Bison athletics were all out of town, but there was no shortage of action this past weekend.
Men’s basketball
After christening the Scheels Center with three wins, the Bison traveled to the Tar Heel State to take part in the High Point Tournament hosted by High Point University. On Friday night, the Herd downed Navy by a score of 66-59.
The Bison were led by senior Dexter Werner, who tallied fourteen points and had four steals. Freshman Tyson Ward from Tampa, FL also chipped in a dozen points. As a team the Bison shot 48.9 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from beyond the arc. Hasan Abdullah recorded 12 points for the Midshipmen in the contest.
On Saturday, the Bison faced off against University of North Carolina Greensboro but were undone by turnovers, falling 65-54. Despite double-digit point contributions from AJ Jacobson, Carlin Dupree and Paul Miller, the rest of the team combined for a paltry 15 points. Shooting 50 percent from the field and from three could not save the Bison from their twenty turnovers, which handed the game to the Spartans.
The Bison closed out the tournament on Sunday against High Point University, and will face Waldorf University on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at the Scheels Center.
Wrestling
Concordia University played host to the Finn Grinaker Open this past weekend, an event which saw five Bison wrestlers win their respective weight classes. Kyle Gilva, Grant Nehring, Charley Popp, Paul Bianchi and Cam Sykora all placed first in the Gold Division at the Open, which hosted 12 regional colleges to compete in various divisions based on experience.
In total, 17 NDSU wrestlers placed in the top five at the event.
Meanwhile, the other members of the team traveled to Norman, Oklahoma, where they faced off against Oklahoma University, who are ranked No. 17 in the nation. The Sooners, while a formidable side, will not be able to take the Bison lightly.
The Herd knocked off Iowa State, who were ranked No. 14 at the time, at home on Nov. 12. Beating the Cyclones altered the complexion of the Big 12, as would a victory against Oklahoma.
Women’s basketball
The first road trip for the Bison women’s basketball team did not go as planned. The early week trip to the east coast saw the Bison drop a pair of games. The first was a 70-58 loss to the University of Massachusetts.
Kennedy Childers lead the Bison with 17 points, a point shy of her career high. Emily Spier and Sarah Jacobson both broke double-digit points for the Bison, with 15 and 11 respectively.
UMass dominated the paint, outscoring the Bison 36-14 down low.
On Wednesday, the Bison traveled to Providence and came up with similar results. The Bison lost to the Friars 86-63. The Bison struggled to shoot 40 percent. Anna Goodhope and Taylor Thunstedt led the team with 11 points each. In her first start, Rylee Nudell pulled in seven rebounds. The Bison lost the battle at the glass 38-32.
The Bison will return home on Tuesday, when they host Colorado at the Scheels Center at 5 p.m.