THIS WEEK
The North Dakota State (14-8, 8-4 Summit) women’s basketball team is back on the road this week at Omaha (11-13, 6-7 Summit) on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. The Bison will finish the trip at Denver (10-14, 6-7 Summit) on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. CT.
GAME COVERAGE
Radio: Andy Rieckhoff (play-by-play) will be on the call for both games on Bison 1660.
Watch: The game at Omaha will be available on Mavs All-Access and the contest at Denver will be streamed on Pioneer All-Access.
GoBison.com: Live statistics, audio and video links are available on GoBison.com.
BISON QUICK HITS
- NDSU enters the week tied with Oral Roberts (11-12, 8-4 Summit) for second place in the Summit League standings.
- The Bison most recently came up short against South Dakota State, 82-54.
- Omaha has won its last two games and most recently edged Western Illinois, 57-55. The Mavericks are 6-5 at Baxter Arena this season and have lost their last four home games.
- Denver has won its last three games after cruising past St. Thomas on the road, 62-51. The Pioneers have notched a 6-7 record at home this season..
- NDSU ranks inside top three in the Summit League in the following categories: three-point percentage defense (1st, 29.7), scoring defense (2nd, 68.1), assist/turnover ratio (3rd, 0.85), assists per game (3rd, 13.8), field goal percentage (3rd, 41.7), offensive rebounds per game (3rd, 12.7), scoring margin (3rd, 2.7), three-point percentage (3rd, 31.7).
- Heaven Hamling leads the Summit League and ranks 10th in the nation in free throw percentage shooting 90.0.
- Elle Evans has reached double figures in scoring in each of the last six games, including a career-high 23 points at Kansas City. Over that span, she’s averaging 16.0 points per game and shooting 41.8 percent from the field.
LAST TIME OUT
NDSU dropped an 82-54 decision to South Dakota State on Saturday afternoon at Scheels Center. Elle Evans hit double figures in scoring for the sixth straight game with a team-high 11 points to go along with two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Abby Schulte contributed nine points, while Taylor Brown tallied eight points with a team-best seven rebounds.
SNAPPIN’ STREAKS
NDSU grinded out an 86-82 overtime win over South Dakota last week behind a game-high 28 points from Heaven Hamling. It marked the first time since 1999-00 that NDSU has swept the regular season series against South Dakota.
250 CAREER WINS
Following the victory over South Dakota last week, head coach Jory Collins earned his 250th career win. He has currently amassed a 250-112 overall record spanning 12 seasons. He notched a 199-58 mark during eight seasons at Emporia State. Collins has posted a 51-54 mark at NDSU over his first four seasons and earned his 50th win at Kansas City. His 51 wins at NDSU rank third all-time in Bison history behind Amy Ruley (671 wins) and Carolyn DeHoff (72 wins).
LOOKING AT SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAY
The Bison are 8-4 in Summit League play this season and are positioned tied for second place in the conference. NDSU is averaging 73.0 points per game and limiting opponents to 71.9 in Summit League play. Heaven Hamling (16.6), Elle Evans (12.8) and Taylor Brown (10.2) are all averaging double digits in scoring in conference play.
TOUGH DEFENSE
NDSU is limiting opponents to 68.1 points per game this season, which ranks second in the Summit League. The Bison have held eight opponents to 65 points or less, including a season-low 43 points against Denver. NDSU is also holding opponents to a 29.7 percentage behind the three-point arc, which leads the Summit League.
COMFORTABLE BEHIND THE ARC
The Bison drained a season-high 14 triples on 31 attempts with six different players posting at least one in the win over Omaha. That total ranks tied for the sixth-most in a single-game in NDSU history and was the third time this season the Bison have notched 10 or more triples.
BALL MOVEMENT
The Bison have been moving the ball around the floor averaging 13.8 assists per game this season, which ranks third in the Summit League. Heaven Hamling has handed out a team-best and career-high 80 assists, while Abby Schulte has distributed a career-high 70.
NDSU handed out a season-high 20 assists in the win over Western Illinois with 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 22 games this season and averaging over 30 minutes per game. Evans is averaging 32.2 minutes, while Hamling is logging a team-high 32.9 minutes per game. Over three seasons at NDSU, Hamling is averaging 32.6 minutes per contest, which ranks fourth all-time in Bison history.
HEAVEN DOING HEAVEN THINGS
Heaven Hamling has established herself as one of the best three-point shooters in the Summit League and currently ranks in the top five in three-pointers per game (2nd, 2.45), three-pointers (2nd, 54) and three-point percentage (4th, 33.8).
Hamling is also averaging a team-best and career-high 16.0 points per game this season, which ranks sixth in the Summit League. Defensively, Hamling has been disrupting opposing offenses with a career-high 47 steals, which ranks third in the Summit League. She is also positioned second in the conference in steals per game with 2.14.
Through 22 games this season, Hamling is the only player in the Summit League averaging 16.0 points per game, 3.5 assists per contest and shooting at least 33.0 percent from three.
NOT PLAYING LIKE A FRESHMAN
Elle Evans is off to a fast start in her freshman season starting all 22 games and is averaging 12.6 points per game. That total ranks ninth in the Summit League and leads all freshmen.
Evans has reached the 20-point scoring plateau twice this season, including a career-high 23 points in the win over Kansas City. The Edwardsville, Ill., native has reached double digits in scoring 18 of 22 games.
Evans has also been a force on the defensive side of the court with 24 total blocks, which ranks tied for fourth in the Summit League and leads all freshmen.
Through 22 games, Evans is the only freshmen in the Summit League with at least 30 steals, 25 blocks and averaging 12.5 points per game.
BEHNKE SURGING
After not starting a game in each of her first three seasons at NDSU, Emily Behnke has started 20 games this season and has hauled in a team-high and career-best 144 rebounds. The Two Rivers, Wis., native has also notched a career-high 25 blocks this season, which ranks sixth in the Summit League.
BROWN FITS RIGHT IN
In her first season at NDSU, Taylor Brown has fit right in starting all 22 games. The Lakeville, Minn., native is averaging 9.5 points per game and has reached double digits in scoring in nine 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 22 games this season.
Graham is averaging 6.1 points per game and notched a season-high 22 points in the win over Denver, while Draper has contributed 4.8 points with 2.5 rebounds per game. Kristina Ekofo Yomane has also appeared in 21 games with two starts this season to go along with 3.0 points per game.
1,000 CAREER POINTS FOR NO. 11
Heaven Hamling has surpassed the 1,000 career points milestone with 1,250. She started her career at Stephen F. Austin State for one season in 2018-19 and netted 174 points. Hamling has totaled 1,076 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, 14.3), three-point field goals made (4th, 178), three-point field goal percentage (3rd, .380), free throw percentage (2nd, .890), defensive rebounding average (7th, 3.8) and minutes average (4th, 32.6).
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.
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.
THE SERIES VS. OMAHA
This will mark the 73rd all-time meeting between Omaha and NDSU dating back to 1980 with the Bison leading the series, 52-20. Earlier this season, NDSU hit a season-high 14 triples and picked up an 83-71 win over Omaha. Heaven Hamling totaled 26 points with six rebounds and six assists, while Elle Evans poured in 20 points with six rebounds.
THE SERIES VS. DENVER
This will mark the 28th all-time meeting between Denver and NDSU dating back to 1987 with the Bison leading the series, 15-12. Earlier this season, Abby Graham netted a season-high 22 points to help lead NDSU past Denver, 71-43.
LOOKING AHEAD
NDSU will return home against Kansas City on Thursday, Feb. 16. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. at Scheels Center.
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