The Media’s Perspective

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North Dakota State Opens Summit League Play

Conference play began for North Dakota State’s basketball team when Oral Roberts came to town last night. The Golden Eagles had been streaky this year, losing their first two games then winning 4 straight and then going on a 5-game losing streak. The team had scored mostly from the perimeter with little inside scoring.

After PG Morgan Scott scored the Golden Eagles’ first 6 points, the Bison double teamed him to keep him from putting up shots. But the Bison suffered from cold shooting and trailed for the first 19 minutes of the game. At that point Evan Williams intercepted a pass and fired it up court to a streaking Kevin Brinker who drove in for a dunk to put the Bison on top by a point. The half ended with the Bison nursing a 28-27 lead. PG Colin Shannon led the Bison scoring with 8 points at the midpoint of the game.

The Bison scored the first 7 points of the 2nd half. NDSU held onto a small lead from that point but with 7 minutes to go they went on a run that put them ahead 63-50. Oral Roberts tried to come back, but the Bison’s dominance on the boards and unexpectedly good control of the ball kept the Bison on top for a 69-58 victory.

NDSU’s guards carried their offense with PG Colin Shannon dropping in 16 points, SG Kevin Brinker hitting a high percentage of his shots to finish with 13 points, and reserve PG David Miller contributing 11. C Matt Haywood added 9 points plus pulled down 6 rebounds.

After the game, Coach Tad Bolton praised his team by saying, “We fought our way out of an early hole and then in the second half controlled the boards. And we finally got control of turnover problems that had bedeviled us throughout pre-conference play.”

Colin Shannon has averaged 19 ppg for the last 5 games and has led the Bison in scoring in 4 of those 5 games. When queried about his scoring proficiency, Shannon responded, “The coaches worked with me on some changes in how I was releasing the ball after reviewing game films of earlier games. That’s improved the arc of my shot and has given me renewed confidence in my shooting. But more importantly I’ve been able to triple the number of assists I was averaging in our first 5 games this season. Taking on the point guard responsibilities has been a learning experience.”

This Friday night North Dakota State (7-5, 1-0) travels to take on Western Illinois (8-4, 0-1).

[PointGuard]

Before tonight’s game against the Western Illinois Leathernecks, the problem confronting North Dakota State was how to stop the guard due of Dante Porter and Steve Magliore who were averaging a combined 29 ppg in the Leatherneck’s first 12 games this season.

While those two guards weren’t stoppable, the Bisons came up with a different way to get around the problem. That was by the Bisons catching fire and hitting 74% of their FG attempts in the first half. They quickly built a double-digit lead and finished the half with a 51-37 lead. Coach Bolton employed a tenacious full court defense extensively that kept the Leathernecks off balance. PG Colin Shannon scored 10 points to lead the Bison offense in the first half.

Early in the 2nd half, NDSU expanded their lead to 20 points as SF Brandon Tracy poured in 11 points in the first 6 minutes of the half. The Bison maintained a big lead the rest of the game. The Leathernecks hit some shots in the final few minutes that cut the final difference to 88-74. The Bison played a second straight game with few turnovers, making just 9 during this game.

PF Evan Williams came off the bench to drop in 15 points. C Matt Haywood and SG Kevin Brinker both scored 12 points while SF Brandon Tracy and PG Colin Shannon each had 11 points. Shannon also dished out 4 assists and pulled down 8 rebounds.

North Dakota State now sports an 8-5 season record. The Bison are tied for the Summit League lead with South Dakota at 2-0.

[PointGuard]

Bison improve to 3-0 in Summit League Action

Hosting the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. The Mavericks have had a tough season, winning just 3 of their 13 games and they’re winless in Summit League play.

The first half went according to the Bison game plan. They took an early lead and held onto it, taking a 31-24 advantage to the locker room. The bison had balanced scoring with SF Brandon Tracy scoring 6 to lead the team.

But the Bison couldn’t shake the pesky Mavericks in the 2nd half. Finally with 4-1/2 minutes to play, NDSU carved out a 15 point lead. North Dakota State kept their spotless record intact by finishing with a 64-52 victory.

Reserve PG David Miller led the Bison scoring with 12 points, while starters PG Colin Shannon and SF Brandon Tracy scored 11 and 10 points, respectively. Shannon also had 5 assists and 5 rebounds. No players on the Mavericks scored in double figures and their top scorer, SF Albert Callahan who had been averaging over 13 ppg was held scoreless.

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Thursday night the NCSU Bison travelled to Fort Wayne, Indiana for a game against the IPFW Mastodons (8-6, 1-2).

SG Kevin Brinker picked up 2 fouls in the first two minutes. His replacement, Kelsey Brown was saddled with 2 fouls four minutes later. The Mastodons’ SG Armand Marsh was charged with his 2nd foul just 7-1/2 minutes into the game. His replacement picked up 2 fouls after just 3 minutes on the court. Obviously, the refs didn’t like shooting guards. In the first half 14 fouls were charged against IPFW and 13 against the Bison.

If it weren’t for the refs whistles blowing continuously, the crowd probably would have realized an exciting basketball game was being played with 16 lead changes and 9 ties. At the half, NDSU led 33-32. If NDSU hadn’t been a -7 in rebounds and had they been able to hit more than 61% of their free throws, their lead would even have been larger. Six Bison players had 2 fouls apiece and 4 Mastodons had 2 fouls apiece with one of their players sidled with 3. Reserve PG Cliff Evans was the top scorer for the Bison with 9 points.

After falling behind by 8 points midway through the 2nd half, the Bison rallied to draw with a single point with 4:37 to go. Then with 2-1/2 minutes left, Colin Shannon hit a 3 that put the Bison on top 58-57. IPFW came right back to score inside and retake the lead by a point. The Mastodons then scored the next 4 points. That was a deficit that was more than the Bison could overtake. The final score was IPFW-66, NDSU-59.

IPFW out-rebounded the Bison 36-25 and dominated inside on the offensive end of the court, outscoring the Bison 30-14 in the paint and 16-2 on 2nd chance shots. Leading scorers for the Bison were SF Brandon Tracy with 11 points, and PG David Miller with 9.

The loss dropped the Bison to 9-6, 3-1 and into a 2nd place tie in the Summit League. Their next game will be at home against league-leading South Dakota State.

After the game both coaches complained about the officiating. “Our rhythm was continually interrupted by all the whistles,” said NDSU Coach Bolton.

Beyond losing the game, two Bison players sustained injuries. SF Michael Daniels sprained an ankle and SG Kelsey Brown injured his knee. Both are expected to miss at least the next game. Coach Bolton commented, “Our bench definitely will be short for the game against the Jackrabbits. We need to stay out of foul trouble.” When asked about rebounding, Bolton responded, “After dominating the boards early this season, this is the third straight game in which our opponents have controlled the boards. We can’t afford to let this continue so we’ll definitely will be working on this in practice.”

[PointGuard]

Bison Take Hop Out of Jackrabbits

SF Michael Daniels didn’t suit up for NDSU’s game last night due to his sprained ankle, but SG Kelsey Brown was in uniform. Before the game against South Dakota State, Coach Tad Bolton said, “Kelsey’s knee is better, but we’re going to be cautious and keep him out of action unless we become too short-handed.”

After a lackluster pre-conference season, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits won their first 3 Summit League games to sit atop the standings. While not a good-shooting team, the Jackrabbits rebounding had carried them.

Turnovers plagued the Bison early, but PF James Hall scored their first 9 points to give them a 2-point lead with 14:19 to go in the first half. The Bison expanded their lead to 20-9 midway through the half. Even though NDSU had 10 turnovers in the first half, they out-rebounded South Dakota State 18-12 and left the court with a 30-22 advantage. PF James Hall led their scoring with 10 points plus had 4 rebounds.

The Bison applied a daunting defense in the 2nd half and pulled away steadily building a 58-35 lead with 6 minutes left in the game. Coach Bolton emptied the bench at that point. The Bison finished the game with a 64-45 victory giving them a 10-6, 4-1 record and catapulting them back into a tie for the Summit League lead.

Keys to the win were a 39-27 rebounding advantage, holding the Jackrabbits shooting to 32% and limiting South Dakota State’s 3-point shooting to 1 of 18. PF James Hall had a big game with 16 points and 9 rebounds. SF Brandon Tracy added 11 points.

After the game, James Hall commented, “The guys were getting the ball to me down inside for some good looks at the basket and scoring early gave me a lot of confidence. Our entire team was pounding the boards tonight. The coaching staff really has been on us the past few days on anticipating, positioning, blocking out, and working hard to pull down rebounds and tonight it paid off.”

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Hey, Bison fans! This is Pepper Thorlakson bringing you tonight’s game against the Denver Pioneers. Denver has a 5-10 record and is in 6th place in the Summit League with a 1-3 record. Offensively they are powered by SG Derrick Williams who is averaging 17 points per game. PG Dionsio Williams and SF Reggie Sims are also good scorers from the perimeter, averaging 8.8 and 8.4 ppg respectively. Defensively Denver sports a 3-2 zone so we will see if the Bison are able to crack it.

The Bison are nearly back to full-strength with SG Kelsey Brown being ready to play. But SF Michael Daniels is suited up but is unlikely to play to give his tender ankle a little more rest.
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Trailing 5-0, Matt Haywood picks off an outlet pass. Haywood turns and lofts up a pass for a sweet alley oop by Brandon Tracy!
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Reggie Sims hits a jumper and is fouled. The Pioneers have now hit 7 of 10 field goals. Sims’ free throw is good putting Denver ahead 18-12 with 11:43 to go in the first half.
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Denver continues their hot shooting as Derrick Williams drops in a tough shot to put them ahead 24-15.
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Alfred Jeffries scores inside and is fouled by Jaron Dickerson making it 35-20 in favor of Denver. The Bison continue to look flat and asleep on defense.
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Phew! The half mercifully ends. The Bison trail 42-27 and have played lackadaisically. Denver holds a 13-9 rebounding advantage and has hit 62% of their shots compared to NDSU’s 39% shooting. The lone bright spot of the Bison has been SF Brandon Tracy who scored 13 of their 27 points. For Denver, SF Reggie Simms has 14 and SG Derrick Williams 12.
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Brandon Tracy hits his second straight 3, but the Bison still are behind by a 53-39 score with 13:31 to go. That’s 19 points for Tracy.
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Derrick Williams makes both free throws and Denver expands their lead to 62-45 with 9:18 on the clock.
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The buzzer sounds. NDSU gets lambasted by an 80-62 score. That loss will drop them into a 3rd place tie in the league.
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Wrapping up, the Bison defense was atrocious tonight, allowing the Pioneers to pour in 61% of their shots. NDSU had 20 turnovers and they were a -3 in rebounds. SF Reggie Simms zapped them for 26 points. For the Bison, SF Brandon Tracy scored 22 and PG Colin Shannon added 11.

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Tad Bolton’s first season as head coach for the NDSU Bison has been a bit of a roller coaster. After winning 5 of their first 7 games, the team lost their final two pre-conference games to go into Summit League play with a 5-4 record. They then rolled off 3 straight league victories to streak to the top of league standings before dropping 2 of their last 3 games. Their 4-2 record had them tied for 3rd in the Summit League.

Tonight, following South Dakota State’s loss earlier in the day, the North Dakota State Bison had a chance to get back on top of the league as they hosted the South Dakota Coyotes. South Dakota came into the game with a 9-7, 4-1 record. The Coyotes’ big center Roland Mullahon anchored the Coyotes, scoring 16.6 ppg.
Poor shooting in the first half nearly crippled the Bison. But fouls mounted against the Coyotes, allowing the Bison to gradually build a small lead. At the half, NDSU led 39-35. SF Brandon Tracy led the team offensively at that point with 14 points.

NDSU found the scoring touch in the 2nd half. Their lead expanded to 10 with 14:45 remaining. Then with 7:15 to go, the Bison were up by 20. From there they cruised to an 80-65 victory that put them into sole possession of the Summit League lead. On the season they are 11-7 and they are now 5-2 in league play.

The Bison finished the game +11 in turnovers. SF Brandon Tracy dropped in 20 points plus had 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 block. C/PF Evan Williams tossed in 19 points and SG Kevin Brinker added 14. NDSU held South Dakota's C Roland Mullahon to just 11 points.

[PointGuard]

Bison Fall Out of First Place

Last night NDSU’s basketball team went on the road to take on last-place IUPUI. The Bison deployed a devastating defense throughout the early stages of the 1st half, allowing them to open an eleven point lead. But in the last 5 minutes of the half, both their defense and offense fell apart letting IUPUI creep back into the game. The Jaguars tied the game with 2 minutes to go in the half. NDSU escaped with a razor-thin 28-27 lead going to the break.

But in the 2nd half NDSU’s abysmal shooting together with numerous turnovers led to their undoing. IUPUI pulled away to a carve out a convincing 56-43 victory. That lowered the Bison’s league record to 5-3 and dropped them into 3-way tie for 2nd place. Western Illinois took over first place with their 6th straight win. SF Brandon Tracy (10 points) was the only Bison to score in double figures. He also pulled won 9 rebounds.

Following the game, Coach Bolton said, “It was disappointing how we fell behind in the 2nd half. We have to work on consistency and developing a killer instinct. But give the Jaguars credit. They got us out of sync in the 2nd half and continued to apply pressure until the end of the game.”

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Hey Bison Fans! This is Big Benbo Jamanian with your Wednesday night sports news. You know I came to school here from Indiana, the HOME of basketball. My friends from back home gave me one devil of a time coming to a football school. But FINALLY in my junior year here, I’m getting the sense that our new coach and this team are moving the basketball program here in the right direction. I know that following our team’s disappointing performance against IUPUI earlier this week, that you might be asking what the heck I’m talking about. But the Bison basketballers have shown glimpses of knowing what they are doing on the court, blending their skills well, and having the fire to inspire.

Tomorrow they take on the Golden Eagles from Oral Roberts University. The Golden Eagles have a sub-.500 record this year, but it’s primarily because they are winless on the road. When playing at home they’re 7-4, so the Bison will have their jobs cut out for them tomorrow night. Oral Roberts scoring comes primarily from the outside, with their two guards and small forward all averaging in double figures. So the Bison can’t allow any of those 3 to break out. I’m hoping the Bison come out thinking they have something to prove after their embarrassing loss at home a few days ago. Kevin Brinker, the Bison starting SG, has been hitting over 50% of this FG attempts, but he needs to put up more shots. I’d also like to see our interior guys take advantage of what appears to be a weaker set of inside opponents when they go up against Oral Roberts.

I’ll follow up with you after the Bison finish their game tomorrow night.

[PointGuard]

Hey Bison Fans! This is Big Benbo Jamanian here to talk about the Bison’s game against Oral Roberts earlier this evening.

You probably already know the final score which was Oral Roberts 65, North Dakota State 56.

Oral Roberts hit 4 of their first 5 shots to take a small lead early and they due to continued weak defense by the Bison, expanded their lead to 11 points midway through the first half. At the end of the half, the Bison trailed 43-31. 17 fouls had been called against to the Bison while just 6 were called on the Golden Eagles. That allowed Oral Roberts to take 16 more free throws and score 13 more points from the line that the Bison. SF Brandon Tracy and SG Kevin Brinker combined for 16 points, but both of those starters were saddled with 3 personal fouls. Oral Roberts SG Roland Hayes led all scorers with 11 points.

In the 2nd half, the Bison defense gelled, but their offense never caught fire. While they cut the lead to 6 points twice, they were unable to get close enough to put a fear into the Golden Eagles. Oral Roberts went on to win by 9 points while getting 19 more free throw attempts and 14 more points at the line. NDSU was unable to gain control inside, being both outscored and outrebounded by Oral Roberts’ interior players. The only Bison player to score in double figures was SG Kevin Brinker with 12 points.

The loss dropped the Bison record to 11-9 and their league record to 5-4 as they slipped into a 3rd place tie, 2 games behind Western Illinois. The team needs to regroup and turn the momentum around soon.