THE STARTING FIVE
NDSU has shuffled up the starting five in four of the first 10 games this season. Abby Krzewinski made her first career start with 10 points in the win over Northern Colorado and has been in the lineup each of the last seven games, while Abby Graham also made her first career start against Mayville State. Prior to not playing against Mayville State, Abby Schulte appeared in 90 straight games and made 53 consecutive starts. Abbie Draper, Heaven Hamling and Elle Evans are the only Bison to start all 10 games this season.
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
NDSU was selected second in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bison garnered 526 total points and five first-place votes to earn their highest ranking in the preseason poll since joining the Summit League in 2007-08. South Dakota State was picked first with 577 points and 27 first-place votes. South Dakota closed out the top three in third place with 485 points and two first-place votes.
PRESEASON ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE FIRST TEAM
Heaven Hamling and Elle Evans were also both selected to the Preseason All-Summit League First Team making NDSU the only team in the Summit League to have multiple first team selections. Hamling, who was named to the All-Summit League First Team last season, ranked fourth in scoring in the conference in 2022-23 after averaging a team-best 16.5 points per game. Evans, who was named the Summit League Freshman of the Year last season, averaged 13.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in her freshman season.
LOOKING BACK AT LAST SEASON
NDSU put together one of the most successful seasons in the Division I era last season after posting its most wins since 2004-05 with an 18-12 overall record and advancing to the WNIT for the first time in program history. The Bison also notched a 12-6 mark in Summit League play and finished in second place in the conference.
PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE IN THE LINEUP
The Bison return six players this season, including three seniors: Heaven Hamling, Kristina Ekofo Yomane and Abby Schulte. Hamling and Schulte provide the most experience in the lineup combining for 155 career starts entering the season. Hamling has started a team-high 83 games (includes one start at Stephen F. Austin State) over four seasons, while Schulte has started 72 games over three seasons at NDSU.
WELCOME TO THE SQUAD
The roster features four newcomers to the roster this season: Taryn Hamling, Avery Koenen, Miriley Simon and Abby Krzewinski.
TWICE THE HAMLING FUN
Heaven Hamling is joined by her sister, Taryn Hamling, on the roster this season. The two were briefly teammates at Grand Rapids High School in basketball when Heaven Hamling was in her senior season and Taryn Hamling was in seventh grade. The duo also played tennis together with Heaven Hamling on varsity and Taryn Hamling on junior varsity.
GEISSERT ELEVATED
Dylan Geissert was elevated to associate head coach over the offseason. He has spent the last four seasons with the Bison as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Prior to joining NDSU in 2019, Geissert was a graduate student manager at the University of Kansas from 2017-19. He got his start in coaching as a male practice player for the Emporia State women's basketball program and served as a student assistant under current NDSU head coach Jory Collins for three seasons.
250 CAREER WINS
Following the victory over South Dakota on Feb. 2, 2023, head coach Jory Collins earned his 250th career win. He has currently amassed a 258-122 overall record spanning 13 seasons. He notched a 199-58 mark during eight seasons at Emporia State. Collins has posted a 59-64 mark at NDSU over his first four seasons. His 59 wins at NDSU rank third all-time in Bison history behind Amy Ruley (671 wins) and Carolyn DeHoff (72 wins).
HEAVEN DOING HEAVEN THINGS
Heaven Hamling enters the 2023-24 season with the chance to leave her mark in NDSU history and currently ranks in the top 10 in scoring average (6th, 14.6), three-point field goals made (2nd, 225), three-point field goal percentage (3rd, .384), free throw percentage (4th, .853), defensive rebounding average (T7th, 3.7), defensive rebounds (9th, 348), assists average (10th, 3.0) and minutes average (4th, 32.3).
Hamling has also surpassed the 1,500 career scoring mark with 1,528. She started her career at Stephen F. Austin State for one season in 2018-19 and netted 174 points. Hamling has totaled 1,354 points over the last four seasons at NDSU.
Among active players in NCAA Division I women's basketball and including one season at Stephen F. Austin State, Hamling has drained 260 three-pointers, which ranks tied for 13th in the nation. Caitlin Clark (Iowa) leads the country with 403 career triples.
HISTORIC FRESHMAN SEASON
Elle Evans wasted no time making an impact in her freshman season after becoming the first player in program history to be named the Summit League Freshman of the Year. The Edwardsville, Ill., native was also the first player to earn Summit League All-Defensive Team honors in program history.
Evans ranked fifth in the Summit League shooting 43.8 percent from the field and averaged 13.4 points with 4.9 rebounds per game. She reached double digits in scoring in 26 of 30 games, including 14 straight to close the season. She was also a force on the defensive side of the floor and ranked second in the Summit League with a team-high 42 blocks.
BALL MOVEMENT
Heaven Hamling and Abby Schulte both reached the 100-assist mark last season and it marked the first time since the 2003-04 season that NDSU had two different players record 100 or more assists in a single-season. Hamling passed out the most assists by a Bison player since 2018 with a career-high 112, while Schulte handed out a career-best 103 assists of her own.
STARTING A NEW 3-POINT STREAK
NDSU shot 1-of-9 from three at Kansas State on Nov. 29, 2021, which ended a streak of 56 straight games that the Bison have netted at least two triples. The Bison have bounced back and have connected at least two triples in each of their last 61 games.
NDSU has a recent history of assembling lengthy three-point streaks. The Bison went 0-of-14 from three-point range against Valparaiso on Nov. 15, 2019, ending a streak of 113 straight games with at least two 3-pointers.
THIS IS OUR HOUSE
NDSU is 475-142 all-time at home dating back to 1977-78. NDSU finished last season with an 11-1 mark at Scheels Center after starting the season 9-0. It marked the most home wins since 2009-10.
NDSU has started this season winning each of its first three home games and has won five straight dating back to last season. The Bison have scored 85 or more points in each those games over that span, including two 100-point performances.
UP NEXT
NDSU will begin Summit League play at South Dakota on Friday, Dec. 29. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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