North Dakota State at North Dakota
DATE: Sat., Dec. 12, 2015  |  2:00 p.m. CT
SITE: Grand Forks, N.D. (Betty Engelstad Sioux Center)
TV: Midco Sports Net/FOX College Sports
RADIO:  100.3-FM Cat Country
WEB AUDIO: UNDsports.com
WEB VIDEO: WatchBigSky.com
LIVE STATS: UNDsports.com
TWITTER: @UNDWBasketball

ON TAP
North Dakota will play the next two Saturdays at home against rival schools. UND hosts North Dakota State this Saturday and will welcome the Coyotes of South Dakota to the Betty the following Saturday (Dec. 19).

WHAT'S NEXT
Following its four-game home stretch, UND will play its final non-conference game at Minnesota on Dec. 23 before opening Big Sky Conference play on Dec. 31 at Idaho.

NO CUPCAKES
UND has yet another solid pre-conference schedule, loaded with postseason regulars. A peek at how tough the non-conference road slate is for North Dakota (38-11 combined records as of Dec. 9):

Road Opp., '14-15 Postseason, '15-16 season record
Iowa    NCAA    8-1
UT-Martin    WNIT    4-4
Drake    WNIT    6-2
San Francisco    WNIT    8-2
Oregon    --    7-0
Minnesota    NCAA    5-2

GOING UP...ON A TUESDAY
Head coach Travis Brewster, with his team's 78-67 win on Tues., Dec. 8, improved to 7-1 all-time on Tuesdays in his tenure. UND does not have another Tuesday game on this season's regular season schedule.

SHARP SHOOTING
In their Dec. 8 win over Western Illinois, the Fighting Hawks shot a season-high 65.4 percent from the floor (17-26) to finish the night making half its shots (29-58). It was the first time this season that UND has shot 50 percent or higher for a game, moving its record to 31-7 when shooting 50 percent or above since transitioning to Division I (2008-09).

BIG MAK
Junior Makailah Dyer has taken on the scoring load this season for North Dakota, leading the team in scoring in five of the eight games thus far. She has etched double figures in all but one contest, scoring 21 Tuesday for her ninth 20+ game of her career.  She's seventh in the Big Sky in scoring at 14.4 points per game this season.

100 GAMES IN OFFICE
Head coach Travis Brewster coached in his 100th game as the head man in Saturday's tilt with Northern Iowa. The 2014 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year has led UND to the postseason twice, league regular season and tournament titles, the school's first NCAA berth, its first win in a Division I national tournament game (Preseason WNIT) and a win over a PAC-12 school already in his tenure.

PROLIFIC ON THE BOARDS
Prior to missing the Nov. 17 game, senior Mia Loyd pulled down 19 rebounds in the Nov. 14 loss to UT Martin. It marked the fourth-best single-game output by a UND player all-time. She also has a 22-rebound effort from a season ago, giving her two of the top four single-game performances in school history.

BOARD KNOX
Kelsey Knox registered a career-high-tying seven rebounds in the Dec. 8 win over Western Illinois. Six of those came in the first half as the Fighting Hawks out-boarded the Leathernecks, 48-26.

DOUBLING UP
Loyd, with her 13-point, 11-rebound effort Tuesday, Dec. 8 vs. WIU, now has 28 career double-doubles. She had a league-high 16 last season.

LOYD ON THE BOARDS
Mia Loyd continues to dominate the glass, snaring a team-high 9.4 rebounds per contest. That total currently ranks third in the Big Sky Conference. For her career, Loyd has 730 boards, which puts her just 39 shy of the top 10 list all-time at North Dakota.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE BISON
Makailah Dyer's running layup in the closing seconds of overtime pushed visiting North Dakota past North Dakota State, 90-87, Dec. 6 at Scheels Arena. After Brooke LeMar hit a step-back triple for part of her game-high 33 points for NDSU, Dyer drove to the rim from the left wing to put UND up for good.

Five UND players were in double figures as junior Mia Loyd led the way with 22 points and 13 rebounds while senior Emily Evers recorded 15 points, 13 rebounds, seven blocks, two assists and two steals. Junior Kelsey Knox etched a new career high with 15 to complement Leah Szabla and Dyer who each added a dozen.

ABOUT THE BISON
NDSU is 2-6 on the young season with wins over College of St. Mary's and Valley City State early in the campaign followed by five straight losses ... UND has won five straight in the all-time series, including all three at the Division I level. View the .pdf for the complete series history, complete with notes on key performances in the rivalry.

LINEUP SHAKEUP...SETTLED
After North Dakota used four different starting lineups through six games (with injuries to both Mia Loyd and Leah Szabla in the early going), it has used the same starting five in each of the past three. Szabla and Stephanie Smith each made their first starts of the season at Oregon and have remained in the lineup for the wins over Northern Iowa and Western Illinois.

FREIJE ON FIRE EARLY
Freshman Fallyn Freije had quite the start to her collegiate career, scoring the first eight UND points in the opener at Iowa with a pair of threes and a long baseline jumper. She would finish the night with a team-high 14 points, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 31 minutes. In the loss at Drake, Freije registered a career-best with eight rebounds, matching her season total to that point.

JILL WENT UP THE HILL
Freshman Jill Morton made the most of her minutes in the Dec. 5 win over Northern Iowa. She swished a half-court heave to end the first quarter, then added a layup and a three in the next quarter en route to a new career best nine points.

PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM
Junior Samantha Roscoe came into the season with an eight-point effort at Portland State (2/19/15) as her career best for a single game. Already in the young season, she has reached that mark five different times, including a 14-point game in the win over Omaha on Nov. 17.

MIA MISSING
Senior Mia Loyd missed just the third game of her career in the win over Omaha Nov. 17. Loyd has started 65 games in her UND career and appeared in 98 contests as a collegian.

LOYD NAMED TO HAWKEYE CHALLENGE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Senior Mia Loyd, on the strength of 19 rebounds Nov. 14 vs. UT Martin, was named to the Hawkeye Challenge All-Tournament Team announced at the conclusion of the tourney at the University of Iowa. Loyd notched her first double-double of the season by adding 11 points as well.

UND PICKED SECOND IN PRESEASON POLLS
North Dakota trailed only defending champion Montana in both the coaches and media Big Sky Preseason polls. UND garnered first-place votes in each, grabbing one from the coaches and three from the media contingent.

FANTASTIC FOUR
Mia Loyd made it a monthly habit to pick up a Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honor at least once each calendar month last season. She piled up four different league honors (most in the league), each coming in a different month.

GETTING GOOD LOOKS
North Dakota was the top shooting team in the Big Sky Conference last year with a .437 field goal percentage. UND boasted the top two shooters in the league, by percentage, in Emily Evers (.566) and Mia Loyd (.540).

DOUBLE DOUBLE DATA
Mia Loyd had a league-best 16 double-doubles last season. She led the team in both scoring (15.0 ppg), seventh in the Big Sky Conference, and rebounding (8.9 rpg), third in the league. Loyd had four more double-doubles than Erikka Banks (NAU). Emily Evers was sixth among Big Sky players with eight double-doubles this season.  

No.    Name - School
16    LOYD, Mia - North Dakota
12    BANKS, Erikka - NAU
12    WILLIAMS, Melissa- EWU
11    STRANGE, D'Shara - UNC
9    CARPENTER, Jalen - WSU
8    EVERS,Emily - North Dakota

BOARD OF EDUCATION
North Dakota owned the glass over its opponents last season, only being out-rebounded three times all season (+7.7 margin). That margin was easily the best in the league and ranked 20th in all of NCAA Division I.

TOP OF THE SUMMIT
North Dakota will play four Summit League teams this season and boasts an 9-1 all-time mark against that conference in Division I play.

11/25/11    vs. Southern Utah*        W, 62-61
11/30/12    at North Dakota St.        W, 73-63
11/17/13    South Dakota        W, 65-61
12/14/13    North Dakota St.         W, 88-83
11/26/14    at Omaha        W, 72-52
11/29/14    at Western Ill.        W, 85-77
12/6/14         at North Dakota St.      (ot) W, 90-87
12/21/14    at South Dakota                 L, 81-86
11/17/15     Omaha        W, 67-52
12/8/15     Western Illinois    W, 78-67
12/12/15     North Dakota St.    
12/19/15     South Dakota
*now in the Big Sky Conference

RECORD REWIND
The University of North Dakota women's basketball program holds an 857-357 (.709) record all-time since the first game was played in 1974.

All-time, North Dakota is 472-97 (.831) when it comes to defending its own court. The team played at the  UND Fieldhouse/Hyslop Sports Center before moving into its current home at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in 2004-05.

VIDEO BOARDS COMING
Installation of two new video display boards at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Centers will begin in May 2016 and will be completed in advance of the 2016-17 volleyball and basketball seasons. UND Athletics is financing the project in collaboration with Ralph Engelstad Arena (REA) at an estimated cost of $600,000.

“This will be an exciting addition to the game day experience in 'The Betty',” said UND Athletic Director Brian Faison. “The ability to provide replays and other elements will only further enhance the atmosphere for our student-athletes and fans.”

Each board, measuring 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall, will replace the existing scoreboards at the north and south ends of the arena. The new video display boards will provide scoreboard information, in-game replays, and fan engagement elements, all of which will enhance the game day experience for UND fans.

The addition of the video display boards highlights an overall enhancement project to the Betty that also included an upgraded PA system prior to the 2015-16 season.

LOYD TABBED PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
North Dakota senior forward Mia Loyd was named the Big Sky Conference Preseason Player of the Year as the league unveiled its preseason honors at the conference's media day events at Reno Events Center. Loyd, who was an All-Big Sky First Teamer last season, is part of a six-member preseason team voted on by league coaches and sports information directors.

Loyd led the league last season with 16 double-doubles, averaging 15.0 points (7th in Big Sky) and 8.9 rebounds (3rd) per contest. She'll go into her senior season with 1,022 career points, already 32nd on the UND all-time scoring list.

The Minneapolis, Minn., product posted at least 20 points on nine different occasions and scored in double figures in all but six games. The 5-11 forward shot 60.0 percent from the floor at home and averaged 17.8 points per game at the Betty. Overall, she finished second in the league in field goal percentage (.540).

The preseason all-conference team consists of Eastern Washington senior guard Hayley Hodgins, Idaho State senior guard Apiphany Woods, Montana State senior forward Jasmine Hommes, Montana junior forward Kayleigh Valley and Montana senior guard McCalle Feller.

YOU BETTY-CHA!
North Dakota is 137-28 (.841) all-time at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, which opened prior to the 2004-05 season.
 
Season records at 'The Betty'
2004-05 -------------------- 13-2
2005-06 -------------------- 19-1
2006-07 -------------------- 17-2
2007-08 -------------------- 14-1
2008-09 -------------------- 13-0
2009-10 -------------------- 8-4
2010-11 -------------------- 9-5
2011-12 -------------------- 10-3
2012-13 -------------------- 8-6
2013-14 -------------------- 15-1
2014-15 -------------------- 10-3
2015-16 -------------------- 3-0

HOW TO FOLLOW?
You can follow UND women's basketball on twitter @UNDWbasketball for in-game scores, notes and links live stats and how to watch.

FOLLOW UND ON MOBILE
Take North Dakota women's basketball with you wherever you go with UNDsports.com's mobile app. Download it to your computer or your smart phone for free and follow your team wherever they go.

A BIT ABOUT LAST SEASON (17-15, 9-9)
North Dakota went 17-14 in the regular season, including a 9-9 mark in the Big Sky Conference ... That league mark tied Montana State and Northern Arizona for fifth place in the conference, ... UND accepted a bid to play in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) for the third postseason appearance in the past four seasons ... North Dakota played in its first-ever Preseason WNIT, playing at Colorado in the first round, followed by the consolation round at Towson .... UND went 2-1 in the presJunior Mia Loyd led the league in double-doubles (16) and was a First Team All-Big Sky selection ... Senior Emily Evers picked up honorable mention all-Big Sky accolades.

WATCH BIG SKY
Catch every Big Sky Conference school in action live for free on the Internet at WatchBigSky.com. Home games from every league school are shown live and are available via archives on the WatchBigSky app. Download the app on Google Play or the iTunes store.
 
CAN I GET A WIGNESS?
All UND can be heard live on KSNR 100.3 FM, the flagship for UND basketball, or KKXL 1440-AM (check listings). Mitch Wigness returns for his fourth season behind the mic providing the play-by-play.

LEAGUE TOURNEYS CONVERGE ON RENO
Officials from the Big Sky Conference and the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority announced a three-year agreement that will bring the league's basketball championships to Reno, Nev.

Starting in 2016, the Big Sky Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships will be played downtown at the Reno Events Center. The REC was constructed in 2005 and can accommodate roughly 5,000 fans in a basketball configuration.

All 12 men's and women's teams from the conference will participate in the championship. The tournament starts Mar. 7 and runs through Mar. 12.

NICKNAME & LOGO
On Nov. 18, 2015, University of North Dakota President Robert Kelley announced that 'Fighting Hawks' will be the University's new athletics nickname effective immediately.

The results of the nickname runoff vote, held online Nov. 12-16 for eligible voters, were as follows:

Total votes: 27,378

Fighting Hawks: 15,670 votes (57.24 percent)
Roughriders: 11,708 votes (42.76 percent)

With a new nickname selected, the University will now begin the process of developing, selecting and implementing a visual identity to accompany the name.

The new athletics mark is expected to be finalized by mid-summer 2016. Until then, UND will continue to use its interlocking ND mark as its primary athletics logo.

For other FAQ information, please visit http://und.edu/university-public-affairs/nickname/guidelines.cfm.

FIND UND ON THE TUBE... NATIONALLY
UND will enjoy the national spotlight a total of 14 times this season with 13 home games televised and an additional road contest available on a national platform.

Midco Sports Network will produce five home women's basketball games including the home tilt against rival NDSU and four Big Sky Conference contests. Dan Hammer returns as the play-by-play voice for UND home games, while Greg Stemen joins him as analyst.

FSN or FSN Plus will air an additional eight women's basketball games in an unprecedented slate of games produced by UND Athletics staff, professional freelancers and UND students. UND Athletics' Video Production Coordinator David Folske will serve as producer while Director of New Media Matt Schill will direct the games. Associate Athletic Director for External Operations Kyle Doperalski will call the play-by-play with broadcast veteran Al Bahe providing the color analysis.

UND's game at Minnesota will also be covered by Big Ten Network Plus.

2015-16 Television Coverage
Date    Opponent           Channel
Nov. 17    Omaha        FSN
Dec. 5    Northern Iowa    FSN
Dec. 8    Western Illinois    FSN
Dec. 12    North Dakota State    MidcoSN    
Dec. 19    South Dakota    FSN
Dec. 23    at Minnesota     Big Ten Plus
Jan. 7    Weber State     MidcoSN
Jan. 9    Idaho State     FSN
Jan. 21    Northern Arizona    MidcoSn
Jan. 23    Southern Utah    FSN
Jan. 30    Northern Colorado    MidcoSN
Feb. 11    Eastern Washington    MidcoSN
Feb. 13    Idaho        FSN
Mar. 2    Montana     FSN