Game 11	North Dakota State (3-8) at NJIT (3-7)
Date | Time	Tuesday, December 22 | 12pm
Location | Arena	Newark, NJ | Fleisher Athletic Center
Live Video|Audio	Highlanders Sports Network w/ Michael Ventola ($6.95)
Live Stats	In-game statistics (free)
Social Media	@njithighlanders
All-time series Last Meeting	North Dakota State leads, 3-0 NDSU 60, NJIT 48 (November 29, 2014)
Game Notes	NJIT Notes | North Dakota State Notes

NJIT will host North Dakota State on Tuesday, December 22 with tipoff set for 12Noon on Staff Appreciation Day.

Video and audio coverage begins 15 minutes prior to tip-off at 11:45 a.m. on NJITHighlanders.com with Michael Ventola calling the action.

Tuesday's game will be recognized as "Staff Appreciation Day".  Come join us for FREE Pizza and Drinks in the Fleisher Athletic Center.  Raffle opportunities to win Airline Tickets (anywhere in the US) and NJIT Adidas gift bag!  Participate in "Halftime Knockout Game" to win a Pizza Party for your entire Department and 10 free tickets to an NJIT Basketball Game.  One representative from each department must sign up in Human Resources to participate or at the Marketing and Promotions table prior to the start of the game.

Free tickets for faculty and staff can be picked up in the Human Resource Office – Fenster 500.

ALL-TIME SERIES
North Dakota State, which was on the first NJIT Division I women's basketball schedule in 2006-07, will make its first visit to Newark since March 2007. North Dakota State won both of the home-and-home meetings in February and March 2007 and the Bison made it 3-0 in the series when they defeated the Highlanders in the championship game of the Florida Atlantic Thanksgiving Tournament.
The Highlanders are 0-6 all-time against Summit League opponents (only other opponent is South Dakota State).

LAST TIME OUT
Junior guard Alana Dudley scored 11 points and junior forward Leah Horton added 10, but it went for naught, as Vermont came from behind in the fourth quarter to topple NJIT, 54-46.

Highlanders Alana Dudley added a driving layup with 1:58 left to slice Vermont's lead to 48-46, but Atwood delivered the crushing basket, a 3-pointer from 22 feet with 37 seconds remaining, giving the Catamounts their biggest lead of the game at 51-46.

Guards Olivia Dudley and Bianca Picard, who have been set back with injuries, came off the bench, netting eight points apiece in 28 minutes.

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
Horton, the Highlanders 6-foot-1 junior forward, has scored in double-digits in the last five games, with a season-best 18 points at LIU Brooklyn on December 9.  Through 10 games, Horton has recorded double-figure scoring in eight contests.

Point guard Alana Dudley has recorded a least one assist in 10 games, with a career-best 8 vs. College of St. Joseph's (VT) on November 28.

NJIT LEADERS
Points: Leah Horton (11.9 ppg)
Rebounds: Leah Horton (7.1 rpg)
Field Goal Percentage: Leah Horton (46-99; .465)
3-Point FG Made: Kelly Guarino (28-for-56) | Ranked 37^th in the nation
Assists: Alana Dudley (40)
Steals: Leah Horton (19)

NEXT UP
The Highlanders will conclude three straight home contests on Tuesday before breaking for five days for Christmas and then visiting Minnesota on Monday, December 28 at 7pm (CT).

SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA STATE
North Dakota State enters the game with a 3-8 mark after going 1-1 at the Wichita State University Classic.  The Bison, who previously dropped seven straight, got back into the win column with a 79-58 victory against Prairie View A&M on December 19, behind senior guard Marena Whittle, who scored her 1,000 career point, finishing with a game-best 24 points and 17 rebounds.  Whittle became the 32^nd women's basketball player at North Dakota State to eclipse the 1,000 point career mark.

NDSU's two previous wins came in the month of November at home over College of Saint Mary (Neb.) and Valley City State.

North Dakota State was picked to finish sixth out of nine teams in the 2015-16 Summit League Preseason Poll.  The Bison finished with an 11-18 overall mark, 7-9 in Summit League play in 2014-15.  Senior forward Holly Johnson, an honorable mention 2014-15 All-Summit League selection, was named to the Preseason All-league second-team after averaging 12.2 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game in 2014-15.  Johnson will be sidelined for the 2015-16 season due to a preseason foot injury.

Whittle, the Bison's leading scorer, has combined for double-digit scoring in eight of the Bison 10 games, including one 32-point performance and three 20-point performances. 

Forward Brianna Jones, a two-time all-conference honoree at Danville Area Community College in Illinois, including All-Region XXIV accolades, is making an impact early, topping the team on the glass with 108 rebounds (9.8 rpg) and field goal percentage (43-for-92; .467).  In Jones' first game as a Bison, she pulled down 19 rebounds against New Mexico State on November 13.

Guard Taylor Thundstedt tops the team in three-pointers made (32), ranking the sophomore 27^th in the nation.  Thundstedt has dished out at least one assist in 10 games, including a season-best 7 assists against New Mexico State on November 13.

HEAD COACH MAREN WALSETH
Maren Walseth is in her second season as the head coach at North Dakota State.  In her inaugural season at North Dakota State, she helped guide the Bison to an 11-18 overall record, five more than the previous season.  Walseth joined the Bison in April, 2014, after spending seven years as an assistant coach at Penn State, where she helped the Lady Lions to three Big Ten Championships, four NCAA tournament appearances and two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances.

NORTH DAKOTA STATE LEADERS
Points: Marena Whittle (17.0 ppg); Taylor Thunstedt (16.4 ppg)
Rebounds: Marena Whittle (9.5 rpg)
Field Goal Percentage: Brianna Jones (43-92; .467)
3-Point FG Made: Taylor Thunstedt (32-for-74) | Ranked 27^th in the nation
Assists: Taylor Thunstedt (35)
Steals: Marena Whittle (24)