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KFGO Radio Sports: Tyler Baines Bison Sports Talk

 

I know we’ve been focused totally on North Dakota State football for the past few months, but today there was some news on the basketball front. It was announced today that the Bison basketball program has landed its first recruit this fall. He’s a high school senior from Texas by the name of Derick Knight. Knight is 6-8 and as a junior last year, he scored 15.7 ppg and pulled down 9.3 rpg for Odem (Texas) High School. 

 

Mike Mitchell, the new 2nd assistant coach and primary recruiter for NDSU, said, “We’re really happy to have Mike joining us next season. We didn’t think we had a chance to land him, but he warmed up to us late this summer and then Coach Bolton’s visits to his home cemented the relationship.” Mitchell indicated that the most impressive components of Knight’s game are outstanding rebounding skills and inside shooting abilities. But Knight is also a skilled defender with strong shot-blocking and stealing capabilities. With the ball he not only is a good scorer but has highly developed passing skills. He has a high level of athleticism. Knight is presently ranked as the 184th best recruit in the country.

 

The Bison still have 2 scholarships to fill and Mitchell advised, “We’re in the hunt for another interior player and developing a relationship with a highly ranked SF, but don’t anticipate signing another player until spring.”

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“Unofficial NorDakStater”—a blog by Ron Slocum

 

I’ve learned from a trusted unidentified source that Bison basketball practices and scrimmages have been very intense this year. It seems that the level of competition has resulted in tussles, hot words, and a few near all-out fights. While Coach Bolton is reported to be a laid back disciplinarian, he’s had to call some of the players into his office for counseling. While its believed that last year’s two remaining starters, SF Brandon Tracy and PF James Hall, have the inside track at continuing as starters this season, the other positions are wide open for starting roles. Depth at all positions appears to be greater this season than last.

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KFGO Radio Interview with Rory Rockwell

 

RR: This morning we have the head coach of the North Dakota State Bison basketball team with us. Tad Bolton is entering his second year as coach for the Bison. Welcome, Coach Bolton.

TB: Thanks Rory. It’s good to be here.

RR: Last season, Coach, your team won 16 games and tied for 2nd in the Summit. That was a dramatic improvement over how the Bison had performed for many years. Do you see a continuance of that improvement this season?

TB: That’s hard to predict. I think we’ve added depth this season, so while I’m hopeful, we still need to gel as a team this season after losing three starters from last year’s team.

RR: Are the three new players you recruited last year ready to step in?

TB: Yes, I think each one of them will contribute this season even though they still need to learn the system more. Ed Doss played JC ball so has maturity and should pick up a lot of minutes buoying our interior. Jared Bedard and Brian Degala, both guards and freshmen, are very talented and I believe they will rapidly develop as the season progresses. In fact, Jared nearly won a starting position and may well become a starter soon.

RR: So, who will be starting for the Bison in tomorrow’s first game?

TB: At times, I felt like I could throw darts at the board to select the starting lineup since we have no one who is our go-to guy. Players have been hot one day and cold the next, so it’s been hard to know who will show up each game for us. 

RR: You HAVE selected starters, haven’t you?

TB: (Laughing). Yes, Rory, we have a lineup for game one, but I expect we will be experimenting with different combinations throughout much of our pre-conference play. Brandon Tracy is one of our steadiest players and will start again at SF. Michael Daniels, played well off the bench last year, so he will likely see a fair number of minutes off the bench at SF. We also may go with a small lineup at certain parts of the game and several of our guards can be slotted in at the 3 position. David Miller has been producing offensively for us and will start at PG. David may see quite a bit of time at the 2 position as well this season. At SG Kelsey Brown will start in game one. But he’s needs to gain some consistency or Miller may start at the 2 and, as I previously mentioned, freshman Jared Bedard could move in as a starter at PG. James Winter, who redshirted last season, has shown a lot of growth and will help us off the bench at PG. Freshman Brian Degala needs to get more comfortable with our system, but should gain in minutes at SG as the season progresses. Evan Williams has been productive offensively again and will start at PF. The center position is a toss-up for us. I’m starting Jaron Dickerson in game one, but James Hall is fighting to get back to his usual starter status and could take over there in future games. Ed Doss and C.J. Robertson will back us inside. Thus far we seem to be producing more points from outside. I’d like to see our interior players be more aggressive offensively and also haul down more rebounds. We’re going to continue to work with the entire group on this and see who responds best.

RR: Are you ready to take on Northeastern in game one?
 
TB: You’re never as ready as you’d like beginning the season and to start it off on the road makes it a bigger hurdle to jump, but I expect our guys to make a good showing against the Huskies.

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Brad Sedgewick, Sports Reporter for WVLY TV

 

Tonight the North Dakota State Bison basketball team travelled to Boston to kick off their season by taking on the Northeastern Huskies.

 

Throughout the first half, the Bison were stone cold from the field and played from behind for most of the half. They hit just 23% of their shots in the half. Fortunately, they got to the line 19 times where they scored 16 points allowing them to keep in the game and trail at the half by just 3 points at 30-27. SG Kelsey Brown was the top scorer for the Bison with 6 points.

 

NDSU’s shooting didn’t improve much early in the second half, but they stayed close and finally tied the game at 48-48 with just under 8 minutes to play. They then took a 58-56 lead when Brandon Tracy hit a long 3 with 3:55 to go. On the ensuing possession, Tracy stole a pass and pushed it ahead to Evan Williams who jammed home a shot that put the Bison on top by 4 points. The Huskies were then charged with a 3-second violation and the Bison made them pay when David Miller brought the ball up, drove to the hole, pulled up and hit an 8 foot jumper to give NDSU a 6 point lead at the 3:21 point. The Bison continued to play solid defense and pushed their lead to 9 with 1-1/2 minutes left. Miler hit a late 3 to make the final margin of victory 74-62.

 

North Dakota State shot the lights out in the final 10 minutes to increase their overall shooting for the game to 44%. They turned the ball over just 13 times while forcing Northeastern into 23 turnovers. PF Evan Williams led their scoring with 13 points, while PG David Miller and SG Kelsey Brown both scored 10. Brown also pulled down 8 rebounds. C Jaron Dickerson scored 9 and PF/C James Hall and PF/C Ed Doss added 8 each. 

 

Coach Tad Bolton said he was pleased by his team never letting down even though they weren’t hitting their shots and with their late-game comeback.

 

The Bison return home to host Texas-San Antonio this Thursday night.

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NDSU News, college newspaper

 

Bison Run Away from Roadrunners

 

Returning home after an opening game win over Northeastern, the Bison basketball team played their first home game of the season against the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners last night. 

 

The starting lineup was the same as their first game with the exception of James Hall taking over at the center position.

 

After just 8 minutes of play the Bison held a double-digit lead. By hitting 53% of their shots while holding the Roadrunners to 29% shooting, North Dakota State built a 44-25 halftime advantage. Two newcomers to the Bison led their scoring. PF/C Ed Doss scored 13 and SG Brian Degala dropped in 9 points.

 

The Bison built a 30-point lead before Coach Bolton played the entire bench extensively. That allowed the Roadrunners to cut the lead but North Dakota still ended up with an easy 84-70 win. 

 

PF/C Ed Doss scored 15 while the trio of SF Brandon Tracy, C/PF James Hall, and SG Brian Degala each scored 10 points. PG James Winter and PG Jared Bedard both added 8 points. As in their first game the Bison held a distinct advantage in turnovers (10 vs 19).

 

The St. Peter’s Peacocks come to Fargo to challenge the 2-0 Bison this coming Monday night.

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Benbo Jamanian, KNDU Radio

 

I made it over to the Bison Sports Arena last night to watch the Bison take on the mighty Peacocks from St. Peter’s. The game matched up two undefeated teams. 

 

The Bison capitalized on turnovers and great shooting early to take an 11-5 lead in the first 3 minutes of play. North Dakota State continued to gradually expand their lead by way of a stingy defense that held St. Peter’s shooting to 32% and forced 12 the Peacocks to turn the ball over 12 times. By the time the first half ended, the Bison sported a 37-23 advantage. NDSU’s two starting guards, David Miller and Kelsey Brown, scored 10 and 8 points, respectively.

 

By the 14:22 mark in the 2nd half the Bison opened a 51-29 lead as their defense continued to bedevil the Peacocks. At that point St. Peter’s players began to drop in their shots, narrowing the lead to 12 points before the Bison buoyed themselves and finished with a 77-62 victory.

 

The Bison hit 52% of their shots and held a 22-12 turnover advantage. PF Evan Williams topped their scoring with 22 points. PG David Miller scored 16 and SG Kelsey Brown added 13. 

 

I caught up to Coach Tad Bolton who said that while he’s very pleased with how the Bison have been playing and their 3-0 start, they are now entering a particularly tough part of their schedule where they will play three straight games on the road.

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Pepper Thorlakson, KFOG—excerpts of radio play-by-play

 

Hello Bison fans. Tonight the Bison have travelled south to take on the Northern iowa Panthers and their 2-1 record. 

The Panthers have been led by freshman phenom SG Dalron Harris who is scoring 17.7 ppg. so the Bison need to figure out a way to stop him.

Different players have been coming up big each game for the Bison so we’ll have to await tonight’s surprise.
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Evan Williams forces up a shot from 10 feet along the right side of the foul lane and it drops for the first score of the night. 2-0 in favor of the Bison with 18:22 to go.
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Oh oh, a second foul called on the Bison center, James Hall. At the 18:10 mark, he heads to the bench and is replaced by big Jaron Dickerson.
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Brandon Tracy gets clear for a 3 that drops. That’s his second trey and puts the Bison up 19-13 with 12-1/2 minutes to go in the half.
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The buzzer sounds ending the first half with the Bison ahead 41-33. Even though the Panthers shot well, hitting 56% of their shots, the Bison defense overall was good. They forced Northern Iowa to make 15 turnovers compared to the Bison turning the ball over 8 times. The Bison hit 57% of their FG attempts. PF Evan Williams was on fire scoring 17 points for North Dakota State. As expected, SG Dalron Harris led the Panther attack with 10 points.
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3 fouls against the Bison in the first 40 seconds of the 2nd half including the 3rd on James Hall. 
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David Miller takes the pass and turns quickly to put up a shot that goes down making it 57-43 in favor of the Bison with 13 minutes to play.
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Another whistle against the Bison. This foul on Ed Doss, his 3rd. Five Bison now have 3 or more fouls and there are still 5 minutes left to play. Drew McDaniel goes to the line for the Panthers. He makes the first and now drops in the 2nd shot cutting the Bison lead to 66-59.
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With 48 seconds to go, Northern Iowa is forced to foul. David Miller goes to the line sinking both shots to make it 74-65.
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That’s it. The Bison have won their 4th straight game to start this season. This time by the score of 74-68. The Bison his 54% of the FG attempts, including 54% of their 3’s.
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PT: Coach Bolton, let me ask you a few quick questions before you head to the locker room.
TB: Sure Pepper!
PT: What was behind such good play by your team tonight?
TB: The guys played with terrific confidence. They shot well all night which took the Panthers’ crowd out of the game. We controlled the game and every time Northern Iowa made a run, our guys had an answer so they never let Northern Iowa truly back into the game.
PT: You again forced your opponents into a lot of turnovers. 
TB: Yes, I think the Panthers ended up with 20 turnovers. We maintained good control of the ball in the first half, but got a little sloppy in the 2nd half, which was uncharacteristic.
PT: Your starters played a heckuva game.
TB: They sure did. Evan Williams led our scoring with 21 but I was really happy to see Brandon Tracy get his shooting eye back and score 19. David Miller scored 13 and many of those were just when we needed them. With James Hall being sidelined in foul trouble much of the night, Ed Doss did a great job replacing him to score 11. And Kelsey Brown scored just 8 points but played a solid game on both ends of the floor.
PT: The only thing your team didn’t seem to accomplish was controlling Dalron Harris. He scored 23.
TB: Northern Iowa recruited him under the radar last year. We certainly overlooked him. But he’s been a stud in every game the Panthers have played this year. It’s not often a freshman comes in with not only so much talent but the ability to mesh right in with the team. He’s going to be a key component for Northern Iowa all 4 years he’s there.
PT: Good luck when you go Lynchburg, Virginia to take on Liberty early next week.
TB: Thanks. We’ll need it. Road games are always a challenge.

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KFGO Radio Sports: Tyler Baines Bison Sports Talk

 

Hey, Bison sports fans. I have some news for you tonight in this segment about North Dakota State’s basketball game against the Liberty Flames.

 

The Bison had a tough challenge. Not only were they playing on the road against a team that afer losing their opener has won three straight games, but Liberty entered the game with L. B. Person, their small forward, averaging 22.5 ppg, Jason Shaw, their shooting guard, dropping in 15.0 ppg, and Steve Jennings, their center, scoring 9.0 ppg. So the Bison defense was sure to be challenged.

 

After going ahead 7-2, North Dakota State let Liberty score 12 straight points in just over 2 minutes of play. With the Flames hitting 59% of their FG attempts and 100% of their FT attempts in the first half plus out-rebounding the Bison 19-10, North Dakota State fell behind at the half by the score of 50-35. C/PF Ed Doss scored 7 points to lead Bison scoring while SG Jason Shaw pumped in 14 points for Liberty.

 

Early in the 2nd half, the Bison repeatedly turned the ball over leading to some quick, easy points by the Flames who took a 58-37 lead with 17-1/2 minutes to play. Even though the Flames had 19 turnovers, the Bison has 21. The Flames controlled the boards 30-19. This allowed Liberty to score 34 points in the paint, 10 second chance points, and 20 fast break points. The Bison were tagged for their first loss of the season to the tune of 86-68.

 

Ed Doss scored 15 points for North Dakota State. Four Liberty players scored in double figures. The only success for the Bison was that they limited SF L. B. Person to 8 points.

 

The Bison have one more game remaining in their 3-game road trip. They next play 3-1 Lafayette.

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“Unofficial NorDakStater”—a blog by Ron Slocum

 

Another game of the road for the Bison baskeballers. This time they took on the Lafayette Leopards.

The Leopards’ SF Henry Mitchell and SG Alex Butler came into the game averaging a combined 32 ppg. Last season both were 1st team All Conference players and Mitchell was the Patriot League’s Player of the Year. The Leopards were 18-11 last season and entered the game with a 3-1 record this year. Their only loss was on the road to a talented Memphis Tigers team.

A heavy early winter snowstorm made travel to Easton, PA very difficult. The Bison were very late arriving.

North Dakota State had a hard time getting untracked and fell behind by 6 before tying the game at 13-13 midway through the half. The Bison opened 9 point lead later in the half, but that lead was trimmed to 35-33 at the halftime break. PF Evan Williams led the Bison scoring with 11 points at the half.

The Leopards came out of the locker room hitting their shots while North Dakota State’s shooting was cold. The Bison fell behind 50-41 with 11 minutes to play. 

North Dakota State battled back to draw within single point at 62-61 with 3-1/2 minutes to go. Then Ed Doss drove to the basket and slammed home a dunk with 2:30 left to put Bison on top 63-62. Doss fouled on ensuing possession and Leopards hit one of two shots to tie the game. 

Brandon Tracy was fouled with 1:40 remaining and sunk both shots giving the Bison a 65-63 lead. Doss got inside again and laid it in to expand lead to 4 points with 1:16 on the clock. Doss then stole a pass and pushed the ball upcourt to a streaking Brandon Tracy for a big jam and a 6 point lead. Lafayette dropped in two foul shots to reduce the lead to 69-65 with 38 seconds to go. Lafayette fouled, but Brandon Tracy could only make one of his two free throws making it 70-65 with 31 ticks on clock. Lafayette scored to cut lead to 3 then fouled immediately. Jared Bedard knocked down both free throws and score was 72-67 with 16 seconds remaining. Lafayette hit a 3, then fouled on inbound pass. With crowd roaring, David Miller calmly sank both shots and North Dakota State came away with a 74-70 comeback win on the road. 

The Bison hit 50% of their shots and 86% of their free throws while turning the ball over just 12 times. PF Evan Williams and PG David Miller both scored 15 and PF/C Ed Doss dropped in 14. C James Hall scored 7 and pulled down 8 rebounds. The Bison held high-scoring Henry Mitchell to just 4 points while causing him to make 6 turnovers.

North Dakota State returns home sporting a 5-1 record. They’ve won 3 of their 4 road game this season and now have 4 straight home games, starting with Monday night’s game against Texas Southern. 

Their RPI is 35th best in the country, although that is probably inflated given their relatively weak schedule. At this point, Evan Williams is averaging 14.3 ppg, David Miller 11.5 ppg, and Ed Doss (coming in off the bench) 10.8 ppg.

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“A Scattering of Bison Chips”, Blog by “Buffalo” Bill Nystrom

 

Last night Coach Tad Bolton invited me to sit immediately behind him during his team’s hosting of the Texas Southern Tigers, a team entering the fray with a 1-2 record.

 

It was a great seat from which to view the action, but it also afforded me the opportunity to carefully observe Coach Bolton’s actions during a game. While I had often watch games from a much higher vantage point, it was the first time I was able to see what happens on and near the bench during a game.

 

I was surprised by how active Coach Bolton was throughout the game, out of his seat far more than he was in it. He was calling out plays to his players, working the refs, providing advice, encouragement, and praise to his players, talking with his assistant coaches and bench players continuously, and frequently displaying a variety of emotions. When seated, he kept one eye on the action while beckoning various bench players to sit next to him to prepare them for entering the game and going over strategy with his assistants. Timeouts were highly charged periods of intense direction to his team. In the few hours the players were warming up and playing the game, Coach Bolton probably expended more energy that most people have ever done in any job they have held. 

 

Oh yeah, and a game was played as well. Bolton’s team never got untracked in the first half and trailed 29-25 at the break. I've gotta believe there were some hot words from Coach Bolton directed at his players in the locker room during the intermission. Sub Ed Doss led their scoring at that point with 6 points. 

 

While the Bison made a couple runs in the 2nd half which gave them small leads, it wasn’t until the final 4 minutes of play that they finally took over the game and pulled away to pull off a 70-57 victory. It was a game with 10 lead changes and 8 ties.

 

The biggest difference in the game was in turnovers...13 for the Bison as compared with 23 for the Tigers. PG David Miller led the scoring for North Dakota State with 14 points. Reserve PF/C Ed Doss added 11. The Tigers’ SG Willie Walker led all scorers with 17 points, but that was 7 points below his average coming into the game.

 

The win improved the Bison record to 6-1, far better than the 2nd best team thus far in the Summit League...Western Illinois which holds an anemic 3-4 record.

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Fargo Forum newspaper

 

Bison Stampede Over Knights

 

North Dakota State hosted the 3-3 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights last night. The Bison played lock-down defense in the first half. The Knights only hit 15% of their shots allowing North Dakota State to pull away to a 40-18 halftime advantage. PF Earl Williams led their scoring in the half with 9 points.

 

Even though the Bison defense disintegrated in the second half, they never were seriously threatened and came away with a decisive 78-62 victory. Three North Dakota State players scored in double figures: PF Earl Williams with 15 to go along with his 3 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals, SG Kelsey Brown with 12, and PF/C Ed Doss with 11. 

 

North Dakota State’s record now stands at 7-1. The Colorado State University Rams (4-3) venture to Bison Sports Arena to take on the Bison this coming Monday night.

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NDSU News, college newspaper

 

Bison Shear the Rams

The streaking Bison took on the Colorado State Rams last night, but needed to control Colorado State’s PF Reggie Slater, the Rams’ go-to guy who averages 16.9 ppg.

Neither team scored for nearly the first five minutes of the game. After trailing 2-0, North Dakota State came alive to take the lead and hold it throughout the first half. The Bison defense held Colorado State’s shooting in the half to 33%. That resulted in a 12 point halftime lead for North Dakota State at 36-24. Reserve C/PF Ed Doss scored 12 points to lead the Bison offense.

North Dakota State maintained a double digit lead throughout most all of the second half. Even though the Rams cut into their lead, the outcome was never in doubt and the Bison whipped Colorado State 72-63. Even though the Rams’ Reggie Slater finished with 16 points, most of them were late in the game when the Bison were coasting on a big lead.

The Bison hit 51% of their field goal attempts. PG David Miller scored 16 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. SG Kelsey Brown knocked down 13 points, C/PF Ed Doss came off the bench to score 12 points, and PF Evan Williams added 10 points.

Coach Bolton praised the offensive effort of the Bison. He was particularly complimentary of Ed Doss who came to the Bison this year following two years of JC ball. Bolton commented, “Ed continues to impress. He definitely could be starting based on his play thus far, but having him come in off the bench and provide instant offense is a big plus. And Ed does it without taking a lot of shots. He’s knocked down 61% of his shots this season. He knows where on the court he can be effective and gets free in those spots for sink his shots.” 

While the Bison are now 8-1, the rest of the Summit League has a dismal combined 22-49 record thus far this season.

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Marty Styles, sports reporter for the Fargo Forum

 

MS: This afternoon we’re fortunate to have Coach Tad Bolton here in the studio. His Bison basketball team hosted the St. Mary’s Gaels last night. St. Mary’s came into the game with a 4-2 record whereas the Bison entered the game with an 8-1 record and riding a 4-game win streak. Four of the Gaels’ starters were averaging in double figures and the fifth starter was just averaging 9.2 ppg. 

 

So Coach, what was your strategy defensively coming into the game?

 

TB: We came in just playing a straight up man to man as well as mixing in some 1-2-2 zone. When someone got hot, we would double team then and try to cool them down. That worked well in the first half. Not only did we make it difficult for them to get easy shots, holding their FG shooting to 31%, but we also kept any one player from catching fire. Defensively we additionally forced them into 10 turnovers. Offensively we protected the ball well, turning the ball over just 2 times, plus we dropped in 50% of our FG attempts. 

 

MS: Yes, you held a 42-23 halftime advantage.

 

TB: I was pleasantly surprised and VERY happy to have that much of a lead going into the locker room at the half. Two of our interior players, Evan Williams and Ed Doss really kept our offense alive and combined to score 24 points in the half.

 

MS: Did you have much to say to the players at the half.

 

TB: Lots of pats on the backs. But we expected that they’d make some adjustments in the second half, so we just went over some of the possibilities and how to counteract them.

 

MS: What was the main difference in the second half.

 

TB: I think it was that St. Mary’s got much more aggressive defensively. I thought they had sneaked back onto the court and clamped a lid on our basket. But fortunately, our guys countered that by tightening our defense even more. 

 

MS: With a 73-53 win, it would be hard to find fault with any aspect of the game by your players.

 

TB: Like I said, defensively we played one of our better games of the season. And overall our offense was solid. Three of our players really carried us offensively with Ed Doss dropping in 22 points, Evan Williams scoring 19, and David Miller adding 12. But we let the Gaels completely beat us on the boards to the tune of 41-24. So we will be working on that aspect of our game in practice.

 

MS: You’re now 9-1 with one game remaining before starting Summit League action. With how the other Summit League teams have been playing, you’ve got to look favorably on your chances in league play.

 

TB: I wish I could agree with you, but no matter how other teams have done thus far, I think we will find the Summit to be a tough fight all the way until the end. I’m sure the championship will be strongly contested by any number of teams.

 

MS: One last question, Coach. With Ed Doss scoring so well, when is he going to break into the starting lineup?

 

TB: Marty, it’s like I’ve been saying all along. Ed has the tools to start, but it’s so good to have him come off the bench 4 or 5 minutes into the game and give us a big boost as our starters begin to tire. And then he continues to come in later in the game and put points on the board. Even though he’s not starting, overall he gets his minutes.

 

MS: Good luck on your road trip to take on Bryant next week. And thanks for joining us today.

 

TB: Thank YOU, Marty. One last comment. I want to thank our fans for supporting us this season. It’s been great having more people at our home games and having them be so vocal in their support. I know that the players really appreciate it. We have 9 home games left, all of them against tough Summit League foes. The athletic department has come up with a special 9-game package and our fans can take advantage of that by calling the athletic department or going to our website.

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KFGO Radio Sports: Tyler Baines Bison Sports Talk

 

Hey, the North Dakota State Bison basketball just completed a very successful pre-conference schedule, winning 10 of their 11 games. Before the season began the Bison were predicted to finish in 3rd place in the Summit League behind Oral Roberts and Denver. But Oral Roberts and Denver each just won 5 of their 11 games in pre-conference play. In fact, other than North Dakota State, the entire rest of the Summit League won just 27 games while losing 61 games thus far this season. 

Coach Bolton told me that while he’s happy with how his team has played thus far, he expects other teams in the Summit to rise to the challenge now that league play is beginning. He said the league isn’t as weak as the other teams’ records would make it look and that he expects league play to be very competitive.

There’s not been much love for individual players on NDSU’s winning team. For the first 6 weeks of weekly player of the week awards, only Evan Williams has a gained a player of the week award. David Miller scored 20 in the only game the Bison played last week and he’s scored 48 points in the 3 most recent games they’ve played, but no award for him. In those same 3 games, Ed Doss has come off the bench to score 44 points, but no award for him either.

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“Unofficial NorDakStater”—a blog by Ron Slocum

 

In their game against Oral Roberts, the Bison played like a high school team the first 10 minutes of the game, making 10 turnovers, hitting just 20% of their shots and falling behind 22-9. A second straight sloppy, lackadaisical opening half by the Bison put them in a 34-22 halftime hole. While Oral Roberts turned the ball over 10 times, NDSU had 12 turnovers in the first half. They also hit just 29% of their shots while allowing their opponents to hit 50% of their shots.

 

Less than 3 minutes into the 2nd half, the Bison trailed by 21 points. That lead ballooned to 24 points several times in the remaining time as North Dakota State continued their uninspired play. The game finally concluded as Oral Roberts drubbed the Bison 74-60. For the Bison, 19 turnovers, 39% shooting from the field, and allowing Oral Roberts to hit 52% of their shots. PG David Miller scored 15 for North Dakota State.

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NDSU News, college newspaper

 

The Bison basketball game travelled to Western Illinois to take on the Leathernecks last night. NDSU held a lead in the early going but fell apart in the latter part of the first half. Turnovers (12 in the first half0 by the Bison turned into a series of breakaways and easy points for the Leathernecks. Western Illinois took a 37-30 lead to the locker room. PG David Miller led the Bison offensively with 8 points.

 

The Bison fell behind by 14 points early in the 2nd half. But they fought back to chip away at the lead and took a single point lead with 4 minutes to go. The lead flip-flopped back and forth the remainder of the game. But Western Illinois took a 3 point lead with 5 seconds to play. The Bison got the ball up court quickly and Miller dropped in what looked like the game tying 3 pointer. But the refs replayed the shot and determined that Miller’’s toe was on the line. That resulted in a 78-77 win by Western Illinois. 

 

The loss dropped the Bison to 0-2 in the Summit League. PG/SG James Winter came off the bench to score a career-high 23 points. PG David Miller continued his hot shooting and finished with 22 points.

 

The Bison return home for a game against South Dakota this Thursday and an attempt to turn around their fortunes in the Summit League.

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“A Scattering of Bison Chips”, Blog by “Buffalo” Bill Nystro

 

Following their exceptional play in pre-conference contests, the North Dakota State Bison have fallen on their faces in the opening two games of Summit League play. They took on the South Dakota Coyotes in an attempt to get back into the win column. South Dakota came in with a 3-11 (1-2) record. Their scoring had primarily come from their perimeter players. PG Leon Abrams (4.7 apg) had been the generator of their offense with SF Tye Bell 13.2 ppg) and SG Quin Persinger (11.6 ppg) being their primary scorers.

 

The 10-3 (0-2) Bison scoring had primarily come from PG David Miller (13.6 ppg), PF Evan Williams (11.9 ppg), and PF/C Ed Doss (10.8 ppg). C Jaron Dickerson, who has been nursing a sort back, was expected to see limited action.

 

The Bison came out with a chip on their shoulder and scored the first 12 points of the game. NDSU continued to pressure the Coyotes and finished the half ahead by the score of 34-19. Ed Doss led their first half scoring with 10 points.

 

NDSU maintained a solid lead throughout the 2nd half and came away with a 69-57 victory. The big difference in the game was turnovers. South Dakota suffered 24 turnovers while the Bison had only half as many. SF Brandon Tracy popped in 17 points. C James Hall scored 13 while pulling down 7 boards. PF/C Ed Doss added 10 points.

 

In other Summit League action, Oral Roberts continued their dominance by destroying IUPUI 68-42, thus improving their league record to 4-0.

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WDAV Late News Sports Report with Barry Parks

 

Tonight the North Dakota State Bison traveled to Indianapolis to take on the IUPUI Jaguars. IUPUI came into the game with a 4-11 season record but a 3-1 Summit League record. Following a 10 game losing streak to conclude pre-conference play, the Jaguars only loss in league play had been at Oral Roberts. 

After trailing by 10 points several times in the 2nd half, the Bison narrowed the gap in the latter minutes to finish the half trailing 24-21. Defense dominated on both end of the court both teams hitting less than 40% of their shots. No player on either team scored more than 4 points in the first half.

NDSU scored the first 6 points in the 2nd half and 11 of the first 13 points scored in the last half. The Jaguars came back though to quickly pull even. The lead then switched back and forth, but eventually the Jaguars took a 7 point lead. The Bison then stiffened their defense and pulled even at 56-56 with 1-1/2 minutes to play. Jaron Dickerson then stole a pass and fired a sweet pass to Kelsey Brown who jammed it home to put the Bison on top by 2 with 32 seconds remaining in the game. Brandon Tracy then blocked a shot and took control of the ball. He fired an outlet pass to Jared Bedard who was fouled with 13 seconds to go. Bedard sunk both ends of the 1-and-1 making the score 60-56. The Bison employed full court press to slow the Jaguars getting up court, but then relaxed their defense to avoid a foul. That provided the Jaguars with a clear 3 point attempt that rattled home to cut the final margin of Bison victory to 60-59.

The team stats were as close as the final score. SF Brandon Tracy led the scoring with 13 points with PG Jared Bedard and SG Kelsey Brown scoring 12 and 10 points respectively. The win evened the league record of the Bison at 2-2 and moved them into a tie for 4th place.

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Benbo Jamanian, KNDU Radio

 

 

Last night North Dakota State’s basketball team hosted the Denver Pioneers, a team that came in with a 6-9 season record and a 1-3 Summit League record.

 

Ed Doss started his first game for North Dakota State. The Bison scored the first 9 points of the game and blazed to a 22-2 lead with 12 minutes to play in the first half. With Coach Bolton subbing freely, the Pioneers got their offense going late in the half and narrowed the Bison lead at the half to 30-19. 

 

The Bison collapse continued in the 2nd half as Denver scored the first 12 points to take a 31-30 lead with 14-1/2 minutes to play. NDSU then righted the ship and slowly pulled away to score a 59-51 victory. 

 

Topping the scoring for NDSU was C Ed Doss with 14 points. PF Evan Williams added 11. Denver’s high scoring Derrick Williams, who came into the game averaging 17.2 ppg, was held to just 7 points.

 

I’ve got Coach Bolton on the phone:

 

BJ: Coach, first off, congratulations on your win last night. But tell our listeners what happened after your team jumped out to such a huge lead in the first portion of the first half.

 

TB: Hey, I have to take the blame for that. When our starters seemed to be about to run Denver out of our gym, I decided to bring in most all of our bench. While it’s always good to give them playing time, it allowed Denver to regain their composure and get back into the game. Then we came out flat in the 2nd half. It wasn’t until Denver actually took a lead that we kicked ourselves in the butt. I was happy with how the team responded at that point.

 

BJ: You put Ed Doss into the starting lineup for the first time. He looked pretty good. Are you planning on him starting from now on?

 

TB: Benbo, that will be a game-by-game decision. We’ve know all along that Ed is a scorer. I still value that coming off our bench as we rest our starters, so I’m not committing to his starting regularly. He gets his minutes and points either way.

 

BJ:Your win makes you 3-2 in the Summit League and pulled you into the tie for 3rd place. Do you think the Bison can put together another lengthy win streak?

 

TB: I sure hope so, but it’s not easy to win on the road in this league. Rather than worrying about a win streak, I just want our guys to play their best each game and see how we come out at the end of the season.

 

BJ: Rumors are that your team came out of last night’s game with some injuries.

 

TB: The rumors are true. James Winter hit his head going after a loose ball and suffered a concussion. We having him evaluated today, but it’s likely he will miss a game or two. And Evan Williams strained his calf. I’m hoping he will recover sufficiently to play in our next game, but its more likely he will not be ready.

 

BJ: Who’s your next opponent.

 

TB: We play a road game against Nebraska-Omaha. They’re tied with us for 3rd place so it’s a big game for both teams. They have yet to lose at home this season, so we’re going to have to play at the top of our game to have a chance to get a win. On top of that the Mavericks just got a huge road win by whipping Oral Roberts. They’re the first Summit League team to get the best of Oral Roberts this season.

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KFGO Radio Sports: Tyler Baines Bison Sports Talk

 

Hey Sports Talk listeners. Since it’s a rare occurrence that a North Dakota State Bison basketball game is being televised on one of the ESPN channels, we’re going to give any of you a chance to call in AS YOU WATCH the game on TV. So at any point you have something to say about how the Bison are doing, give us a call so our discussion can be conducted as play occurs.
Tonight the Bison are in Omaha and will take on the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks who have which enters tonight’s contest with an overall 7-9 record. But the Mavericks have an identical 3-2 record to the Bison.
The game just started and we have a call already. 

Tyler: Hal from just outside Bismarck is on the line. How you dong tonight, Hal and what do you want to talk about as the game starts?
Hal: I’m happy to see that Ed Doss is starting again tonight. Unfortunately, he’s filling in at the 4 for Evan Williams whose leg injury appears to worse that what was originally thought. 
Tyler: Yeah, I’m in agreement with you about Doss. And with Williams sidelined, the Bison are going to needs some firepower. I think Doss can provide that.

Steve: Damn, I’m sick and tired of the officiating in this league. 30 seconds into the game and the refs have already whistled the Bison for 3 fouls. I’m afraid this is going to be one of those games where the refs fail to let the Bison play their game.
Tyler: It’s maddening, but let’s give it some more time to see what happens as play continues.

Steve: This is Steve calling again. Now after just two minutes, Kelsey Brown picks up his 2nd personal. These refs are bozos! I’d like to shove their whistles up their....
Tyler: Now now Steve. You don’t want the FCC pulling me off the air. Bolton seems to be giving them an earful.

Swede: The Bison are starting off cold again from the field. Other than their last game, the team seems to have trouble finding the range early. They’ve only hit two field goals out of their first 9 shots. That’s again putting them in a hole. This is becoming a real concern. There’s no way for them to win consistently by being unable to connect and dropping behind early in games.
Tyler: I’m not sure why it’s been tough for the team to get loose. After the Bison began so well in their last game, I thought maybe they had shaken the early game cold-shooting disease, but apparently they haven’t. Swede, we gotta hope they soon begin hitting their shots soon tonight. 

Liv: I love the way Jared Bedard plays. Even though he’s a freshman, he is able to direct play like a seasoned player and his offense has been improving the more he plays.
Tyler: I’m predicting Bedard will turn into a big star on this team in the years to come. Not only does he have tremendous talent, but he’s got great court smarts.

Brandon: Even though our guys only hit 31% of their FG attempts and 11% of their 3’s, they only had 5 turnovers and controlled the boards in the first half. So while we’re trailing 30-26, I think we will come back in the 2nd half when the team begins to find the range offensively. I like our chances tonight.
Tyler: Actually if the Mavericks hadn’t had Albert Callahan in there, the Bison would be ahead. The guy is a beast! Most of the time the Bison were double-teaming him and he still hit a high percentage of his shots and scored 13 points in the half. The Bison need to figure out some way to neutralize him the remainder of the game.

Oscar: Did you see that defensive play by Bedard? He hounded the Mavericks’ McBride in the backcourt and finally made him dribble the ball of his foot and out of bounds. Great turnover!
Tyler: McBride is no slouch as a point guard, so you’re right that Bedard has some tremendous defensive skills. We’re up 34-32 and our offense now seems to be clicking. The Bison need to take advantage of that play and start a run.

Steve: I can’t stand this. The refs are teaming up against us. They’ve call twice the number of fouls against NDSU as compared to Nebraska-Omaha. No wonder we’re trailing 47-40.
Tyler: Bolton’s hot. He’s got to watch out or the refs are going to tag him with a T.

Bulldog: Man, nice to see Brandon Tracy come back in and light the place up. His scoring in the past 2 minutes has trimmed the double digit Mavericks lead to just two points. But others have to start hitting also with just 6 minutes to go.
Tyler: Brandon’s had a rough year. Maybe it’s just that others on the team have stepped up to take more shots and become the primary scorers, but that’s made Brandon look like he’s slumping. He’s a good guy. If he can pick up his scoring the rest of the season, this team will soar.

Stewart: After seeing the Bison claw their way back into a tie with a couple minutes to go, it was disappointing to see their shooting go cold again so that Nebraska-Omaha was able to beat them 71-65. A team can’t hit under 40% of their shots and expect to win. 
Tyler: Tracy and Bedard both scored 14 points, Miller had 11, Doss 10, and Winter added 8, but as a group those 5 players only hit 40% of their FG attempts. Plus the entire rest of the Bison team only scored 8 points. And then for the Mavericks, there was Callahan. The guy ended up scoring 24 points plus pulling down 12 boards. He was a single-handed wrecking crew. The Bison just aren’t firing on all cylinders and that’s why they’re mired in a tie for 4th place in the Summit League now. They need to turn this around and fast. The Bison need support right now, so its important for you all to get out to Bison Sports Arena this Thursday when they take on the IPFW Mastadons.

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Fargo Forum newspaper

 

Bison Stomp Mastadons

The North Dakota State Bison hosted the IPFW Mastadons last night. PF Evan Williams sat out another game due to an injury and was replaced by Ed Doss in the starting lineup. Coach Tad Bolton said, “Evan’s strained calf is healing. We’re hoping he will be able to get some limited play in our next game.”

North Dakota State employed a withering defense early in the game that produced a 21-6 lead after 10 minutes of play. By the end of the half the Bison expanded their lead to 41-20. PF Ed Doss led the Bison scoring a the half with 9 points.

The Bison were never threatened in the 2nd half and came away with an easy 70-58 victory which improved their Summit League record to 4-3 and moved them into a 3rd place tie. Their entire season record now stands at 14-4.

PF Ed Doss was the top scorer for the Bison with 17 points. SF Brandon Tracy dropped in 12 points and PG Jared Bedard added 11.

Praising Doss’ play, Bolton stated, “Doss has now started 3 games for us and been productive in all of them.” When asked if Doss would continue to start once Williams’ injury had him back in the lineup Bolton answered, “Ed can and has played well for us at both interior positions. I expect Williams to be back in the starting lineup as soon as he is healthy enough, but Doss is making a good case to remain as a starter.”  
 Another big man, Jaron Dickerson went to the bench late in the game with back pains.  Bolton indicated initial examination indicated that while he Dickerson may play with some soreness, he's not expected to miss any games.

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