THIS WEEK
The North Dakota State (8-4, 2-0 Summit) women’s basketball team is set to square off with North Dakota (9-3, 2-0 Summit) on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. at Scheels Center.
GAME COVERAGE
Radio: Andy Rieckhoff (play-by-play) will be on the call on Bison 1660.
Watch: The contest will be available on WDAY Xtra with Dom Izzo (play-by-play), Amy Ruley (analyst) and Logan Campbell (sideline) on the call. The game will also be available on ESPN+ for subscribers.
GoBison.com: Live statistics, audio and video links are available on GoBison.com.
BISON QUICK HITS
- NDSU has won each of its last two games and is 2-0 in Summit League play for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
- The Bison most recently rolled past St. Thomas, 74-56, on Dec. 21 at Scheels Center.
- NDSU boasts 5-0 mark at Scheels Center this season.
- UND has won its last seven games and most recently topped Western Illinois, 69-53, on Dec. 20.
- The Fighting Hawks are 1-3 on the road this season and haven’t played away from home since Dec. 4 at Eastern Michigan.
- Elle Evans has reached double figures in scoring in each of her last nine games, including a season-high 17 points at Central Michigan.
- Heaven Hamling has drained a team-high 31 three-pointers through the first 12 games this season. She has totaled 155 triples over three seasons and ranks fifth all-time in NDSU history.
- Heaven Hamling leads the Summit League in three-point percentage (38.3), three-pointers (31) and three-pointers per game (2.58).
LAST TIME OUT
NDSU stayed unbeaten in Summit League play after picking up a 74-56 win over St. Thomas on Dec. 21. Heaven Hamling led the way for NDSU putting up a game-high 17 points, six assists and five steals. She also grabbed six rebounds over 28 minutes of action. Elle Evans also hit double figures in scoring for the ninth straight game with 10 points to go along with three rebounds and two steals. Emily Behnke hauled in a game-high eight rebounds with five points.
THE SERIES VS. NORTH DAKOTA
Under fourth-year head coach Jory Collins, NDSU is 7-0 against North Dakota and have won the last seven meetings in the series that dates back to 1967. UND holds the slight edge in the all-time series, 48-45.
In their most recent meeting last season, NDSU outscored UND, 24-12, in the fourth quarter to secure a 81-64 win at Scheels Center. Heaven Hamling posted her first career double-double with a team-high 21 points and game-best 10 rebounds. Abby Schulte also netted 18 points and hauled in a career-best seven rebounds.
ROSTER DEPTH STARTING TO SHOW
The Bison bench has started to contribute over the last three games contributing 20 or more points in each contest, including a season-high 31 points in the win over Western Illionis. Over that stretch, 10 different players have reached the scoring column in each game.
BATTLING FOR REBOUNDS
NDSU has collected 40 or more rebounds in three of the last four games, including a season-high 48 at Northern Iowa. The Bison have grabbed 40 or more rebounds in seven games this season.
TOUGH DEFENSE
NDSU is limiting opponents to 62.7 points per game this season, which ranks second in the Summit League. The Bison have held seven opponents this season to 65 points or less, including a season-low 45 points against Valley City State. NDSU is 7-0 this season when holding opponents to 65 points or less.
BALL MOVEMENT
NDSU distributed a season-high 20 assists in the win over Western Illinois with Abby Schulte leading the way with a game-high eight. It marked the most assists in a single-game since the Bison passed out 21 against Waldorf on Dec. 22, 2019.
HEAVY WORKLOAD
Heaven Hamling and Elle Evans have both started all 12 games this season and averaging over 30 minutes per game. Evans is averaging 31.0 minutes, while Hamling is logging a team-high 32.0 minutes per game. Over three seasons at NDSU, Hamling is averaging 32.4 minutes per contest, which ranks fourth all-time Bison history.
HAMLING FROM DEEP
Heaven Hamling is one of the best three-point shooters in the Summit League and leads the conference in three-point percentage (38.3), three-pointers (31) and three-pointers per game (2.58).
NOT PLAYING LIKE A FRESHMAN
Elle Evans is off to a fast start in her freshman season starting all 12 games and is averaging 12.2 points per game. That total ranks second among freshmen in the Summit League. Denver freshman guard Emma Smith leads all freshman in the conference with 13.7 points per game.
Evans has also hit double figures in scoring in each of her last nine games, including a season-high 17 points at Central Michigan. Over that span, she’s averaging 12.8 points per game.
BROWN FITS RIGHT IN
In her first season at NDSU, Taylor Brown has fit right in starting each of the first 12 games. The Lakeville, Minn., native is averaging 8.8 points per game and has reached double digits in scoring in four games. Brown notched her first double-double of the season with a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Minnesota.
CONTRIBUTING OFF THE BENCH
Abbie Draper and Abby Graham have both come off the bench in all 12 games this season. Draper is averaging 6.2 points per game and has reached double digits in scoring three times. Graham has added 5.5 points per game and netted a season-high 11 points in the win over Minnesota.
HISTORIC PERFORMANCE
Heaven Hamling posted a career-high 39 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field and 7-of-12 shooting from three in the win over Nevada. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native also went 10-of-10 from the free throw line and added six rebounds, three steals and one assist to her stat line.
Her 39 points rank as the third-most all-time in a single-game at NDSU and marked her second career 30-point performance. Hamling is one of only nine players in the country to post 39 or more points in a single-game this season. Additionally, her seven triples against the Wolf Pack rank tied for 13th in the nation in a single-game this season.
1,000 CAREER POINTS FOR NO. 11
Heaven Hamling has surpassed the 1,000 career points milestone with 1,081. She started her career at Stephen F. Austin State for one season in 2018-19 and netted 174 points. Hamling has totaled 907 points over the last three seasons at NDSU.
HAMLING CHASES HISTORY
Heaven Hamling enters the 2022-23 season with the opportunity to leave her name in NDSU history. She’s positioned inside the top 10 in Bison history in scoring average (6th, 14,0), three-point field goals made (5th, 155), three-point field goal percentage (3rd, .398), free throw percentage (2nd, .889), defensive rebounding average (9th, 3.7) and minutes average (4th, 32.4).
PERFECT NOVEMBER
The Bison started the season with a 6-0 overall record in the month of November before falling short at Eastern Michigan. It marked the best start to a season since 2004-05. NDSU began the 2004-05 season winning its first 24 games and finished with a 26-1 overall record.
WHO’S BACK THIS YEAR?
The Bison return six letterwinnners from last season, including three starters: Heaven Hamling, Abby Schulte and Katie Hildebrandt.
NDSU GRAD
Heaven Hamling graduated in December with her degree in construction management and a minor in business administration. She will begin graduate school starting in January.
WELCOME TO THE SQUAD
The roster features eight newcomers this season: Taylor Brown, Kristina Ekofo Yomane, Abbie Draper, Elle Evans, Marwa Bedziri, Abby Graham, Leah Mackenzie and Georgia Baldwin.
NEW, BUT PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE
Three of the eight newcomers on the roster this season have played at least 10 NCAA games in their careers. Taylor Brown appeared in 95 games over four seasons at American and Abbie Draper played in 26 games with 15 starts during her freshman season at Bradley last year. Georgia Baldwin also appeared in 11 games at Eastern Kentucky over the last two seasons.
NEW LOOK COACHING STAFF
The NDSU coaching staff has a new look this season with addition of assistant coaches Jaime Adams and Michaela Crall. Adams is back for her second stint with the program after spending four seasons from 2008-12 as an assistant coach. She also played at NDSU from 1997-01 and was inducted to the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.
Crall comes to NDSU after spending last season at Dubuque as an assistant coach. She also played for Wisconsin for three seasons from 2013-16 before starting her career in coaching as an undergraduate coach. Emily Dietz, who played at NDSU from 2017-22 and is the all-time leader games played, returns as a graduate manager this season.
STARTING A NEW 3-POINT STREAK
NDSU shot 1-of-9 from three at Kansas State last season, which ended a streak of 56 straight games that the Bison have netted at least two triples. The Bison have bounced back and have connected at least two triples in each of their last 34 games.
NDSU has a recent history of assembling lengthy three-point streaks. The Bison went 0-of-14 from three-point range against Valparaiso in 2019-20, ending a streak of 113 straight games with at least two 3-pointers.
THIS IS OUR HOUSE
NDSU is 466-141 all-time at home dating back to 1977-78. NDSU has won at least seven home games over the last two seasons, including a 9-3 mark in 2020-21. The Bison registered a 7-7 record at home last season.
PRESEASON ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE FIRST TEAM
Heaven Hamling was selected to the Preseason All-Summit League First Team. She started all 29 games last season and logged a team-high 34.4 minutes per contest. Hamling ranked ninth in the Summit League with a team-best 14.3 points per game and reached double digits in scoring in 24 of 29 games. The Grand Rapids, Minn., native led the conference in three-point field goals per game with 2.31 and three-point field goal percentage shooting 39.0 percent.
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
NDSU was picked to finish fifth in the Summit League Preseason Poll. South Dakota State garnered 36 first place votes to take the top spot, while South Dakota picked up four first place votes in second place. Oral Roberts closed out the top three in third place.
BISON IN GREECE
Over the span of eight days, the Bison had the opportunity to practice, play two games and learn about the culture in Greece during a trip in August. NDSU spent the first four days in Athens before concluding the trip in Glyfada.
LOOKING AHEAD
NDSU will travel to South Dakota State on Thursday, Jan. 5. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.
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