North Dakota State at North Dakota
Thursday, Feb. 7 | 7 p.m. (Central) | Grand Forks, N.D. (Betty Engelstad Sioux Center)
Radio: Bison 1660 / 92.7 FM
TV: MidcoSN / ESPN3
Live Stats: FightingHawks.com
 
Denver at North Dakota State
Saturday, Feb. 9 | 1 p.m. (Central) | Fargo, N.D (Scheels Center)
Radio: Bison 1660 / 92.7 FM
TV: MidcoSN2 / ESPN3
Live Stats: BisonStats.com

Full Game Notes (PDF)
 

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Scene Setter
         The North Dakota State (6-15, 3-6 Summit) women's basketball team will finish a four-game road swing on Thursday, as they travel to North Dakota (9-14, 4-6 Summit). On Saturday, the Bison will start a four-game home stand, with a game against Denver (12-10, 5-4 Summit) kicking off that stretch.
 
North Dakota Series History
          The Fighting Hawks own a 47-38 lead in the all-time series that dates to a 59-56 Bison victory on Jan. 14, 1967. The Bison defeated North Dakota 69-57 on Jan. 20 at the Scheels Center, snapping an eight-game winning streak in the series for North Dakota. The two teams did not face each other from 2005-2011. The last Bison victory in Grand Forks came on Feb. 7, 2004, a 75-74 win at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
 
Denver Series History
         The Bison own a 9-8 lead in the all-time series that dates back to an 86-54 win in Denver on Dec. 19, 1987. The Pioneers swept the season series last year, while the Bison swept the season series in 2016-17. Denver beat NDSU 81-54 on Jan. 17 in Denver.

Bison Notes

• North Dakota State was a perfect 12-of-12 at the free throw line against Western Illinois. It was the most made free throws without a miss in school history and the second time the Bison have been perfect at the line with over 10 attempts in the game in school history.
• Michelle Gaislerova scored 21 points at Western Illinois, marking the fifth time this season that Gaislerova has scored 20 or more points. She surpassed 600 points for her career against Western Illinois.
• Senior Marina Fernandez notched her first career double-double at Western Illinois, pulling down a career-high 11 rebounds to go with her 13 points.
• The Bison were scheduled to play Waldorf University in the final non-conference game of the year last Wednesday, but due to brutal cold and travel conditions, the game was canceled.
• North Dakota State hit a season-high 11 3-pointers against Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles countered with 18 long balls, tied for the second most in Summit League history, in the 101-72 win by Oral Roberts.
• Gaislerova scored 18 points against Oral Roberts, as she hit the double digit mark for the 16th time this season and 33rd time in her career.
• Rylee Nudell scored a career-high 22 points against the Golden Eagles, as she went over 600 points for her career.
• The Bison led South Dakota State 6-4 early in the game before the Jackrabbits went on a 22-2 run to take the lead for good in SDSU's 86-33 victory.
• North Dakota State snapped an eight-game losing streak against North Dakota with a 69-57 win. It was the first win over the Fighting Hawks in the NCAA Division I era.
• West Fargo native Emily Dietz had only played three minutes in her career against the Fighting Hawks entering the last game. Dietz finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes.
• Entering the game at Denver, the Pioneers led the nation in 3-pointers made. Denver finished the game with five makes from downtown, the second fewest they have hit in a game this year.
• North Dakota State scored the final eight points of the game against Western Illinois for a 68-60 victory over the Leathernecks. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Leathernecks.

Scouting North Dakota

• With 488 made free throws, Lexi Klabo is the all-time leader in the school history. Klabo also leads NCAA Division I with 139 made free throws this season.
• Klabo ranks 64th in the nation with 18.1 points per game and 81st with 180 rebounds on the year.
• The Fighting Hawks rallied from a 12 point deficit against Omaha for the victory last week. It was the second time this season the Fighting Hawks have come from double digits down to earn a victory.
• North Dakota ranks 10th in the nation with 345 made free throws and ranks 13th with 477 attempts. The Fighting Hawks also rank 84th in percentage at 72.3 at the line.

Scouting Denver

• The Pioneers enter Wednesday night's game at Oral Roberts with a 12-10 record, having dropped back-to-back games against Purdue Fort Wayne and South Dakota State.
• Denver ranks 11th in the nation with 5.5 blocked shots per game, while ranking 12th with 121 blocks on the season.
• The Pioneers rank sixth in the nation in 3-point percentage at 39.8. They also rank 10th with 212 3-pointers made on the season and 12th with 9.6 3-pointers per game. Their 532 attempts from downtown are the 31st most in the nation this year.
• Lauren Loven leads the nation with 83 3-pointers this season. She also ranks third with 3.77 3-pointers per game and fourth in percentage at 47.7

 
Last Time Out
         Western Illinois (10-13, 6-4 Summit) closed the first quarter on a 13-5 run to take the lead for good, as the Leathernecks beat the North Dakota State (6-15, 3-6 Summit) women's basketball team 82-70 Sunday afternoon at Western Hall.
         An early 8-2 run for the Bison gave NDSU an 11-6 lead on a jumper by Cirkeline Rimdal with 6:35 to play in the first quarter. A layup by Emily Dietz gave the Bison a 16-12 lead with 4:46 left in the quarter before the Leathernecks went on the 13-5 run to take a 25-21 lead after the first quarter.
         Tyrah Spencer's layup with 5:27 left in the half cut the lead to 31-26 before Western Illinois went on a 9-2 run to push the lead to 12 with 2:02 left in the half. A layup from Marina Fernandez with :51 left in the half left the Leathernecks with a 40-30 lead at the break.
         Another layup from Spencer started the scoring in the second half, but Western Illinois answered with a 12-4 run over a 4:02 span to put the lead in double digits for the remainder of the game. A pair of free throws by Rimdal closed the scoring in the third quarter, as the Leathernecks led 64-47.
         Western Illinois scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, taking its largest lead of the game at 69-47. The Bison responded with 10-straight points over a 1:41 span to cut the lead to 69-57 with 6:24 to play. A quick 6-0 run by the Leathernecks pushed the lead back to 18. NDSU would cut the lead to 12 twice in the final 1:40, but couldn't get any closer.
         Gaislerova led the Bison with 21 points, her fifth game of 20 or more points this season. Gaislerova also went over the 600 point mark for her career, marking the second-straight game a Bison has hit the number with Rylee Nudell hitting it last week against Oral Roberts. Marina Fernandez added 13 points, while Sofija Zivaljevic and Nudell each had 12. Taylor Higginbotham finished with a game-high 27 points, as she became the all-time leading scorer in Western Illinois history.
         Fernandez had a career-high 11 rebounds, as she notched her first career double-double. Zivaljevic and Spencer each had five boards. Fernandez had a game-high four assists, while Zivaljevic added three.
         NDSU was 25-of-69 (36.2%) from the field and 8-of-19 (42.1%) from 3-point range. The Leathernecks were 31-of-61 (50.8%) from the floor and 5-of-12 (41.7%) from downtown. The Bison were perfect in 12 trips to the free throw line, tying a school record for percentage in a game. It was the most made free throws in school history without a miss. The Leathernecks were 15-of-20 at the charity stripe. The Leathernecks had a 52-28 advantage in the paint and 15-8 advantage in points off turnovers, while NDSU had an 18-8 advantage in bench points.
 
103 and Counting
         North Dakota State has made at least two 3-pointers in 103-straight games dating back to a loss against Delaware on Nov. 29, 2015. The Bison are averaging 5.9 3-pointers per game this year and have hit at least seven in 10 games.
 
Mixing It Up
         The Bison have eight players that have played at least 262 minutes this year, with four of them having played at least 595 minutes. NDSU has used 17 different lineups for at least 10 minutes. The lineup of Rylee Nudell, Michelle Gaislerova, Tyrah Spencer, Marina Fernandez and Sofija Zivaljevic has outscored opponents 34-18 in 12:29 of play together. The group of Nudell, Gaislerova, Spencer, Fernandez and Emily Dietz has been on the floor the most together, outscoring opponents 340-331 in 211:07 of play together. Spencer has the highest plus rating of the year in the win over Purdue Fort Wayne, as the Bison were +28 in her 34:46 of action in the victory.
 
Perfect at Home in January
         For the second-straight year, the Bison finished a month with a perfect home record at the Scheels Center. This year, the Bison were 2-0 in games played at home in January. North Dakota State earned wins over Western Illinois (68-60) on Jan. 11 and North Dakota (69-57) on Jan. 20. The Bison were scheduled to play Waldorf University on Jan. 30, but weather and travel conditions forced that game to be canceled. The Bison were also perfect in November of 2017, finishing that month with a 4-0 record at home to start the season.
 
The Rare Cancelation
         With the game against Waldorf University canceled due to weather and travel conditions, it marked the third time since NDSU moved to NCAA Division I that a game had been canceled. The previous two times were against Jamestown in December 2008 and Dakota State in December 2010.
 
Making Them When They Matter
         The Bison are shooting 67.3 percent (206-of-306) at the free throw line this year, but they are hitting them when it matters. NDSU is 51-of-66 (77.3%) at the charity stripe in the final three minutes of games this season. Sofija Zivaljevic has been to the line 15 times in the final three minutes, hitting 14 of them (93.3%).
 
2018-19 NDSU Women's Basketball Captains Announced
         Rylee Nudell, Tyrah Spencer and Marina Fernandez have been voted team captains for the Bison for the upcoming 2018-19 season. This is the second year that Spencer has been voted a captain.
 
Bison Sign Two on National Signing Day
         NDSU announced the signing of high school standouts, Nicole Scales and Olivia Skibiel, to a National Letter of Intent to attend NDSU and play basketball starting in the fall of 2019. Scales is a 5-9 guard from Park Ridge, Ill., while Skibiel is a 6-1 guard/forward from Snohomish, Wash. In 31 games last season, Scales averaged a team-best 12.4 points per game. She also owns the Maine South single-season record for 3-pointers in a season with 80 and highest free throw percentage (47-of-59 – 80%).Skibiel averaged 18.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game as a junior. She was 69-of-80 (86%) at the free throw line during junior season.
 
NDSU Women's Basketball Picked Seventh In Summit League Preseason Poll
         The North Dakota State Bison women's basketball team was voted seventh in the Summit League preseason poll released by the league office. South Dakota State was tabbed the preseason favorite with 24 first-place votes, while South Dakota was picked second with the remaining nine first-place votes. The Summit League finished 12th out of 32 conferences in RPI last season.
 
MidcoSN to Televise Every NDSU Women's Basketball Home Game in 2018-19
         Midco has announced that all 14 NDSU home games during the 2018-19 season will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network. All games will either be on MidcoSN or MidcoSN2. In addition, all home games will be covered by ESPN+ or ESPN3. Road games at Omaha (Jan. 6), South Dakota State (Jan. 23), North Dakota (Feb. 7) and South Dakota (Feb. 28) will also be on the Midco Sports Network.
 
Last Time Against North Dakota
                  Michelle Gaislerova and Emily Dietz each scored in double figures Sunday, as the North Dakota State (6-12, 3-3 Summit) women's basketball team earned a 69-57 victory over North Dakota (8-12, 3-4 Summit) at the Scheels Center.
         It was a sign of things to come in the early going, as Dietz scored the first points of the game on a jumper in the lane only to be followed up with a deep 3-pointer by Gaislerova to give the Bison an early 5-0 lead. A layup by Tyrah Spencer with 5:36 left in the opening quarter gave NDSU a 9-3 lead, but North Dakota answered with a 14-6 run to close the first quarter. A 3-pointer by Mikayla Reinke gave UND a 17-15 lead after the first frame.
         Dietz scored NDSU's first seven points of the second quarter, tying the game at 22-22 with 8:27 left in the half. A jumper by Macey Kvilvang with 5:22 left in the half started a 12-3 NDSU run, as a pair of Dietz free throws put the Bison up 40-30 with 1:39 left in the half. The Fighting Hawks scored the final four points of the half, cutting the lead to 40-34 at the break.
         Two early baskets by Lexi Klabo and Jill Morton forced an NDSU timeout in the first minute of the second half, as the lead was cut to 40-38. NDSU responded with a 3-pointer by Gaislerova to start a 7-0 run. The Fighting Hawks cut the lead to four with 3:10 to play in the third quarter, but the Bison ended the quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 54-43 lead into the fourth quarter.
         After a pair of Klabo free throws cut the lead to nine, Cirkeline Rimdal hit a 3-pointer just :16 later to put the lead into double digits for the remainder of the game. The Bison twice had the lead to 16 in the final two minutes before finishing with the 69-57 victory.
         Gaislerova finished with a game-high 17 points, her 15th double digit scoring performance of the season. Dietz tied a season-high with 16 points, while Rimdal had a career-high eight points off the bench. Morton led the Fighting Hawks with 13 points, while Klabo, the league's leading scorer at 19.1 points per game, was held to 11 points. It was the second lowest scoring performance of the year for Klabo (Six points at Iowa State). Dietz had seven rebounds, while Rylee Nudell pulled in four. Sofija Zivaljevic and Nudell each finished with three assists. Spencer, Nudell and Marina Fernandez each had two steals, tying a career-high for Nudell.
         The Bison were 25-of-53 (47.2%) from the floor and 7-of-13 (53.8%) from 3-point range, marking the 100th-straight game NDSU has hit at least two 3-pointers. The Fighting Hawks were 20-of-46 (43.5%) from the field and 2-of-9 (22.2%) from downtown. NDSU was 12-of-16 from the free throw line, while UND was 15-of-19 (78.9%) from the charity stripe. The victory snapped an eight-game skid to North Dakota. The Bison had a 30-22 advantage in the paint and outscored UND 30-11 in points off turnovers. It was the second game this year scoring 30 or more points in the paint, while it was a season-high in points off turnovers.
 
Down the Stretch
         The highest scoring quarter so far this year for the Bison has been the fourth quarter, where NDSU has put up 328 points. The Bison are averaging 15.6 points in the fourth quarter, while shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from 3-point range. Sofija Zivaljevic is averaging 4.2 points in the fourth quarter, while Michelle Gaislerova is averaging 4.0. Rylee Nudell is shooting 61.5 percent (24-of-39) from the field, while Gaislerova is 11-of-32 (34.4%) from 3-point range.
 
Norman Joins the Squad
         Former NDSU Soccer player Hanna Norman has joined the women's basketball team. Norman was a two-time All-Summit League selection on the pitch, earning first team honors this past fall. She was also named to the all-freshman team during her rookie campaign. She appeared in 72 games for the Bison, notching a start in 69 of them including every match the last two years. She scored nine goals and had an assist, finishing with five game-winning goals. Coming out of high school, Norman was a Top Drawer Soccer four-star recruit and ranked No. 21 in the Midwest and was the No. 3-ranked defender in the region. On the basketball court in high school, she was a three-time all-conference selection and scored over 1,000 points in her career at Hastings (Minn.) High School.
 
Last Five Games
         In the last five games, Michelle Gaislerova is averaging 14.8 points per game, while Rylee Nudell is averaging 9.6 points per game. Emily Dietz and Marina Fernandez are leading the Bison with 4.4 rebounds per game in the stretch. Gaislerova is 17-of-31 (54.8%) from 3-point range, while Nudell is 8-of-15 (53.3%) from downtown.
        
On the Horizon
                  The Bison begin a four-game home stand on Saturday, Feb. 9 as they host Denver.