The University of Minnesota Duluth will close out the 2013 portion of its schedule with a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference clash against NSIC North Division rival St. Cloud State on Saturday afternoon in Duluth.
Last week, the Bulldogs (4-5, 2-3 NSIC) returned home after nearly a month on the road and brought the Romano Gym fans a pair of wins, first knocking off U-Mary 72-65 and then Minot State 81-74. As a squad, UMD shot 45.8 percent on the weekend and raised their season scoring average to 71.6 PPG. The usual suspects - top guards
Jordan Reetz (Sr.),
Peter Crawford (Sr.), and
Reece Zoelle (Jr.) were on display, averaing 19.0, 17.0, and 14.0 points per game on the weekend, but got strong contributions from the bench as well. The Bulldogs' reserves outscored U-Marys' 19-7 on Friday night and out-scored both teams 36-32 on the weekend. Freshman forwards
Charles Benson and
Lane Olson split the starting duties inside and combined for 19 points and 19 rebounds on the weekend. Freshman point guard
Justin Byrd had ten points, six assists, and seven boards on the weekend.
Senior guard
Jordan Reetz continues to be the hot hand in UMD's offense, shooting 57.7 percent on the weekend, averaging 19.0 points per game. He hauled in ten rebounds in two games and had seven assists compared to just one turnover. Reetz also made good on his opportunities at the charity stripe, shooting 83.3 percent on five of six for the weekend.
About the Huskies
St. Cloud State (8-1, 4-1 NSIC) enters the weekend on a three-game winning streak in conference play. The Huskies knocked off UMD 86-65 in St. Cloud earlier this season on
Nov. 30. St. Cloud scored early and often as the high-powered offense opened up a 19-point halftime lead at 41-22. The Huskies got 20 points from junior center James Fort as they iced the game in the second half, leading by as much as 26 before holding on for the 21-point final margin. Fort is currently third in the NSIC and leads SCSU with a 64.3 percent shooting average. Sophomore Jordan Poydras is scoring 14.3 points per outing, good for 11th in the league.
UMD is 30-49 all-time against St. Cloud State. The Bulldogs and Huskies tip off at Romano Gym at 4:00 p.m., following the women's contest.
