First-year coach Jory Collins still looking for his first win

The NDSU Women’s Basketball team slipped to 0-4 on the year on Monday. The Herd lost to the now 3-1 Creighton Blue Jays, 70-59 in Omaha.

The Herd played well against the Blue Jays. The Bison shot 40 percent from the floor, their best output all season, and matched Creighton with six threes. The Bison even found themselves having a three-point halftime lead. Then the breaks fell off in the third quarter.

Creighton went on a 13-2 run in the third to take back the lead. The Bison were unable to get off the mat, and are still looking for their first win of the season.

The Bison were right there with The Blue Jays for most of the game. One bad quarter ended up being the downfall. The Bison have continued to make strides as this young team should only get better with each game.

The one thing that needs to get cleaned up immediately is turnovers. The Bison are averaging over 20 turnovers a game. That number is exceptionally high for any team that expects to win, or even compete. Giving an opponent that many extra opportunities each game can be too much to overcome.

The Bison do have bright spots. True freshman, Ryan Cobbins, has scored in double digits in each game this year. The Bison have out-rebounded their opponents in three out of four games this season. West Fargo native, Emily Dietz, continues to improve and notched her second double-double of the season on Monday.

Sure their record is 0-4, but the team has shown it has a few nice pieces in place. Expect this to look like a different team entirely come seasons end. There are months and weeks ahead to keep improving.

First-year head coach Jory Collins has barely even had enough time to unpack his bags here in Fargo. Given that Rylee Nudell is the only senior on the team, Collins and the rest of the Bison roster will have plenty of time to build a good culture for the program.