The University of Minnesota Duluth came home this week after splitting a four-game road trip the past two weekends and will look to secure playoff positioning as they are home for two of the final three weeks of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.

UMD (10-10, 8-8 NSIC) knocked off Sioux Falls 70-65 on Friday night, before falling in a nail-biter, 71-68 on Saturday evening against Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday.

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• Junior forward Taylor Meyer averaged 20.5 points and 11.0 rebounds for the Bulldogs on the weekend with shooting 53.3 precent (16-of-30), adding two assists and four steals. She scored 19 points while grabbing 20 rebounds -- 17 on the defensive end (more than USF's entire team offensively, 14) -- and shot 60.0 percent (9 of 15) in scoring 22 points against SMSU as the Bulldogs missed a three-pointer at the buzzer to fall against the Mustangs.
• UMD, currently even on the season and in the NSIC, is currently in a dogfight with St. Cloud State and Minnesota Crookston for playoff positioning and a chance to host an NSIC playoff game for the first time since 2010.
• The Bulldogs will host a pair of charitable efforts this weekend: It's a Slam Dunk, Don't Drive Drunk, spearheaded by the conference, and Locks of Love for National Girls & Women in Sports & Breast Cancer Awareness Day on Saturday.

SCOUTING THE PEACOCKS (Friday, Feb. 6, 6:00 p.m.) - Live Video/Stats
• Upper Iowa (6-14, 4-12 NSIC) won last time out against Bemidji State University, 74-56, snapping a three-game losing skid in conference play. UMD has never lost in 10 games against the Peacocks, including a 97-81 win in Fayette last season on Feb. 14, 2014.
• UIU boasts three players in the top-25 of scoring in the NSIC, led by senior forward Lauren Buck, who's netting 15.3 points per game, ninth-best in the league. Senior guard Lindsay Carroll at 12.7 ppg and senior center Olivia Winkler at 11.7 ppg round out the Peacock representation in the top of the conference ranks.
• Buck, who averages a double-double on the season, also leads the conference with 11.5 rebounds per game while Winkler leads the league in field goal average at 57.6 percent. Carroll, meanwhile, is sixth in the conference at 3.5 assists per outing.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS (Saturday, Feb. 7, 4:00 p.m.) - Live Video/Stats
• Winona State (15-5, 11-5 NSIC) will travel to St. Cloud State University on Friday night before heading to Duluth, but has won two in a row and six of the last eight entering this weekend. UMD is 63-9 all-time against the Warriors, knocking off WSU 67-52 in Winona last season on Feb. 15, 2014.
• Junior guard Alexis Foley leads the Warriors, scoring 11.2 points per NSIC contest. She's made 39.6 percent of her three-pointers on the season, just second-best on the team with over 50 attempts. Junior guard Connor Nagle is an even 40.0 percent on 100 shots, sixth-best in the league.
• Sophomore center Kayla Timmerman leads the Warriors in overall shooting percentage at 51.7 percent on the season, which puts her in fourth place in NSIC play. She's also hauling in 6.4 points per game.

The Bulldogs will take the court for "It's a Slam Dunk, Don't Drive Drunk" weekend on Friday night with Upper Iowa in town. Opening tip is set for 6:00 p.m.