The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team looks to add another win to its five-game winning streak when it travels to Green Bay, Wis. for a 7:05 p.m. tip-off versus the Phoenix of the University of Wisconsin-Green, Bay. Although the Bulldogs have not faced the Phoenix since the 1987-88 season, UMD will reacquaint itself with a couple of familiar faces. UWGB head coach Tod Kowalczyk played for the Bulldogs from 1985-88 and was an assistant coach during the 1988-89 season under former UMD head coach and current UWGB assistant coach Dale Race. Race was at the helm for UMD from 1985-1997 and remains the all-time winninest coach in UMD history with a record of 293-120 (.709).

Last Action for the Bulldogs

UMD extended it winning streak to five games Dec. 13 when it knocked off the University of North Dakota 94-91 in overtime.

Although UMD found itself down by as much as fifteen points with 10 minutes gone in the second half, the Bulldogs battled back to tie the Sioux as senior Dusty Decker drained a three with just 2.5 seconds remaining in regulation.

Sophomore guard/forward Sean Seaman led the way for UMD recording 26 points, eight assists and five rebounds and Decker added 20 points.

The Coach

Teaching patience and implementing a hard-work ethic, Gary Holquist has molded the University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball program into a conference and regional contender in four seasons.

After leading the Bulldogs to a 13-14 mark his first year as head coach in 1998-99, Holquist has guided UMD to three straight winning seasons, one regular season and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament championship and one trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

Overall Holquist is 66-51 in four years as the Bulldogs' head coach. In NSIC regular season games, Holquist sports a mark of 45-21. Holquist's teams have shown the knack the past three seasons of enduring a tough non-conference schedule and then watch it pay off down the stretch.

As a sophomore coach in 1999-2000, UMD struggled to a 3-10 record out of the gate but surged to win 12 of its final 15 games, falling just one game short of the NCAA Division II playoffs. In 2000-01 the Bulldogs slumped to 8-9 in mid January but rebounded for wins in eight of their last 11 games. All three losses during that stretch came to teams that reached the NCAA playoffs.

Last season was no exception. UMD lost four of its first five and was just 5-8 at the end of December 2001. The Bulldogs ran off eight straight wins and lost only three of their final 17 games, qualifying for the NCAA II playoffs for just the fourth time in school history.

A Bulldog assistant for 12 years, Holquist was named the 15th men's basketball head coach in the program's 69-year history on June 11, 1998. Holquist replaced Dale Race who stepped down after 14 seasons to become the school's first Bulldog Club/Athletic Marketing Coordinator. Race ended his career as the winningest head coach in UMD history with a record of 293-120.

About the Phoenix

The Phoenix welcome the Bulldogs to Green Bay toting a 3-4 overall record. In their last action, the Phoenix were victorious 86-69 over Western Illinois.

Leading the charge for UWGB are a pair of guards averaging just under 12 points per game in Brandon Morris and Terry Parker. Morris also leads the team hauling in 4 rebounds per game.

UMD and Wisconsin-Green Bay have met on three other occasions with the last coming during the 1987-88 season while under the leadership of current UWGB assistant Dale Race. The Phoenix won that game 57-51 despite five points and five assists by Tod Kowalczyk and hold an edge in the all-time series, 3-0.

Bombs Away!

Wednesday the Bulldogs broke a 10-year-old school record by attempting 35 three-point attempts in a 80-79 win over Augustana (Dec. 10). The team broke the previous record of 33 set Dec. 15, 1993 versus American Indian Bible College.

This season the Bulldogs are well on their way to breaking a UMD record for three-point attempts and three-pointers made in a season. The 2002-03 version of the team currently holds the record having made 603 attempts. Through eight games, UMD has already attempted 205 three-pointers having made 86. If they keep that same pace until the end of the season, they will finish with over 700 three-point attempts making 300.

Deep Threat

Senior Dusty Decker is on pace to set some three-point records of his own. He has already attempted 67 three-pointers this season and is on pace to break the record for three-point shots attempted at UMD in a single season. Jerry Meyer currently holds the record of 210 three-point attempts set during the 1993-94 season. At his current pace, Decker would break the record (235).

Early Freshman Contributions

With a roster full of underclassmen, the Bulldogs will be looking for their freshman to step in and handle some of the load right away. Bryan Foss has taken the challenge and run with it. Through eight games the center has stepped into a starting roll and done so averaging 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in an average of 23 minutes per game. Fellow first-year player Matt Rawley has also been a vital piece to the Bulldogs' play in the paint. He is averaging six points and three rebounds per game. Freshman Nate Perry is logging more time on the court every game. He collected a career-high 10 points while leading the team with seven rebounds in an 94-91 overtime win versus the University of North Dakota.

Bulldogs on the Road

This season the Bulldogs are 2-2 when playing away from the friendly confines of Romano Gymnasium. They have posted a 2-1 record when battling a team on their home floor and are 0-1 in neutral situations. Over the past three season the Bulldogs are 17-16 when on the road.

Streaking Bulldogs

After losing the first three games of the season, UMD is currently riding a five-game winning streak-- the longest winning streak since the Bulldogs rattled off seven consecutive games last season between 1/18/03 and 2/8/03. Dating back to the beginning of that streak, UMD is 18-6.

Looking Ahead

UMD is in the midst of a tough six-game stretch on the road when it travels to Green Bay, Wis. The Bulldogs will play their third and fourth games of that stretch when they travel to Augustana College to face Augustana and the University of South Dakota before beginning their Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season with road games versus Wayne State College (Neb.) and Southwest Minnesota State University Jan. 2nd and 4th.