THIS WEEK         
The North Dakota State (10-2) women's basketball team wraps up non-conference play hosting Saint Mary's (9-1, 3-0 MIAC) on Monday. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m., inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Watch: The contest will be televised statewide on WDAY Xtra and will be streamed on Summit League Network for subscribers. Dom Izzo (play-by-play), Amy Ruley (analyst) and Sam Goetzinger (sideline) will be on the call.
 
Radio: Andy Rieckhoff (play-by-play) and Emily Dietz (analyst) will be on the call on Bison 1660 with pregame coverage beginning at 4:30 p.m. Fans can also listen to the radio broadcast for free on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.
 
GoBison.com: Live statistics, video and audio links are available on GoBison.com/coverage.
 
BISON BASKETBALL RADIO COACHES SHOW
The Bison Basketball Radio Show with NDSU men's basketball head coach David Richman and women's basketball head coach Jory Collins will broadcast live on Bison 1660 from the Holiday Inn Fargo on Mondays throughout the season from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Fans are invited to attend in-person and submit questions for the show as hosts Sam Neidermann and Andy Rieckhoff break down the week of Bison basketball and preview the upcoming games. The show airs the following dates in December: Dec. 1, Dec. 8 and Dec. 30 (Tuesday).
 
BISON BASKETBALL TV COACHES SHOW
Join host Sam Neidermann, men's basketball head coach David Richman and women's basketball head coach Jory Collins for highlights, analysis and feature stories throughout the season on The Bison Basketball Show airing at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays on WDAY Xtra beginning on Nov. 26.
 
PROMOTIONS
The Monday night contest against Saint Mary's will be family game night with Bison related trivia. The 2025-26 promotional schedule can be found here.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Bison won their eighth straight game after rolling past UTRGV, 82-60, at the Malibu Classic. NDSU scored 25 points in the second quarter and never trailed in the contest. Karrington Asp logged her first career 20-point game with a season-best 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. The Epworth, Iowa native also hauled in a season-high 12 rebounds for her second career double-double over 29 minutes.
 
THE SERIES VS. SAINT MARY'S
This will be the first all-time meeting between NDSU and Saint Mary's.
 
ROLLING THROUGH NON-CON PLAY
The Bison have assembled a 10-2 overall record in non-conference play to start the season, including a 5-0 mark in the month of December. It marks the best start to a season through 12 games since 2020-21 and NDSU has earned seven of its 10 wins on the road or at a neutral site.
 
FEELING GR-EIGHT
The Bison enter the week on a season-best eight-game win streak, which is their longest since winning eight straight during the 2023-24 season. The Bison haven't won nine straight games since 2004-05.
 
HANDLING BUSINESS ON THE ROAD
For the first time since the 2004-05 season, the Bison have started the season with a 4-0 mark in true road games. NDSU won each of its first seven road games to begin the 2004-05 season.
 
COLLEGE INSIDER MID-MAJOR TOP 25 POLL
For the third straight week, the Bison have been ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. NDSU climbed up seven spots to No. 15 this week.
 
BENCH PRODUCTION
The NDSU bench has netted 20 or more points in seven games this season. Karrington Asp has come off the bench in all 12 games and has contributed 12.4 points with 5.7 rebounds over 20.1 minutes per game.
 
EFFICIENT SHOOTING
The Bison enter the week shooting 47.0 percent from the field, which ranks 27th in the nation. NDSU has shot 40.0 percent or better from the field in 10 of its first 12 games. LSU leads the nation shooting 55.0 percent.
 
LOCKDOWN DEFENSE
The Bison have held three opponents to under 50 points this season, including limiting Bethune-Cookman to a season-low 36 points. It marked the lowest point total NDSU has held an opponent to since Jamestown scored 36 points on Dec. 19, 2021. NDSU has limited three opponents to 50 points or less this season (UNI - 49, Campbell - 49, Bethune-Cookman - 36).
 
ONE OF THE BEST IN THE NATION
Avery Koenen is slotted inside the top 25 nationally in multiple categories: double-doubles (3rd, 8), field goal percentage (4th, 65.6), defensive rebounds per game (12th, 7.7), free throws (16th, 61), rebounds (19th, 122), rebounds per game (24th, 10.2). Koenen has reached double digits in scoring in all 12 games this season and in each of her last 19 games stretching back to last season. She has also logged a double-double in each of her last six games.
 
PEAK PERFORMER OF THE WEEK
Avery Koenen was named the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week for the second straight week and third time overall this season on Tuesday. She averaged 20.0 points with 11.0 rebounds and helped the Bison to a 2-0 record at the Malibu Classic.
 
KOENEN AGAINST THE HUSKERS
Avery Koenen netted a game-high 26 points after connecting on a season-best 11 field goals on 15 attempts against Nebraska. She also hauled in a game-best nine rebounds over a season-high 35 minutes of action. Her 26 points against Nebraska were the most points for a Bison player against a power four opponent since Emily Moran netted 28 points against Minnesota on Nov. 20, 2007.
 
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL       
For the second time in the last three seasons, NDSU was picked to finish second in the Summit League Preseason Poll. The Bison garnered 498 total points with two first-place votes to earn the second spot. South Dakota State was picked first with 558 points and 34 first-place votes, while Oral Roberts closed out the top three with 410 points in third place.
 
All-SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON TEAM
Avery Koenen and Jocelyn Schiller were selected to the All-Summit League Preseason First Team, while Marisa Frost was named to the All-Summit League Preseason Second Team. Koenen averaged 17.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in Summit League play last season. On the defensive end, she was slotted third in league play with 17 total blocks. Schiller was named the Summit League Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Summit League Freshman Team last season at North Dakota. She averaged 13.2 points with 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game for the Fighting Hawks. Frost averaged 28.8 minutes per game to go along with 10.1 points per game. Her 10.1 points per game ranked third on the team in Summit League play and she reached double figures in nine games.
 
KOENEN ON PRESEASON WATCH LIST FOR MID-MAJOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Avery Koenen was named to the preseason watch list for the 2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award this season. Koenen becomes the first player in Bison history to earn a spot on the 25-player preseason watch list. She's also one of only two players in the Summit League to earn the preseason recognition, joining Brooklyn Meyer from South Dakota State.
 
ANOTHER 20-WIN SEASON
The Bison have reached the 20-win mark each of the last two seasons after posting a 21-12 overall record last season. It marked the first time NDSU has assembled back-to-back 20-win seasons under head coach Jory Collins and first since posting three straight from 2002-05.
 
BATTLE TESTED
Following its third straight appearance in the WNIT last season, NDSU has played extended seasons deep into March. The Bison played a combined 33 games last season, tied for the second-longest season in program history. After recording the longest season in program history in 2023-24 with 34 total games, NDSU has combined to play a total of 77 games over the last two seasons. NDSU boasts a 43-24 record over that span.
 
SCHEDULE TIDBITS
The Bison are set to play 29 total regular season games with 13 games inside the Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. NDSU will play 13 non-conference contests and will face five opponents that participated in a postseason tournament last season, including Northern Iowa, Gonzaga, Nebraska, Campbell and Montana State. NDSU will open the 16-game Summit League schedule at Oral Roberts on Jan. 1.
 
OUR HOUSE
NDSU posted a 13-3 record inside Scheels Center last season. The Bison have won at least 13 home games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since assembling a streak of 11 straight from 1994-05. NDSU is a combined 40-6 over the last four seasons at Scheels Center, including a 13-1 mark in 2023-24.
 
THE HEAD COACH
Head coach Jory Collins is in his seventh season at NDSU and has led the Bison to back-to-back 20-win seasons. He recently reached the 100-win mark with a 108-84 overall record. His 106 wins are the most in the NDSU Division I era and the second-most in Bison history behind Amy Ruley (671 wins). Collins also reached the 300 career win mark with a 307-142 overall record, which includes eight seasons at Emporia State from 2010-18. Collins is the second-longest tenured coach in the Summit League in his seventh season.
 
Under Collins, the Bison made their first-ever appearance in the Summit League Championship game in 2024 and three straight appearances in WNIT. NDSU has also had at least one All-Summit League First Team and an All-Summit League Freshman Team selection each of the last two seasons.
 
RETURNING ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAYERS
NDSU returns three All-Summit League selections this season. Avery Koenen was selected to the All-Summit League First Team for the first time in her career last season. Molly Lenz earned a spot on the Summit League All-Newcomer Team and Marisa Frost was tabbed to the Summit League All-Freshman Team.
 
SCHILLER JOINS THE BISON
After spending her freshman season at North Dakota, Jocelyn Schiller transferred to NDSU last spring. She was named the Summit League Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Summit League Freshman Team last season. She averaged 13.2 points with 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game for the Fighting Hawks. Schiller started all 31 games and led all freshmen in the Summit League with a team-high 89 assists and team-best 40 steals. She also averaged 16.3 points per game in Summit League play, which led all freshmen.
 
FRESH FACES IN FARGO
NDSU welcomed three transfers to the roster over offseason with additions of Jocelyn Schiller, Lily Niebuhr and Audrey Martinez-Stewart. Niebuhr appeared in 55 games over three seasons at Indiana State after taking a medical redshirt last season. Martinez-Stewart started all 57 games she appeared in over two seasons at Missouri-St. Louis.
 
YOUNG BISON
The Bison added three freshman to the roster with the addition of Sophie Hawkinson, McKenna Johnson and Karrington Asp. Hawkinson was the as the ninth-ranked prospect in Minnesota according to Prep Girls Hoops, while Johnson was the second-ranked prospect in North Dakota according to Prep Girls Hoops. Asp enters her redshirt freshman season after joining the Bison last January as an early enrollee.
 
UP NEXT
NDSU will begin Summit League play at Oral Roberts on Thursday, Jan. 1. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.