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Complete NDSU Game Notes
Jan. 19 vs. Fort Wayne  Watch  |  Live Stats  |  Listen
Jan. 21 at Western Illinois  Watch  |  Live Stats  |  Listen

The Games: The North Dakota State men's basketball team (12-6, 4-1) hosts the Fort Wayne Mastodons (14-5, 3-2) inside the Scheels Center on Thursday, Jan. 19. The Bison also travel to take on the Western Illinois Leathernecks (6-11, 3-3) in Macomb, Ill., on Saturday, Jan. 21, this week.
                NDSU won two out of three meetings against the Mastodons last season, with each team winning at home and the Bison emerging victorious in the semifinals of the Summit League Tournament. NDSU won both games against WIU last year.
                Jan. 19      vs. Fort Wayne              7 p.m. CT           MidcoSN, ESPN3
                Jan. 21      at Western Illinois        2 p.m. CT           ESPN3
   
Where to Watch: Thursday's game will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network, as well as being available on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app, in addition to GoBison.com. Brian Shawn (play-by-play) and Brad Newitt (analyst) will call the action. Saturday's game at Western Illinois will be available on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
 
Radio: Both games will be broadcast on 107.9 The Fox, as well as being streamed on the 107.9 The Fox app and GoBison.com/allaccess. Jeff Culhane (play-by-play) will call the action.
 
About Fort Wayne: The Mastodons went 11-3 in non-conference play, registering a signature victory over the Indiana Hoosiers on Nov. 22 in Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne is 4-4 on the road this season and 1-1 on the road in league play.
                The Mastodons rank third in the nation in three-point percentage at 42.7 percent, and they are fourth in the country with 11.1 made threes per game. Senior guard Mo Evans leads Fort Wayne with 18.5 points per game this season, and Purdue transfer Bryson Scott is averaging 16.8 points per contest.
                Jon Coffman is in his third season as Fort Wayne's head coach. The Mastodons finished 24-10 overall last season, won a share of the conference title at 12-4, and played in the NIT.
 
The Series with Fort Wayne: North Dakota State leads the all-time series with Fort Wayne, 13-11. The Bison have won five of the last seven meetings with the Mastodons overall. The two schools split their regular season games last season, with the home team winning both times, before NDSU pulled off a 69-68 comeback win over Fort Wayne in the semifinals of the Summit League Tournament.
 
Last Time vs. Fort Wayne: Carlin Dupree converted a layup with four seconds remaining to give NDSU its only lead of the game, and the fifth-seeded Bison defeated top-seed IPFW 69-68 in the semifinals of the Summit League Tournament on Mar. 7 last year. The Mastodons led by as many as 18 points in the first half and by 15 at halftime.
                Dupree led all scorers in the contest with a career-high 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, while freshman Khy Kabellis added 19 points.
 
About Western Illinois: The Leathernecks were 3-8 in non-conference play before opening Summit League play with a 3-3 record through six games. WIU is 4-3 at home this season and 2-0 at home in conference play.
                The Leathernecks rank among the top 40 Division I schools in three-point percentage (39.1%) and three-pointers per game (9.2). Senior guard Garret Covington leads Western Illinois with 19.9 points per game this season, and senior forward Mike Miklusak is averaging 15.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest. 
                Billy Wright is in his third season as the head coach at WIU. The Leathernecks finished 10-17 overall and 3-13 in The Summit League last season.
 
The Series with Western Illinois: Saturday will be the 21st meeting between North Dakota State and Western Illinois dating back to 2007-08. NDSU holds a 13-7 lead in the all-time series. The Bison have won seven straight over the Leathernecks.
 
Season-High for Miller: NDSU junior guard Paul Miller poured in a season-high 26 points and made a career-best six three-pointers in NDSU's win at South Dakota on Jan. 11.
 
Scoring Defense: The Bison lead The Summit League in scoring defense, allowing 68.1 points per game through 18 games.
 
Eighty-Plus: The Bison scored 80-plus points in three straight games to open the Summit League slate. It was the first time in five years (Dec. 28, 2011 through Jan. 5, 2012) that NDSU scored 80-plus in three straight league games.
 
Showcasing Depth: Six different Bison have scored at least 18 points in a game this season: Paul Miller, Dexter Werner, A.J. Jacobson, Khy Kabellis, Carlin Dupree and Deng Geu.
 
Road Wins: As of Jan. 12, North Dakota State was one of 16 Division I teams with at least five road wins this season.
 
Tale of Two Halves: The Bison have flipped the switch at halftime this season, posting a significant shooting advantage in the second half of games. While both NDSU and its opponents are shooting 43 percent in the first half this season, NDSU is shooting 48 percent in the second half, and Bison opponents are shooting 39 percent in the second half.
 
The Closer: Dexter Werner has made 39-of-56 shots after halftime this season for an impressive 70 percent.
 
Paul's Production: In league play, junior guard Paul Miller is averaging 19.8 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 48 percent from the field and 46 percent from beyond the arc. He was named The Summit League's Player of the Week on Jan. 3 following two wins over South Dakota State and Omaha.
 
Streak Snappers: The Bison snapped South Dakota State's 34-game home win streak on Dec. 28 with an 80-69 comeback victory in Brookings. SDSU's run was the 2nd-longest active streak in the nation -- and it started following an NDSU win in Frost Arena on Jan. 25, 2014.
                NDSU also became the first team to win at South Dakota this season with a 70-69 triumph on Jan. 11. The Coyotes were 8-0 at home prior to that Bison win.
 
Take Care: NDSU committed an average of 13.5 turnovers per game during the non-conference portion of the schedule. Through five Summit League games, the Bison are averaging only 9.2 turnovers per game.
 
Second Half Burst: NDSU topped 50 points in the second half in three straight games to open Summit League play. The Bison are averaging 45 points after halftime in conference games. 
                58         Dec. 28         at South Dakota State
                53         Dec. 31         vs. Omaha
                51         Jan. 5             vs. IUPUI
 
Werner's Last 10: Over the last 10 games, Dexter Werner is averaging 13.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game while shooting 65 percent.
 
Never Give Up: Three times this season, the Bison have trailed by double digits before coming back to win. NDSU pulled the same feat six times last year.

• Nov. 11     vs. Arkansas State             Trailed by 10 with 12:29 left in 1st half           W, 76-66
• Dec. 14     vs. UC Davis                          Trailed by 11 with 15:48 left in 2nd half         W, 74-70
• Dec. 28     at South Dakota State      Trailed by 16 with 14:51 left in 2nd half         W, 80-69

 
Home Court: NDSU is 56-4 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season. The Bison set a then-Summit League record with 31 consecutive home wins from Dec. 2, 2013, to Jan. 3, 2016.