THIS WEEK         
The North Dakota State (10-8, 4-1 Summit) women's basketball team returns home this week hosting St. Thomas (11-8, 3-2 Summit) on Thursday. Tip-off is set 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.
 
PROMOTIONS
The Thursday night contest against St. Thomas is the Play4Kay game to honor all of the people whose lives have been affected by cancer. Fans are encouraged to join in by wearing pink.
 
BISON QUICK HITS         

• NDSU begins the week having won four of its last five games after most recently falling short at Oral Roberts on Saturday, 84-75.
• The Bison started Summit League play 4-0 for the first time since the 2009-10 season before falling short at Oral Roberts last week.
• St. Thomas enters the week with an 11-8 (3-2 Summit) overall record and most recently fell short against South Dakota, 63-61, on a last second layup.
• Elle Evans has reached double digits in scoring in each of the last five games and leads the Summit League in three-point percentage shooting 40.4 beyond the arc.
• Heaven Hamling has totaled 238 three-pointers over four seasons and moved into second place on the all-time NDSU list. She's 41 triples away from passing Taylor Thunstedt (2014-18) for the top spot in NDSU history with 279.
• Heaven Hamling is the leading scorer in the NDSU Division I era and ranks ninth on the all-time Bison scoring list with 1,467 points.
• Heaven Hamling enters the contest two assists shy of reaching the 300 career assists mark.
• 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.

LAST TIME OUT
NDSU saw its season-best four-game win streak come to a close after falling short at Oral Roberts, 84-75, on Saturday afternoon at Mabee Center. Elle Evans paced the Bison with a game-high 23 points to go along with three rounds and two assists. Avery Koenen added in a season-high 14 points with four rebounds, four steals and three assists.
 
THE SERIES VS. ST. THOMAS      
This will be the sixth all-time meeting between NDSU and St. Thomas dating back to 1979 with the Bison leading the series, 4-1. NDSU has won each of the last three meetings and most recently picked up a 64-44 win in St. Paul, Minn., last season after outscoring the Tommies, 24-9, in the third quarter. Elle Evans paced NDSU with a game-best 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
The Bison are off to a 7-0 start in Scheels Center for the second straight season after beginning last season with nine straight wins. Over the last two seasons, NDSU is 18-1 at home and has won each of its last nine games dating back to last season. The Bison have scored 85 or more points in seven games over that stretch, including two 100-point performances.
 
DUB IN THE MILE HIGH CITY
NDSU used a key 11-0 run in the fourth quarter to help secure a 84-63 win at Denver last week. It marked the first time since 2016 that NDSU has won at Denver. It also helped the Bison improve to 4-0 in Summit League play for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Elle Evans led the way for NDSU with game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds.
 
EVANS OVER THE LAST FIVE GAMES
Elle Evans is averaging a team-high 20.8 points per game over the last five games for the Bison. She has produced double digits in scoring in all five games, including three 20-point performances and one double-double. Evans is also shooting 57.1 percent (36-63) from the field and 56.7 percent (17-30) from three over that span.
 
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 ranks fourth in the Summit League shooting 33.8 percent from beyond the arc.
 
YOUNG BISON PRODUCING
All four true freshmen on the roster have seen action in at least 14 games this season and average at least seven minutes per game. Abby Krzewinski, who has started each of the last 15 games, leads the freshmen group with 7.3 points over 21.7 minutes per game.
 
AMONG THE TOP THREE
Through the first 18 games, Heaven Hamling and Elle Evans both rank in the top three in multiple categories in the Summit League. Evans leads the conference in three-point percentage (1st, 40.4) and also ranks second in three-pointers per game (2nd, 2.22), third in three-pointers (3rd, 40) and third in blocks per game (3rd, 1.11). Hamling is slotted second in steals per game (2nd, 2.06) and third in steals (3rd, 37) and third in three-pointers per game (3rd, 2.17).
 
MOVING UP THE ALL-TIME SCORING LIST
Heaven Hamling has begun her ascent of the NDSU all-time scoring list and has surpassed 1,400 career points with 1,467, which is the most in the NDSU Division I era. She currently ranks ninth on the Bison all-time scoring list and is three points away from passing Kim Brekke (1980-84), who scored 1,470 career points.
 
THE THREE-POINT CHASE IS ON
Heaven Hamling has connected on 39 three-pointers and pushed her career total at NDSU to 238 over four seasons, which ranks second all-time in Bison history. Hamling is 41 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. The Bison earned their first win over a team ranked in the poll since 2020 after downing then-ranked No. 21 South Dakota earlier this season.
 
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 used five different starting five combinations this season. Miriley Simon was the most recent addition to the lineup after she made her first career start in the win over South Dakota. The West Fargo, N.D., native notched seven points over 21 minutes of action.
 
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 two seniors: Heaven Hamling 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 264-124 overall record spanning 13 seasons. He notched a 199-58 mark during eight seasons at Emporia State. Collins has posted a 65-66 mark at NDSU over his first four seasons. His 65 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 points (9th, 1467), scoring average (6th, 14.5), three-point field goals made (2nd, 238), three-point field goal percentage (4th, .378), free throw percentage (4th .858), defensive rebounds (8th, 373), defensive rebounding average (9th, 3.7), games started (9th, 100) and minutes average (4th, 32.2).
 
Hamling has also surpassed the 1,600 career points scoring mark with 1,641. She started her career at Stephen F. Austin State for one season in 2018-19 and netted 174 points. Hamling has totaled 1,467 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 278 three-pointers, which ranks 16th in the nation. Caitlin Clark (Iowa) leads the country with 451 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-17 from three against Central Michigan on Dec. 20 and ended a streak of 61 straight games that the Bison have netted at least two triples. The Bison have bounced back hitting at least two triples in each of the last seven 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 479-142 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.
 
UP NEXT
NDSU will be back in action hosting South Dakota State on Thursday, Feb. 1. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m., at Scheels Center.