Wikipedia

2025–26 North Dakota State Bison women's basketball team

The 2025–26 North Dakota State Bison women's basketball team represented North Dakota State University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bison, who were led by seventh-year head coach Jory Collins, played their home games at the Scheels Center, as members of the Summit League.

2025–26 North Dakota State Bison women's basketball
Summit League regular season champions
WBIT, Second round
ConferenceSummit League
Record29–5 (15–1 Summit)
Head coach
Associate head coachDylan Geissert
Assistant coaches
  • Jaime Adams
  • Michaela Everett
Home arenaScheels Center
Seasons
← 2024–25
2026–27 →
2025–26 Summit League women's basketball standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
North Dakota State15–1 .93829–5  .853
South Dakota State †14–2 .87527–7  .794
South Dakota12–4 .75026–10  .722
Oral Roberts8–8 .50015–15  .500
St. Thomas8–8 .50016–16  .500
Denver5–11 .31311–19  .367
Kansas City4–12 .2507–23  .233
North Dakota3–13 .1887–24  .226
Omaha3–13 .1886–27  .182
† 2026 Summit League tournament winner

The Bison finished the regular season 26–3 overall, and 15–1 in the Summit League to finish in first place and win the program's first Summit League regular season title. In the Summit League tournament, they defeated Omaha in the quarterfinals,[1] St. Thomas in the semifinals,[2][3] but fell to South Dakota State in the championship game.[4][5] Since they were the conference's regular season champion but did not make the NCAA tournament, the Bison received an automatic bid and top 4 seed to the 2026 Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT).[6] In the WBIT, they defeated Chattanooga in the first round,[7] but fell to Columbia in the second round.[8] By the season's end, the Bison racked up 29 wins, which is the most in the NDSU Division I era and the most for the program since 1996.

Previous season

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The Bison finished the 2024–25 season 21–12, 11–5 in Summit League play to finish in third place. In the Summit League tournament, the Bison fell in the quarterfinals to Kansas City.[9] However, they did receive an at-large bid to the 2025 Women's National Invitation Tournament,[10] and yet again received a first round bye. The Bison would defeat New Mexico in the second round,[11] Washington State in the Super 16,[12] but fell to Troy in the program's first Great 8 appearance.

Offseason

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Departures

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NameNumberPos.HeightYearHometownReason for departure
Abbie Draper2F6'2"SeniorWaverly, IAGraduated
Claire Stern11F6'0"FreshmanMaple Grove, MNMedically retired
Sacia Vanderpool20F6'5"SeniorByron, MNGraduated
Taryn Hamling21G5'9"SophomoreGrand Rapids, MNTransferred to Minot State[13]
Abby Schulte24G5'10"SeniorMaple Grove, MNGraduated

Incoming transfers

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NameNumberPos.HeightYearHometownPrevious school
Audrey Martinez-Stewart5G5'5"SeniorSt. Paul, MNMissouri–St. Louis
Jocelyn Schiller30G5'7"SophomoreGrand Forks, NDNorth Dakota
Lily Niebuhr31F6'2"SeniorJordan, MNIndiana State

2025 recruiting class

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College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Sophie Hawkinson
G		 Plymouth, Minnesota Wayzata High School 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) N/A Nov 13, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (0)
McKenna Johnson
F		 Mandan, North Dakota Mandan High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) N/A Sep 10, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (0)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

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2025–26 North Dakota State Bison women's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightYearHometown
G 1 Molly Lenz 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Jr Victoria, MN
G 5 Audrey Martinez-Stewart 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) Sr St. Paul, MN
G 8 Amelia Hobson 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) So Parkdale, AUS
G 10 Abby Graham 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Sr Portland, OR
G 12 Marisa Frost 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) So Lino Lakes, MN
G 13 Sophie Hawkinson 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Fr Plymouth, MN
F 15 Karrington Asp 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) RS Fr Epworth, IA
F 22 Avery Koenen 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Jr Montevideo, MN
G 30 Jocelyn Schiller 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) So Grand Forks, ND
F 31 Lily Niebuhr 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Sr Jordan, MN
F 32 Miriley Simon 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Jr West Fargo, ND
F 35 McKenna Johnson 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Fr Mandan, ND
G 40 Abby Krzewinski 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Jr Wayzata, MN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: September 3, 2025

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 26, 2025*
12:00 p.m.		 vs. Creighton L 61–64  –
   –     –     –    Sanford Pentagon 
Sioux Falls, SD
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Northern Iowa W 63–49  1–0
  11 – Tied (4)  15 – Koenen  3 – Lenz  McLeod Center (2,710)
Cedar Falls, IA
November 7, 2025*
7:00 p.m., WDAY Xtra/Summit League Network		 Gonzaga L 66–81  1–1
  17 – Koenen  7 – Koenen  4 – Frost  Scheels Center (1,906)
Fargo, ND
November 10, 2025*
11:00 a.m., WDAY Xtra/SLN		 Concordia–Moorhead W 84–60  2–1
  16 – Tied (2)  5 – Tied (3)  7 – Frost  Scheels Center (2,928)
Fargo, ND
November 16, 2025*
12:00 p.m., BTN		 vs. Nebraska L 70–82  2–2
  26 – Koenen  9 – Koenen  3 – Lenz  Sanford Pentagon (1,685)
Sioux Falls, SD
November 21, 2025*
7:00 p.m., WDAY Xtra/SLN		 Tulane W 83–72  3–2
  22 – Koenen  13 – Koenen  5 – Koenen  Scheels Center (1,007)
Fargo, ND
November 28, 2025*
10:00 a.m.		 vs. Campbell
Osprey Thanksgiving Classic		 W 71–49  4–2
  21 – Frost  7 – Tied (2)  5 – Tied (2)  UNF Arena (50)
Jacksonville, FL
November 29, 2025*
10:00 a.m.		 vs. Bethune–Cookman
Osprey Thanksgiving Classic		 W 85–36  5–2
  19 – Koenen  12 – Koenen  7 – Schiller  UNF Arena (50)
Jacksonville, FL
December 3, 2025*
7:00 p.m., CBSSN		 Montana State
Big Sky–Summit Challenge		 W 90–65  6–2
  18 – Asp  11 – Koenen  5 – Asp  Scheels Center (1,014)
Fargo, ND
December 6, 2025*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Weber State
Big Sky–Summit Challenge		 W 79–72  7–2
  21 – Koenen  10 – Koenen  3 – Schiller  Dee Events Center (472)
Ogden, UT
December 11, 2025*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Eastern Illinois W 83–55  8–2
  22 – Koenen  16 – Koenen  3 – Tied (3)  Groniger Arena (321)
Charleston, IL
December 16, 2025*
12:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Pepperdine
Malibu Classic		 W 82–80 OT 9–2
  29 – Koenen  12 – Koenen  3 – Schiller  Firestone Fieldhouse (269)
Malibu, CA
December 17, 2025*
12:00 p.m.		 vs. UTRGV
Malibu Classic		 W 82–60  10–2
  22 – Asp  12 – Asp  5 – Koenen  Firestone Fieldhouse (127)
Malibu, CA
December 29, 2025*
6:00 p.m., WDAY Xtra/SLN		 Saint Mary's (MN) W 94–36  11–2
  19 – Koenen  7 – Koenen  4 – Tied (2)  Scheels Center (772)
Fargo, ND
Summit League regular season
January 1, 2026
7:00 p.m., SLN		 at Oral Roberts W 76–68  12–2
(1–0)		  17 – Tied (2)  14 – Koenen  6 – Schiller  Mabee Center (2,178)
Tulsa, OK
January 3, 2026
1:00 p.m., SLN		 at Denver W 81–44  13–2
(2–0)		  25 – Koenen  11 – Koenen  4 – Tied (2)  Hamilton Gymnasium (398)
Denver, CO
January 8, 2026
7:00 p.m., WDAY Xtra/SLN		 Kansas City W 77–54  14–2
(3–0)		  19 – Schiller  16 – Koenen  5 – Koenen  Scheels Center (887)
Fargo, ND
January 10, 2026
1:00 p.m., WDAY Xtra/SLN		 Omaha W 94–39  15–2
(4–0)		  24 – Lenz  16 – Koenen  3 – Tied (4)  Scheels Center (1,274)
Fargo, ND
January 17, 2026
2:00 p.m., SLN		 at South Dakota State W 76–68  16–2
(5–0)		  26 – Koenen  13 – Koenen  5 – Frost  First Bank and Trust Arena (4,138)
Brookings, SD
January 21, 2026
7:00 p.m., SLN		 at St. Thomas W 75–66  17–2
(6–0)		  18 – Koenen  14 – Koenen  7 – Schiller  Lee and Penny Anderson Arena (478)
St. Paul, MN
January 24, 2026
1:00 p.m., WDAY Xtra/SLN		 South Dakota W 79–56  18–2
(7–0)		  22 – Koenen  10 – Koenen  2 – Tied (3)  Scheels Center (2,004)
Fargo, ND
January 29, 2026
7:00 p.m., WDAY Xtra/SLN		 Denver W 95–55  19–2
(8–0)		  22 – Frost  8 – Koenen  4 – Schiller  Scheels Center (1,234)
Fargo, ND
January 31, 2026
1:00 p.m., WDAY Xtra/SLN		 Oral Roberts W 93–72  20–2
(9–0)		  25 – Koenen  13 – Koenen  5 – Schiller  Scheels Center (1,688)
Fargo, ND
February 5, 2026
7:00 p.m., SLN		 at Kansas City W 74–49  21–2
(10–0)		  29 – Frost  15 – Koenen  3 – Tied (2)  Swinney Recreation Center (351)
Kansas City, MO
February 7, 2026
1:00 p.m., SLN		 at Omaha W 102–51  22–2
(11–0)		  16 – Tied (2)  7 – Tied (2)  4 – Tied (2)  Baxter Arena (1,062)
Omaha, NE
February 15, 2026
1:00 p.m., SLN		 at North Dakota W 87–51  23–2
(12–0)		  29 – Koenen  13 – Koenen  4 – Frost  Betty Engelstad Sioux Center (2,019)
Grand Forks, ND
February 19, 2026
7:00 p.m., WDAY Xtra/SLN		 St. Thomas W 73–67  24–2
(13–0)		  16 – Koenen  8 – Krzewinski  4 – Frost  Scheels Center (959)
Fargo, ND
February 21, 2026
1:00 p.m., SLN		 at South Dakota W 81–68  25–2
(14–0)		  30 – Koenen  14 – Koenen  5 – Koenen  Sanford Coyote Sports Center (2,304)
Vermillion, SD
February 25, 2026
7:00 p.m., ABC ND/SLN		 South Dakota State L 44–59  25–3
(14–1)		  11 – Tied (2)  5 – Koenen  1 – Tied (4)  Scheels Center (3,708)
Fargo, ND
February 28, 2026
1:00 p.m., WDAY Xtra/SLN		 North Dakota W 95–70  26–3
(15–1)		  29 – Koenen  15 – Koenen  4 – Frost  Scheels Center (2,944)
Fargo, ND
Summit League tournament
March 5, 2026*
2:33 p.m., SLN		 (1) vs. (8) Omaha
Quarterfinal		 W 87–37  27–3
  28 – Frost  8 – Asp  4 – Tied (3)  Denny Sanford Premier Center (6,176)
Sioux Falls, SD
March 7, 2026*
12:00 p.m., SLN		 (1) vs. (5) St. Thomas
Semifinal		 W 63–51  28–3
  31 – Koenen  8 – Koenen  3 – Krzewinski  Denny Sanford Premier Center (8,476)
Sioux Falls, SD
March 8, 2026*
3:15 p.m., CBSSN		 (1) vs. (2) South Dakota State
Championship		 L 51–64  28–4
  12 – Tied (2)  13 – Koenen  7 – Koenen  Denny Sanford Premier Center (7,930)
Sioux Falls, SD
Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT)
March 19, 2026*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 (1 NDS) Chattanooga
First round		 W 75–62  29–4
  16 – Koenen  11 – Koenen  3 – Krzewinski  Scheels Center (1,490)
Fargo, ND
March 22, 2026*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+		 (1 NDS) (4 NDS) Columbia
Second round		 L 57–86  29–5
  21 – Koenen  7 – Koenen  2 – Hobson  Scheels Center (1,769)
Fargo, ND
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
NDS=North Dakota State region.
All times are in Central.

Source:[14]

Awards and accolades

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Summit League Player of the Week

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Week[15] Player(s) of the Week School
Nov. 25[16] Avery Koenen North Dakota State
Dec. 16[17] Avery Koenen (2) North Dakota State (2)
Dec. 23[18] Avery Koenen (3) North Dakota State (3)
Jan. 6[19] Avery Koenen (4) North Dakota State (4)
Jan. 13[20] Avery Koenen (5) North Dakota State (5)
Jan. 20[21] Avery Koenen (6) North Dakota State (6)
Feb. 10[22] Avery Koenen (7) North Dakota State (7)
Feb. 17[23] Avery Koenen (8) North Dakota State (8)

Summit League Regular Season Awards

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Individual Awards

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  • Avery Koenen (Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year)
  • Karrington Asp (Freshman of the Year, Sixth Woman of the Year)
  • Jory Collins (Coach of the Year)

All–Summit League First Team

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  • Avery Koenen

All–Summit League Second Team

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  • Marisa Frost
  • Jocelyn Schiller

All–Defensive Team

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  • Avery Koenen

All–Freshman Team

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  • Karrington Asp

Source:[24]

Summit League All–Tournament Team

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Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP———————————RV——RVRVRV——RV
Coaches————————————————RVRV——

References

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  1. ↑ "Top-seeded Bison take down Omaha to reach semifinals". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. March 5, 2026. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  2. ↑ Kolpack, Jeff (March 7, 2026). "Koenen puts Bison on her back, wills NDSU to Summit title game". inforum.com. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Bison advance to title game behind Koenen's 31-point effort". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. March 7, 2026. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  4. ↑ Kolpack, Jeff (March 8, 2026). "South Dakota State stops Bison for another trip to NCAA tournament". inforum.com. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Jacks pulls away late from top-seeded Bison to capture fourth-straight Summit League Tournament title". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. March 8, 2026. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  6. ↑ Haugland, Andrew (March 17, 2026). "After falling short of NCVA tourney, Bison women set sights on WBIT". inforum.com. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  7. ↑ Haugland, Andrew (March 19, 2026). "Bison women surge over Chattanooga in WBIT first round". inforum.com. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  8. ↑ Haugland, Andrew (March 22, 2026). "Historic Bison women season ends after WBIT second-round loss". inforum.com. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  9. ↑ "No. 6 seed Kansas City stifles No. 3 seed NDSU with dominant second quarter, advances to semifinals". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. March 7, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Postseason WNIT announces 48-team field for 2025 event". womensnit.com. Women's National Invitation Tournament. March 16, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Bison find that postseason groove, defeat New Mexico State". inforum.com. Forum of Fargo/Moorhead. March 24, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Bison throw huge rally at Washington State, advance in WNIT". inforum.com. Forum of Fargo/Moorhead. March 27, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Grand Rapids Native Taryn Hamling signs with Minot State women's basketball". fox21online.com. Fox 21 Duluth. April 16, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  14. ↑ "2025-26 Women's Basketball Schedule". gobison.com. North Dakota State Bison. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  15. ↑ "2025-26 Women's Basketball Peak Performers of the Week". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  16. ↑ "NDSU's Koenen nets latest #SummitWBB weekly award". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. November 25, 2025. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  17. ↑ "NDSU's Koenen garners her second #SummitWBB weekly honor of the season". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. December 16, 2025. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  18. ↑ "NDSU's Koenen collects back-to-back Kwik Star #SummitWBB weekly awards". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. December 23, 2025. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  19. ↑ "NDSU's Koenen nets her fourth #SummitWBB weekly honor this season". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. January 6, 2026. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  20. ↑ "NDSU's Koenen claims fifth #SummitWBB weekly accolade of the season". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. January 13, 2026. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  21. ↑ "NDSU's Koenen secures her third consecutive #SummitWBB weekly award". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. January 20, 2026. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  22. ↑ "NDSU's Koenen earns latest #SummitWBB weekly honor". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. February 10, 2026. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  23. ↑ "NDSU's Koenen sets record with eighth #SummitWBB weekly accolade". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. February 17, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  24. ↑ "NDSU's Koenen claims #SummitWB Player of the Year Honors". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. March 3, 2026. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
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