Men’s basketball
The North Dakota State men’s basketball team played two games this past week. On Monday, Nov. 13, the Bison traveled to California to take on No. 10 USC Trojans.
It was the sixth straight season the Bison played a top-10 ranked opponent.
The Bison led for more than 20 minutes in the game and led by as many as 10 points with a 29-19 lead in the first half.
The Bison were up 56-51 with 9:28 left in the game, following back-to-back dunks from Deng Geu. NDSU was down 62-60 in the final four minutes before the Trojans went on an 8-0 run. The game ended with the Trojans winning, 75-65.
Cameron Hunter scored 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting to lead the Bison. Hunter drained 4-of-5 shots from behind the arc.
Bison sophomore Tyson Ward scored 7 points and matched his career-high with 8 rebounds. Jared Samuelson added 9 points with three three-pointers.
Friday, Nov. 17, the Bison traveled to Missouri State, the preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley conference.
The game saw seven lead changes. The Bears were up 51-48 with 3:50 remaining, before the Bison tied it up at 52 following buckets from A.J. Jacobson and Ward. NDSU scored their final five points at the free throw line.
The Bison defense was rock solid at the end of the game, not allowing Missouri State to score in the final 3 minutes and 50 seconds, missing eight shots during that period.
Jacobson led the team with 14 points and Paul Miller added 13, as Ward recorded his first double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bison are set to return to Fargo for their home opener against Florida A&M Wednesday, Nov. 22.
Women’s basketball
The NDSU women’s basketball team defeated NJIT 105-58 Nov. 12. The 105 points scored were the most since the 2013-2014 season when the Bison scored 112 points against Mayville State.
Seven Bison scored in double digits with Michelle Gaislerova leading all scorers with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and 3-of-4 behind the three-point arc. Sarah Jacobson and Autumn Ogden each recorded double-doubles. Jacobson scored 13 points and dished out a career-high 10 assists, as Ogden scored a career-best 12 points and grabbed a game-high 10 boards.
Macey Kvilvang added 12 points, as Taylor Thunstedt and Danneka Voegeli each scored 11. Kennedy Childers finished the game with 10 points.
NDSU shot 59 percent overall and 44 percent from three-point range. The Bison scored 27 points off 15 turnovers.
NDSU defeated University of Massachusetts Friday, Nov. 17, 82-70. Jacobson led the Bison with a career-high 25 points. Jacobson went 8-for-14 from the field, 7-of-9 from three-point land, and finished with six assists. Thunstedt added 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting.
Rylee Nudell and Gaislerova added 11 and 10 points, with Nudell grabbing 7 rebounds. Ogden added a career-best 4 blocks.
NDSU is scheduled to close out its four-game home stand with a contest against Valley City State Sunday, Nov. 19 before hitting the road against Navy on Saturday in Annapolis, Maryland.
Wrestling
NDSU fell to No. 8 Iowa, 38-6, Friday, Nov. 17.
NDSU’s lone win came in the afternoon’s first match when 125-pounder Paul Bianchi recorded a pin at 1:53 over Iowa’s Justin Stickley. Bianchi improved to 4-1 on the season with a pair of pins.
NDSU dropped three close decisions. Andrew Fogarty lost 3-2 at 165 pounds, 184-pounder Tyler McNutt lost 5-4 and Cordell Eaton lost with a 5-3 loss to No. 11 197-pounder Cash Wilcke.
NDSU is scheduled to square off with No. 13 Northern Iowa Sunday, Nov. 19.