North Dakota State Unanimous No. 1 in Final FCS Polls

FARGO, N.D. - Four-time FCS national champion North Dakota State was the unanimous year-end No. 1 pick in the Sports Network Top 25 and the FCS Coaches Poll released Monday, Jan. 12.

North Dakota State (15-1) captured all 152 first-place votes in the media poll and all 25 votes in the coaches poll after rallying to beat Illinois State 29-27 in the FCS championship game.

The two polls mirrored each other's Top 10.  Illinois State (13-2) was second followed in order by New Hampshire, Eastern Washington, Coastal Carolina, Sam Houston State, Villanova, Chattanooga, Jacksonville State and Northern Iowa.

Six Missouri Valley Football Conference teams made the final polls with South Dakota State, Indiana State and Youngstown State each listed.

Sports Network FCS Top 25

Team (First-Place Votes)	W-L	Pts	Prev
1. North Dakota State (152)	15-1	3800	2
2. Illinois State	13-2	3630	7
3. New Hampshire	12-2	3475	1
4. Eastern Washington	11-3	3161	4
5. Coastal Carolina	12-2	3046	6
6. Sam Houston State	11-5	2936	19
7. Villanova	11-3	2894	5
8. Chattanooga	10-4	2701	8
9. Jacksonville State	10-2	2585	3
10. Northern Iowa	9-5	2332	10
11. Fordham	11-3	2234	9
12. South Dakota State	9-5	2033	14
13. Montana	9-5	1969	12
14. Southeastern Louisiana	9-4	1729	11
15. Harvard	10-0	1502	13
16. Richmond	9-5	1422	18
17. Liberty	9-5	1365	20
18. James Madison	9-4	1170	15
19. Indiana State	8-6	1162	25
20. Montana State	8-5	1144	17
21. Eastern Kentucky	9-4	992	16
22. Youngstown State	7-5	422	21
23. Bethune-Cookman	9-3	347	22
24. Sacred Heart	9-3	325	NR
25. Idaho State	8-4	318	24

Others receiving votes: William & Mary 247, Stephen F. Austin 167, McNeese State 52, Charleston Southern 37, North Carolina A&T 31, Yale 31, Alcorn State 30, Southern Illinois 22, Morgan State 16, Lamar 13, San Diego 12, Northern Arizona 10, Dartmouth 9, Cal Poly 6, Samford 6, Bucknell 4, Albany 3, Bryant 3, Sacramento State 2, Western Illinois 2, Northwestern State 1, South Carolina State 1, Wagner 1.

FCS Coaches Poll

Team (First-Place Votes)	W-L	Pts	Prev
1. North Dakota State (25)	15-1	625	3
2. Illinois State	13-2	600	7
3. New Hampshire	12-2	568	1
4. Eastern Washington	11-3	527	4
5. Coastal Carolina	12-2	516	6
6. Sam Houston State	11-5	463	19
7. Villanova	11-3	458	5
8. Chattanooga	10-4	434	8
9. Jacksonville State	10-2	414	2
10. Northern Iowa	9-5	389	10
11. Montana	9-5	356	11
12. Southeastern Louisiana	9-4	348	9
13. South Dakota State	9-5	335	13
14. Fordham	11-3	312	12
15. Harvard	10-0	251	14
16. Richmond	9-5	237	16
17. Liberty	9-5	214	23
18. Indiana State	8-6	213	21
19. James Madison	9-3	202	15
20. Montana State	8-5	167	17
21. Eastern Kentucky	9-4	139	18
22. Bethune-Cookman	9-3	96	20
23. Sacred Heart	9-3	64	22
24. William & Mary	7-5	58	24
25. Youngstown State	7-5	44	25

Others receiving votes: Stephen F. Austin 20, Idaho State 15, Alcorn State 14, Cal Poly 13, Charleston Southern 12, Morgan State 8, San Diego 6, Northern Arizona 3, McNeese State 3, Yale 1.

Maya Moore Honored As 2014 USA Basketball Female Athlete Of The Year

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Jan. 6, 2015) – Following a summer in which she helped lead USA Basketball to the 2014 FIBA World Championship gold medal and was named MVP of the tournament along the way, Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx) today was announced as the 2014 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year.

“I'm so fortunate to be around the best in the world through USA Basketball,” Moore said. “It was a true privilege to contribute to an awesome team again this year at the World Championship. I'm honored to have the opportunity to be named USA Basketball’s Female Athlete of the Year.”

Moore started in all six games and averaged a team-high 15.3 points per game to go along with 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 24.3 minutes per contest to help the USA Basketball Women’s World Championship Team to a 6-0 record and the gold medal at the FIBA World Championship from Sept. 27–Oct. 5 in Istanbul, Turkey. The win qualified the USA for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

 “Maya not only was a tremendous team leader for the USA during the World Championship, she also was an incredible individual performer, especially in the gold medal game,” said USA Basketball CEO/Executive Director Jim Tooley. “Maya is very deserving of the 2014 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year award, and we are proud to acknowledge her incredible accomplishments.”

The 2014 gold medal was Moore’s second-consecutive FIBA World Championship title, and her sixth gold medal overall with USA Basketball. USA Basketball teams with Moore on the roster have combined for a 56-2 all-time record.

“Maya is just relentless,” said USA head coach Geno Auriemma (University of Connecticut), who was named as a 2014 USA Basketball Co-National Coach of the Year. “Her incredible level of competitiveness and the energy that she brings is second to none, and she just finds a way to be on winning teams. That (gold-medal) game against Spain is the perfect example of how valuable she is and how she can set the tone for the entire game. Maya has had an incredible pro career since she left UConn, and she had an incredible career with USA Basketball and she’s not finished yet; I’m looking forward to seeing what she does in the future.”

In the 2014 Worlds, she shot 52.9 percent from the field (37-70 FGs), 51.9 percent from 3-point (14-27 3pt FGs) and 80.0 percent from the line (4-5 FTs).

 Among all participants in the 16-team field, she was tied for third in 3-point field goals made (2.33) and ranked fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (.519), fourth in scoring (15.3), seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.33), 11^th for field goal percentage (.529), tied for 11^th in assists (3.5), 15^th for offensive rebounds (2.17) and tied for 17^th in rebounding (6.0).

Three times she led or tied for the lead in team scoring and reached double-digit scoring in all six games, including 15 points and eight rebounds against China in the first game; a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds against Serbia; 16 points against Angola in preliminary round play; 10 points against France in the quarterfinals; 16 points against Australia in the semifinals; and 18 points against Spain in the gold medal game.

She set a USA World Championship record for 3-point percentage (.615) by shooting 3-of-4 from 3-point in the USA’s final preliminary round win over Angola.

She also helped the USA National Team to a 4-1 exhibition record in 2014 with wins over Canada (76-51, Sept. 15, Bridgeport, Conn.), Australia (72-66, Sept. 19, Paris, France) and China (99-75, Sept. 20, Paris France), a loss to France (76-72, Sept. 21, Paris, France) and a win over Czech Republic (76-41, Sept. 23, Prague, Czech Republic).

Tabbed as the 2014 WNBA MVP, an All-Star and as an All-Defensive second-team selection, Moore also earned the 2014 WNBA scoring title with a league-best 23.9 points per game.

In leading Minnesota in 2014 to a 25-9 record and the Western Conference finals, she started in all 34 games and contributed 8.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest. She posted a WNBA record 12 games with 30 or more points in 2014.

During the 2014 WNBA offseason, she averaged 39.3 points per game to lead the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) in scoring and to help her team, Shanxi Flame, to a second-straight WCBA championship.

Wolves' Andrew Wiggins Named Western Conference Rookie of the Month

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The NBA today named Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins as its Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December. This is the second consecutive month Wiggins has earned the honor, becoming the first Timberwolves player to win the award multiple times in the same season.

Wiggins led all Western Conference rookies in scoring (14.6 ppg) and minutes played (33.9) during December, while ranking 2nd in blocks (0.6 bpg), 3rd in rebounding (4.1 rpg) and 4th in steals (0.87 spg). He tallied 20+ points five times during the month, and was the Wolves top scorer on four occasions. Wiggins finished the month averaging 20.0 points on 50.8% shooting during the team's month-closing four-game road trip.

Perhaps his best performance came on Dec. 10 vs. Portland, as Wiggins recorded his first double-double with 23 points and a season-high 10 rebounds in Minnesota's win over Portland, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to record a 20-point/10-rebound game. He scored a team-high 27 points at Cleveland on Dec. 23, and three nights later poured in 22 points at Denver.

Originally selected by the Cleveland with the 1st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Wiggins was acquired by the Wolves on Aug. 23, 2014 in a three-team trade. This season he leads all qualified rookies in scoring (13.8 ppg) and minutes (31.8 mpg), while ranking 4th in steals (1.09 spg) and blocks (0.53 bpg), 5th in rebounding (4.1 rpg) and 9th in assists (1.4 apg).

Wolves vs. Cavaliers Single-Game Tickets on Sale Tuesday

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves announced today that for the first time, single-game tickets for the Saturday, Jan. 31 home contest against Cleveland will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6. Fans can purchase the tickets with no fees at Timberwolves.com/wolvestix or by visiting the Target Center box office.

 

Single-game tickets had previously not been on sale for this contest. The only way to purchase tickets for the Cleveland game had been to buy them as part of another ticket package. The tickets that remain are limited, but they are located in both the upper and lower levels in Target Center.

  

The Saturday, Jan. 31 game is the only time to see LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and the Cavaliers play at Target Center during the 2014-15 NBA season. 

WolvesTix is the only source for guaranteed, authentic Timberwolves tickets with no fees all season long.  

NDSU's Alexander Earns Summit League Player of the Week

North Dakota State guard Lawrence Alexander was named The Summit League men’s basketball Player of the Week following his performance in two Bison victories on Jan. 2 and Jan. 4.

Alexander earned his second career award and first of the season after averaging 23.5 points, including a career-high performance, in leading NDSU to a pair of Summit League victories. In the league opener against Oral Roberts, Alexander had a career night with 31 points, shooting 53 percent from the field and 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. He scored 24 points in the final 14 minutes of the game, going 7-of-8 from the field, 5-of-6 from three-point range, and 5-of-5 from the free throw line during that stretch.

Two days later, in the Bison win over South Dakota State, Alexander scored 16 points, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out a pair of assists.

The senior from Peoria, Ill., is ranked among the nation’s best in several statistical categories as of Jan. 5:

                5th in minutes per game (38.3)

                10th in 3-pointers made (46)

                27th in 3-pointers per game (3.1)

                28th in total points (267)

                38th in 3FG percentage (43.0%)

Alexander’s previous Summit League Player of the Week honor came on Dec. 31, 2012, after he tallied 18 points and six assists as a sophomore in a win over South Dakota State.

NDSU's LeMar Named Summit League Women’s Basketball Player of the Week

ELMHURST, Ill. -- North Dakota State University senior point guard Brooke LeMar has been named The Summit League Women's Basketball Player of the Week for her performance Dec. 29 - Jan. 4.

LeMar collects her third career Player of the Week award and first of the season after leading the Bison to a pair of league wins. In Sunday's win over reigning regular season champion South Dakota State, the senior guard scored 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting with four assists. She added 22 points with eight assists and three rebounds in Friday's win over Oral Roberts.

For the week, LeMar averaged 26 points, six assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game with a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio. She shot 48 percent (19-of-40) from the field and 43 percent (6-of-14) from three-point range.

The Bison (6-8, 2-0) have already matched their overall and league win totals from last season.

North Dakota State returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 8, when it hosts IUPUI in a Summit League contest at the Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

North Dakota reclaims top spot in national hockey polls

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The University of North Dakota officially opens the second half of the regular season this week and will do so as the top-ranked team in college hockey.

UND unseated Boston University as the No. 1 team in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls that were released on Monday afternoon. UND, previously ranked No. 2 in both, garnered 13 of 50 first-place votes in the USCHO poll and nine of 34 in the USA Today rankings.

UND’s next opponent, Minnesota Duluth, remained at No. 7 in the USCHO poll and climbed three spots to No. 7 in the USA Today poll.

The two teams will square off on Friday and Saturday at Ralph Englestad Arena. Friday’s game starts at 7:37 p.m. Central and can be seen live on Midco Sports Network and online via NCHC.tv. Saturday’s game begins at 7:07 p.m. and will be shown live nationally on CBS Sports Network.

USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll

Rk.      School (First place votes)       Record           Pts.         PR

1.         North Dakota (13)                     13-4-2           933            2

2.         Boston University (18)                   11-3-3            915            1

3.         Harvard (15)                                    10-1-2            897            4

4.         Minnesota State (1)                        14-4-1            870            3

5.         Miami                                               14-6-0            752            6

6.         Massachusetts-Lowell                    14-3-3            747            9

7.         Minnesota Duluth (3)                      12-6-0            702            7

8.         Michigan Tech                                  15-5-0            641            5

9.         Minnesota                                        10-5-1            554            8

10.       Denver                                             11-5-1            514          11

11.       Bowling Green                                 12-3-3            452          13

12.       Vermont                                           14-5-1            448          10

13.       Omaha                                              12-5-3            442          12

14.       Providence                                       13-6-1            371          16

15.       Quinnipiac                                        13-6-1            304          14

16.       Boston College                               11-7-1            274          15

17.       Colgate                                            11-6-1            212          17

18.       Merrimack                                        11-6-2            183          18

19.       Yale                                                    8-3-2            155         NR

20.       Robert Morris                                  12-4-4              55          19

Others receiving votes: Union 35, Michigan 15, Alaska 9, Dartmouth 8, Penn State 6, Holy Cross 4, Northern Michigan 1, Notre Dame 1.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll

Rk.      School (1^st place)                      Record           Pts.         PR

1.         North Dakota (9)                       13-4-2           470            2

2.         Boston University (12)                   11-3-3            442            1

3.         Harvard (13)                                    10-1-2            441            4

4.         Minnesota State                              14-4-1            416            3

5.         Massachusetts-Lowell                    14-3-3            358            7

6.         Miami                                               14-6-0            346            6

7.         Minnesota Duluth                            12-6-0            287          10

8.         Michigan Tech                                  15-5-0            282            5

9.         Minnesota                                        10-5-1            211            8

10.       Denver                                             11-5-1            153          11

11.       Vermont                                           14-5-1            148            9

12.       Omaha                                              12-5-3            113          12

13.       Providence                                       13-6-1            108         NR

14.       Bowling Green                                 12-3-3            105          13

15.       Quinnipiac                                        13-6-1              65          15

Others receiving votes: Boston College 46, Colgate 46, Yale 22, Merrimack 16, Robert Morris 5.