Men’s basketball
North Dakota State men’s basketball defeated Stetson 94-58 Saturday, Nov. 25. Tyson Ward scored a career-high 26 points, on 10-for-12 shooting and snagged six rebounds as Paul Miller recorded his fifth career double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds along with six assists for the Bison.
The Bison shot a season-best 57 percent for the game, with an 11-for-20 effort from behind the three-point arc. The Bison’s 20 assists were its most against a Division I opponent since they recorded 22 against Indian University-Purdue University Indianapolis on Jan. 17, 2013.
NDSU led 32-30 with just over four minutes left in the first before going on a 10-2 run, with Ward scoring seven straight points, to close out the first half. The Bison would open the second half with a 12-3 run with a pair of threes from Jared Samuelson and Miller to finish off the run. In all, the Bison had a 22-5 run over a span of seven minutes of game time.
NDSU improves to 3-2 with its third straight victory. Ward was honored as the Summit League Player of the Week for his performance.
The Bison go on the road next week to face Stephen F. Austin on November 28 and Mississippi State on Nov. 30.
Women’s basketball
The Bison women’s basketball team played a pair of games this past weekend at the Navy Classic with their first game against Navy. Navy would hand the Bison their first loss of the season with a 67-54 victory on Saturday, Nov. 25.
The Bison were outrebounded 55-35 in the game with the Midshipmen owning the offensive glass, with a 21-8 advantage and outscored the Bison 22-7 in second-chance points.
Taylor Thunstedt and Reilly Jacobson each scored 11 points to lead NDSU, as Marina Fernandez grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
The Bison shot 33 percent from the court and 35 percent from behind the arc.
The Bison would turn things around on Sunday, Nov. 26, with a 67-53 victory over University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
NDSU used a 14-2 run to finish the second quarter to take control of the game after trailing at the end of the first.
Rylee Nudell scored 14 points to lead the Bison, with Reilly Jacobson adding 12 points, and Sarah Jacobson scoring 11 points and grabbing a game-high seven rebounds and giving out a game-high eight assists. Michelle Gaislerova scored 10 points respectively to round out the Bison in double figures.
NDSU shot 41 percent from the field and outscored UMBC in the paint, 34-12, and off turnovers, 17-9.
NDSU is scheduled to travel to Boulder, Colorado, Wednesday, Nov. 29, against University of Colorado Buffaloes.
Wrestling
No. 3-ranked Oklahoma State won nine of 10 matches along with two falls and three tech falls the defeat NDSU 40-3 in a Big 12 Conference matchup Sunday, Nov. 26.
NDSU 12th-ranked 157-pounder Clay Ream picked up the only win for the Bison with a 3-2 decision over Joyce Blaylock. Ream held the top position in the second period and built 1:33 worth of time for the win in the third.
NDSU (0-2, 0-1 Big 12) will compete at the Cliff Keen Collegiate Invitational in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 12.
Soccer
NDSU women’s soccer head coach Mark Cook announced Tuesday, Nov. 28, he is resigning in January 2018 due to personal issues.
In his six seasons as head coach, Cook posted a 56-53-4 record and brought the Bison to back-to-back Summit League regular season titles in 2015 and 2016. His 56 victories are second most in program history.
In each of Cook’s six years, NDSU qualified for The Summit League Women’s Soccer Championship, including three championship match appearances and hosting the league tournament twice.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to be able to lead the NDSU soccer program for the last six years. I have been fortunate to coach the game I love for the past 22 years, but now it is time to explore new opportunities,” Cook said. “I want to thank Lynn Dorn for giving me the chance to coach at NDSU. I would also like to thank President Bresciani, Matt Larsen, Troy Goergen and Colleen Heimstead for their incredible leadership of NDSU athletics.”
“Additionally, I would like to thank my assistant coaches Karli Kopietz and Jim Robbins We all know without great assistants you cannot be successful, and I am grateful for everything they have done for NDSU soccer,” Cook added. “Most importantly, I want to thank the players, you are amazing young women who sacrifice so much for the success of this program. You embody what it means to be a student-athlete and you have represented NDSU at the highest level.”