Scene Setter
The North Dakota State women’s basketball team is set to face North Dakota on Friday, Jan. 15 and Saturday, Jan. 16. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. both days, with a men’s game to follow as part of the doubleheader, at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, N.D. Alex Heinert and Val Sussex will have the call on MidcoSN and ESPN3 for both games. Keith Brake will have the radio call on Bison 1660.
North Dakota Series History
The Fighting Hawks own a 48-44 lead in the all-time series. NDSU has won four of the last five meetings, including a season sweep last year and a 74-67 overtime victory in Fargo just over a month ago. This will mark the first time since the 2003-04 season that the two rivals have played at least three games against each other. The 2003-04 season featured four games, with NDSU winning the first two and UND winning the last two. NDSU’s win in Grand Forks last season was the first as an NCAA Division I program and the first time since Feb. 7, 2004. North Dakota holds a 7-4 advantage in the series since the move to NCAA Division I.
NDSU ranked in College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll
For the sixth-straight week, the Bison are ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Women’s Top 25. The Bison moved up to 23rd after being ranked 24th last week. NDSU entered the poll for the first time in school history at 16th on Dec. 8. NDSU also received a vote in the USA Today/WBCA Top 25 Coaches Poll for three-straight weeks beginning on Dec. 15. The vote in the December 15 poll was the first vote as an NCAA Division I school in the poll.
Bison Notes
- NDSU swept the weekend series from Omaha last weekend, winning 62-53 on Friday and 66-55 on Saturday. It was the fifth-straight win over Omaha.
- Senior Michelle Gaislerova moved into second in school history with her 193rd career 3-pointer on Saturday.
- NDSU split games on the opening weekend of conference play, falling 77-65 on Jan.2 at Western Illinois before bouncing back with a 93-60 win on Jan. 3 against the Leathernecks.
- Senior Emily Dietz had her first double-double of the season, and ninth of her career, in the finale against Western Illinois with 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
- NDSU finished the non-conference schedule with a 5-1 record. The five victories are tied for the most for the Bison since joining the Summit League. All five came against NCAA Division I opponents, which is the most in that span.
- North Dakota State rallied for a 72-69 win over Kansas on Dec. 21 at Allen Fieldhouse.
- The victory over Kansas was the first against a Big 12 school in NDSU history and the first win over a Power Five school since beating Minnesota on Dec. 22, 2006.
Scouting North Dakota
- The Fighting Hawks are 0-9 on the year and 0-3 in Summit League play.
- North Dakota ranks 39th in the nation in free throws made with 146, while also ranking 55th in free throws attempted with 199.
- Julia Fleecs ranks 31st in the country with 47 made free throws and ranks 50th with 54 attempts. She ranks 66th in percentage at 87 percent.
- Maggie Manson ranks 74th in the nation in 3-point attempts with 60, while ranking 98th with 20 makes.
- Fleecs leads the Fighting Hawks in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game. Juliet Gordon is second on the team in scoring at 9.6 points per game.
Off to a Hot Start
The 8-2 start for NDSU is the best 10-game start against NCAA Division I opponents in school history. It marks the fourth time since 2000 that NDSU had eight victories in the first 10 games and the second in the NCAA Division I era.
Individual Offensive Ratings
According to HerHoopStats.com, the Bison have four players with an individual offensive rating over 115. An advanced statistic by Dean Oliver, individual offensive rating estimates the number of points produced by a player per 100 total individual possessions. Emily Behnke has a score of 126.4, while Emily Dietz has a 120.1 rating. Olivia Skibiel is at 119.1, while Abby Schulte is at 115.4. Behnke ranks 84th in the country, while Dietz ranks 164th. Last year, Dietz finished the season ranked 839th with a 100.5. All four are in the 90th percentile among NCAA Division I players.
Deaton is Eligible for 2020-21 Season
On Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 4:28 p.m., the NCAA passed a blanket waiver that allowed all transfers from one NCAA Division I school to another to be eligible this season. The waiver allowed sophomore transfer Kadie Deaton to become eligible, after her waiver had been previously denied. Deaton proceeded to score six points and grab two rebounds in 14 minutes in NDSU’s victory over North Dakota later that night.
Living at the 3-Point Line
North Dakota State is one of three teams ranked in the top 20 in the country in 3-point percentage and 3-point percentage defense. NDSU ranks 14th in 3-point percentage at 39.0, while ranking 18th in 3-point percentage defense at 23.2 percent. Both numbers are the best in the Summit League.
Experience on the Fly
Seniors Emily Dietz and Michelle Gaislerova are the only two players on the NDSU roster with more than two years experience playing at the NCAA Division I level. With 84.6 percent of the NDSU roster having two years or less experience, the Bison rank 16th in the country. Murray State, Ole Miss and Indiana State all have a roster complete with players with two or less years of NCAA Division I experience.
Gaislerova, Cobbins Honored by The Summit League
Michelle Gaislerova and Ryan Cobbins were honored by the Summit League last year. Gaislerova earned a spot on the All-Summit League Honorable Mention team, while Cobbins was named to the Summit League All-Newcomer Team.
Gaislerova led the Bison with 13.1 points per game in league play, ranking 10th in the league. She ranked seventh in the league in 3-point percentage at 39.4, while leading the Summit League in free throw percentage at 97.4 percent. Her 28 3-pointers were the sixth most in the league.
Cobbins averaged 10.1 points per game in league play, ranking third among newcomers to the league. She also averaged 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in league play. Cobbins ranked 10th in the league in free throw percentage at 78 percent.
Gaislerova Joins 1,000 Point Club
Junior Michelle Gaislerova scored 18 points against Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 13, becoming the 34th member of the 1,000 point club. Needing just one point to start the game, Gaislerova scored the opening basket of the game. She is the seventh player to have done so with all years being played during the NCAA Division I era.
Young and Ready to Run
The Bison enter the 2020-21 season as one of the youngest teams in America. The Bison average 19.769 years old (year only), which ranks as the 12th youngest team in the country. Oral Roberts, LaSalle, Incarnate Word and Montana State all average 19.3 years.
A New 3-Point Streak
The Bison went 0-of-14 from 3-point range against Valparaiso last year, ending a streak of 113-straight games with at least two 3-pointers. The last time NDSU didn’t hit a 3-pointer in a game was Nov. 29, 2015 against Delaware. Since the game against Valparaiso, the Bison have hit at least two in each of the last 37 games.
Gaislerova Makes NCAA History
With her third made free throw against Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 13, junior Michelle Gaislerova broke the NCAA Division I women’s record for most consecutive free throws made with 71. Gaislerova extended the streak to 75 before missing her second attempt against North Dakota on Feb. 23. Her total is the third longest streak in all NCAA women’s divisions.
Last Time Against North Dakota
The North Dakota State women’s basketball team never led in regulation, but tied the game late before defeating North Dakota 74-67 in overtime of a non-conference game Dec. 16 at the Scheels Center. NDSU improved to 4-1 on the year, while the Fighting Hawks dropped to 0-5 on the season.
Ryan Cobbins led the Bison with a season-high 18 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for her first career double-double. Heaven Hamling added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists. Reneya Hopkins had a career-high 13 points, while Emily Dietz added seven rebounds. Abby Schulte had two steals. Sophomore transfer Kadie Deaton became eligible at 4:28 p.m. on Wednesday when the NCAA passed a blanket waiver allowing transfers to play this season. She tallied six points and two rebounds in 14 minutes in her first outing as a Bison. Julia Fleecs led the Fighting Hawks with 21 points, while Megan Zander added 20.
NDSU was 21-of-65 (32.3%) from the floor and 6-of-18 from 3-point range. The Bison were 0-for-16 in the first quarter. North Dakota was 20-of-56 (35.7%) from the field and 2-of-13 (15.4%) from downtown. The Bison were 26-of-31 (83.9%) at the free throw line, while North Dakota was 25-of-35 (71.4%). The Bison held the Fighting Hawks to just one field goal for the final 9:09 of the fourth quarter and overtime. NDSU led for just 4:23.
The Fighting Hawks led 58-48 with 4:10 to play. A layup by Hopkins with 1:16 to play cut the lead to 60-57. Hamling hit a pair of free throws with :47 left to make it a one possession game at 61-59. After getting a stop on the defensive end, Hopkins hit two free throws with :14 left to force overtime at 61-61. The Fighting Hawks took a 62-61 lead with 4:39 left in the extra frame, but a jumper by Deaton with 4:23 left gave NDSU the lead for good. North Dakota would not score again until :42 left, as the Bison had built up a 10 point lead.
Last Time Out
The North Dakota State women’s basketball team led from start to finish on Saturday, as the Bison completed the weekend sweep of Omaha with a 66-55 victory. The Bison moved to 8-2 overall and 3-1 in the Summit League with their fifth-straight win over the Mavericks. Omaha dropped to 1-6 overall and 0-2 in league play.
Heaven Hamling led the Bison with a career-high 21 points, while Abby Schulte added nine points. Kadie Deaton and Michelle Gaislerova each had seven points off the bench. Hamling tied a career-high with five 3-pointers, while also adding a game-high three assists. Gaislerova moved into second in school history with her first 3-pointer of the game and now has 194 for her career. Elena Pilakouta led the Mavericks with 16 points. Emily Behnke had a career-high 10 rebounds, while Ryan Cobbins and Marie Olson had six and five respectively. Deaton and Olivia Skibiel each tied a season-high with two assists.
The Bison were 23-of-55 (41.8%) from the field and 10-of-27 (37%) from 3-point range. NDSU improved to 7-0 on the year when hitting six or more 3-pointers. Omaha was 21-of-48 (43.8%) from the floor and 1-of-10 from downtown. The Bison were 10-of-15 at the free throw line, while Omaha was 12-of-18. The Mavericks had a 34-22 advantage in the paint.
A Hamling 3-pointer opened the scoring, as NDSU scored the first 10 points of the game. NDSU hit three quick 3-pointers for an early 9-2 run in a 1:02 span in the second quarter before taking a 30-20 lead into the half. The Bison led 49-42 after three quarters, but opened the fourth quarter on a 15-0 run over a 6:01 span. With the Bison lead at 64-42 with 3:40 to play, Omaha went on a 13-0 run before NDSU hit a pair of free throws to close the game.
NDSU Women’s Basketball Picked Fifth In Summit League Preseason Poll
The North Dakota State Bison women’s basketball team was voted fifth in the Summit League preseason poll. This is the first time NDSU has been picked inside the top five since being projected for fourth in 2012. Defending champion South Dakota was tabbed the preseason favorite with 25 first-place votes, while South Dakota State was picked second with 11 first-place votes. Western Illinois was picked for third, while Oral Roberts was tabbed fourth. NDSU was picked for fifth, followed by Kansas City and Denver. North Dakota and Omaha round out the poll in eighth and ninth, respectively. The Bison received 371 points, sitting just five behind Oral Roberts for fourth. Kansas City, the defending WAC Champion who returns to the league this year, had 323 points.
The Jory Collins Show
Tune in every Monday night to the Bison Basketball Radio Show with Jory Collins on Bison 1660. Collins and Keith Brake recap the last few games and preview the upcoming schedule. The show airs at 7 p.m. on the following dates: Dec. 7, Dec. 14, Dec. 28, Jan. 11, Jan. 18, Jan. 25, Feb. 1, Feb. 8, Feb. 15, Feb. 22, March 1 and March 15.
Bison Add Four on National Signing Day
The North Dakota State women’s basketball team has announced four additions to the roster, beginning in the 2021-22 season. Ellie Dague, a 5-10 guard from Henning, Minn., Katie Hildebrandt, a 6-2 forward from McFarland, Wis., Abbey Kubas, a 5-11 forward from Dickinson, N.D. and Sophie Olson, a 5-10 guard/forward from El Dorado Hills, Calif. are all set to join the Bison.
Dague is ranked the fifth-best guard in Minnesota and the 13th best player overall. She was named to the Minnesota 1A All-State team while averaging 20.7 points and 5.3 rebounds as a junior.
Hildebrandt is ranked the 18th best player and second-best small forward in Wisconsin. She averaged 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game as a junior.
Kubas is ranked the 12th best player and fourth-best small forward in North Dakota. She hit the 1,000 point mark as a junior, while averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds per game.
Olson is ranked the 10th best shooting guard and 43rd player overall in California. She led Oak Ridge High School to the state tournament in 2018 and 2020. Olson is the younger sister of Bison redshirt-sophomore Marie Olson.
On The Horizon
The Bison return home on Jan. 22 and 23, as NDSU will host Denver. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. both days at the Scheels Center.