The NJIT women's basketball team will conclude its trip to the Dakota's on Sunday, November 12 at 1pm (CT) at North Dakota State at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
The game can be seen on ESPN3 (all NJIT basketball home games can be seen on ESPN3).
A simple way to find ESPN3 is on NJIT's official athletics website, http://www.njithighlanders.com. Near the middle of the home page NJIT TV section, click Upcoming Events for a list of scheduled NJIT contests. After finding the event, click the camera icon to the right of the event listing. That brings you to an ESPN3 portal where you can access the desired program.
Brian Shawn, the voice of the Bison, will be on play-by-play with expert analysis from Greg Stemen.
All-Time Series
Sunday's contest will mark the fifth meeting in the all-time series that dates back to 2010. North Dakota State leads the series 4-0. The last time the two teams met was during the 2015-16 season in Newark, N.J., with the Bison defeating the Highlanders, 64-59.
Scouting North Dakota State
North Dakota State compiled an overall record of 6-24 and finished seventh in The Summit League with a 4-12 league record last season.
NDSU returns four of five starters from last season's team, including senior Taylor Thunstedt, and sophomores Sarah Jacobson, Tyrah Spencer and Rylee Nudell.
A Summit League Preseason All-League Second Team honoree, Thunstedt led the Bison in scoring with 14.5 points per game and made a North Dakota State single-season record 92 three-pointers last season. The Spicer, Minn., native enters 2017-18 as the NDSU career leader in three-pointers made with 229 treys.
Jacobson, a native of Fargo, was named to The Summit League All-Newcomer Team last season after averaging a team-best 3.5 assists per game to go along with 9.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. She played and started in every game for NDSU in 2017-18.
A native of Oakdale, Minn., Spencer averaged 3.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, while Nudell, a native of Buffalo, N.D., averaged 5.1 points and 3.5 boards per game.
NDSU also returns junior Kennedy Childers, and sophomores Reilly Jacobson, Anna Goodhope and Autumn Ogden
.
The Bison welcome five newcomers in junior Marina Fernandez, and freshmen Macey Kvilvang, Michelle Gaislerova, Emily Dietz and Danneka Voegeli.
LAST TIME OUT FOR NDSU
Four Bison scored in double figures to help the North Dakota State University women's basketball team cruise to an 87-43 victory over the Mayville State University Comets in the 2017-18 regular season home opener Friday, Nov. 10, at the Scheels Center inside the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
Senior Taylor Thunstedt scored 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-8 performance from three-point range to lead all scorers in the contest, while Rylee Nudell and Michelle Gaislerova each netted 13, and Autumn Ogden scored 10.
Danneka Voegeli pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds, and Sarah Jacobson dished out a game-best six assists, while Thunstedt compiled a game-high five steals.
Head Coach Maren Walseth
Maren Walseth enters her fourth season as the head women's basketball coach at North Dakota State. In her inaugural season at NDSU in 2014-15, Walseth helped guide the Bison to an 11-17 overall record and a 7-9 Summit League mark. North Dakota State finished sixth in The Summit League, the highest finish for NDSU women's basketball since the 2011-12 season.
Walseth helped coach the Bison to several milestone victories during the 2014-15 season. The first occurred on Jan. 2, when NDSU claimed a 77-64 triumph over Oral Roberts at Scheels Arena, marking the first win for the Bison over the Golden Eagles since the 2009-10 season. The win also snapped a five-game losing skid to ORU. Just two days later on Jan. 4, the Bison stunned the then defending Summit League regular season champion South Dakota State Jackrabbits, defeating SDSU in front of 1,782 spectators at Scheels Arena, 83-78. The victory was the first over the Jacks since 2010-11 and the first at home since 2004-05.
NDSU finished the 2015-16 season with an overall record 7-22 and was 2-14 in Summit League play. Senior Marena Whittle was named to the All-Summit League first team, while sophomore Taylor Thunstedtwas tabbed honorable mention all-league.
Summit League
The North Dakota State was picked to finish sixth in The Summit League preseason poll released Wednesday, Oct. 4, by the league office. The Bison tallied 150 points in the poll. South Dakota State was tabbed the preseason favorite to win the league with 380 points and 16 first-place votes, while defending Summit League regular season and tournament champion Western Illinois was picked second with 372 points and 12 first-place votes. South Dakota was voted third with 307 points, rounding out the top-three. Oral Roberts was fourth, followed by Omaha and NDSU in fifth and sixth. Denver and Fort Wayne rounded out the poll in seventh and eighth.
Taylor Thunstedt was voted to the preseason all-league second team for the second straight season after averaging a team-high 14.5 points per game and tallying an NDSU single-season record 92 three-pointers last season. A native of Spicer, Minn., Thunstedt enters the 2017-18 season as the North Dakota State career leader in three-pointers made with 229 treys.
A Look at NJIT
NJIT dropped its 2017 season opener against South Dakota State, who is receiving votes in both the USA Today and CollegeInsider Mid-Major poll, 92-48.
NJIT redshirt sophomore
Amarri Trueheart led the way for the Highlanders, netting a career-best 12 points.
Redshirt junior
Tatianna Torres was NJIT's other double-figure scorer with 11 points.
Sophomore
Tracey Brereton scored nine points while freshman
Dez Allen recorded eight points in her collegiate debut.
Wellness and Events Center
NJIT celebrated a Ribbon Cutting ceremony on November 10, 2017 to open the new state-of-the-art Wellness and Events Center nicknamed the "WEC" – which will feature a 3,500-seat basketball arena and compare favorably with many Division I mid-major facilities throughout the country, allowing NJIT to continue to grow their men's and women's basketball programs.
The WEC will be three stories high and its north side will be all windows, through which natural light will flood into the building. The tall windows will overlook the new athletic field, which will open in Fall 2018.
ASUN Conference
The Highlanders, who became the eighth full member of the A-Sun effective July 1, 2015, will begin its third season in the ASUN Conference, will have 15 games, home-and-away, against the other seven conference teams, three of which played in the 2017 post-season.
NJIT was selected sixth in the 2017 Preseason ASUN Conference poll, combining for 21 points ahead of USC Upstate (19 points) and Lipscomb (14 points).
After winning last year's ASUN Conference women's basketball championship title, FGCU was picked to repeat by the league's head coaches in the 2017-18. The Eagles garnered six first-place votes among the head coaches in the league, while also being selected first in the media poll.
Up Next
NJIT will open the 2017 season at home on November 16, hosting Fairleigh Dickinson, in the Wellness and Events Center, a 3,500 seat basketball arena.
