Second-Seeded NDSU Women’s Basketball Ready for Summit League Tournament

Saturday, March 9

Sioux Falls, S.D.

12:30 PM

North Dakota State Athletics

Denver

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Photo by: Zachary Lucy

Second-Seeded NDSU Women’s Basketball Ready for Summit League Tournament

3/6/2024 1:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Tournament Central Listen NDSU Notes

THIS WEEK
The second-seeded North Dakota State (19-10, 13-3 Summit) women's basketball team begins play in the Summit League Tournament in the quarterfinal round against seventh-seeded Denver (8-21, 5-11 Summit League) on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CT at Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

TOURNAMENT COVERAGE
Watch: The first round game and all four quarterfinals will be televised on Midco Sports and be streamed on the Summit League Network powered by the Midco Sports Plus app. The semifinals and Tuesday's championship game set for 3:30 p.m. CT will be televised live on CBS Sports Network.

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.

BISON QUICK HITS

NDSU earned the second seed in the Summit League Tournament for the second straight season after posting a 19-10 (13-3 Summit) overall record and finishing in second place in the conference.
This will be the third all-time matchup with Denver in the Summit League Tournament with the Bison holding a 2-0 overall record against Pioneers.
The Bison won 19 regular season games this season, which is the most in the Division I era and most since 2004-05.
NDSU assembled a 13-3 mark in Summit League, which was the most wins in conference play since joining in the league in 2007-08.
The Bison finished their home schedule with a 12-1 mark in Scheels Center and won its most games at home since 2004-05. NDSU is 23-2 at home over the last two seasons.
The Bison put together a season-best eight-game win streak earlier this season, which was longest for NDSU since 2004-05 when the Bison won 24 straight.
NDSU has drained 225 three-pointers this season, the second-most in a single-season in NDSU history.
The Bison have registered a .753 free throw percentage, the third-highest in a single-season in NDSU history.
The Bison are receiving votes in the latest College Insider Top 25 Poll for the fourth straight week.
NDSU is slotted second the Summit League and ranks seventh in the nation in three-point percentage shooting 38.3 percent beyond the arc.
Elle Evans ranks third in the nation in free throw percentage (93.7) and fourth in three-point percentage (45.6).
Heaven Haming has totaled 261 three-pointers over four seasons and moved into second place on the all-time NDSU list. She's 18 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 fifth on the all-time Bison scoring list with 1,647 points.
NDSU posted 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 entered 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 team fell short at South Dakota State, 89-74, in the regular season finale. Heaven Hamling paced the Bison with 23 points on 4-of-7 shooting from three. It marked her fifth 20-point game of the season. Elle Evans also added in 19 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three, while Abbie Draper grabbed a team-high seven rebounds with four points.

THE SERIES VS. DENVER
This will be the 30th all-time meeting NDSU and Denver dating back to 1987 with the Bison leading the series, 16-13. The Bison swept the regular season series against the Pioneers after picking up a 86-65 win in Fargo. Elle Evans paced NDSU with 20 points, seven rebounds and one steal.

This will also be the third all-time meeting between Denver and NDSU in the Summit League Tournament with the Bison holding a 2-0 overall record. In their most recent meeting in 2021, NDSU topped Denver, 79-67, at the Sanford Pentagon. Heaven Hamling led the way for NDSU with 16 points, five rebounds, and three steals.

THE BISON HAVE RANGE
NDSU has connected on 10 or three-pointers in 10 games this season, including a season-best 15 against North Dakota on Feb. 24. That total ranked tied for the fifth-most in a single-game in NDSU history. The Bison have drained 225 triples this season, which ranks as the second-most all-time on the NDSU single-season list. NDSU netted 247 triples in the 2002-03 season. The Bison rank second in the Summit League and seventh in the nation in three-point percentage shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Elle Evans paces the Bison with a career-high 67 triples. Her 67 triples are tied for the sixth-most in a single-season in NDSU history with Heaven Hamling (2021-22). The Edwardsville, Ill., native leads the Summit League and ranks fourth in the nation shooting 45.6 percent from three.

WHAT'S A SOPHOMORE SLUMP?
After being named the Summit League Freshman of the Year last season, Elle Evans once again raised the bar in her sophomore season. She currently ranks in the top 10 in several NDSU single-season categories, including three-point field goals made (t-6th, 67), three-point field goal percentage (3rd, .456) and free throw percentage (2nd, .937). Evans was also the only player in Summit League play this season to average at least 18.0 points per game and shoot above 50.0 percent from both the field and three. Additionally, Evans has hit on each of her last 23 attempts from the free throw line dating back to Feb. 8 at Kansas City.

BY THE NUMBERS IN SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAY
81.3 - NDSU ranked third in Summit League play averaging 81.3 points per game.
57 - Elle Evans drained 57-of-59 free throws in conference play.
55.3 - Elle Evans led the conference in Summit League play shooting 55.3 percent from three.
53.6 - Elle Evans ranked third in Summit League play shooting 53.6 percent from the field.
42.1 - The Bison led the Summit League in conference play shooting 42.1 percent from three.
28 - Heaven Hamling ranked sixth in Summit League play with 28 total steals.
18.4 - Elle Evans ranked third in conference play averaging 18.4 points per game.

100 PLUS GAMES OF EXPERIENCE
Heaven Hamling and Abby Schulte bring plenty of experience into the lineup having combined for over 200 career starts for the Bison. Hamling has started a team-high 111 games as a Bison, which ranks tied for sixth on the all-time list with current assistant coach Emily Dietz (2017-22) and Marena Whittle (2012-16). Schulte made her 100th career start in the regular season finale at South Dakota State and moved into 10th place on the all-time Bison starts list.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Bison boast a 12-1 mark in Scheels Center this season and started the season winning the first eight straight before falling short against South Dakota State. Over the last two seasons, NDSU is 23-2 at home. NDSU is 484-143 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.

CAREER DAY IN GRAND FORKS
Elle Evans posted a career-high 33 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and 11-of-12 from the free throw line in the 101-85 win over North Dakota. The Edwardsville, Ill., native also snatched a game-high 10 rebounds to log her third double-double of the season. Her 33 points rank tied for the eighth-most in a single-game in NDSU history.

PEAK PERFORMER OF THE WEEK
Elle Evans was named the TicketSmarter Summit League Peak Performer of the Week for the first time in her career on Jan. 29. She logged her third straight 20-point game with a career-high 29 points on 7-of-7 shooting from three and 9-of-14 from the field against St. Thomas. Her seven triples rank tied for the fourth-most in a single-game in NDSU history and were two shy of the program record of nine, which was set by Beth Bue against Northern Colorado on Feb. 26, 2002. Evans also connected on all four free throw attempts and notched a game-high three blocks.

YOUNG BISON PRODUCING
All four true freshmen on the roster have seen action in at least 25 games this season and average at least eight minutes per game. Abby Krzewinski, who has started each of the last 26 games, leads the freshmen group with 7.4 points over 22.3 minutes per game.

MOVING UP THE ALL-TIME SCORING LIST
Heaven Hamling has begun her ascent of the NDSU all-time scoring list and has surpassed 1,600 career points with 1,647, which is the most in the NDSU Division I era. She currently tied for fourth place on the all-time scoring list with Lori Knetter (1978-82). Janice Woods (1982-86) is positioned in third place with 1,779 points.

THE THREE-POINT CHASE IS ON
Heaven Hamling has connected on 62 three-pointers and pushed her career total at NDSU to 261 over four seasons, which ranks second all-time in Bison history. Hamling is 18 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.

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.

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 273-126 overall record spanning 13 seasons. He notched a 199-58 mark during eight seasons at Emporia State. Collins has posted a 74-68 mark at NDSU over his first four seasons. His 74 wins at NDSU rank as the second-most in Bison history behind Amy Ruley (671 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 (t-4th, 1647), scoring average (6th, 14.7), three-point field goals made (2nd, 261), three-point field goal percentage (4th, .381), free throw percentage (5th, .846), defensive rebounds (4th, 419), defensive rebounding average (8th, 3.8), assists (9th, 333), games started (t-6th, 111) and minutes average (4th, 32.2).

Hamling has also reached the 1,700 career points scoring mark with 1,821. She started her career at Stephen F. Austin State for one season in 2018-19 and netted 174 points. Hamling has totaled 1,647 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 301 three-pointers, which ranks 14th in the nation. Caitlin Clark (Iowa) leads the country with 509 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.

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 18 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.