The University of Minnesota Duluth will take its longest road trip of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference season this weekend as the Bulldogs travel to Minot State University and the University of Mary for a pair of NSIC match-ups.
UMD (9-5, 6-4 NSIC) will look to improve upon a 4-3 road record and avenge its lone home loss of the season in the return match-ups of an early-December split at Romano Gym against the Beavers and Marauders.
Last time out, the Newman sisters each took a turn leading Minnesota Duluth on the offensive end as the Bulldogs earned a weekend conference sweep over Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State. In Friday's 69-59 win over USF, senior forward
Katrina Newman tossed in 20 second-half points to finish with 27 on the night. When her older sister's game quieted during Saturday's 64-60 win over Southwest Minnesota State, junior guard
Jessica Newman took control, leading all scorers with 17 points. Senior center
Hannah Rutten led the Bulldogs on the offensive end, hauling in 11 defensive rebounds on the weekend (22 total), while adding four steals and one block.
While the Newman sisters grabbed the headlines, junior guard
Danielle Flood quietly led the Bulldogs in scoring, averaging 15.5 points including 16-of-18 free throws. She added six rebounds, six assists (1.5 assist-turnover ratio), one block, and a steal on the weekend.
About the Beavers
Minot State [RV] (11-3, 7-3 NSIC) enters the weekend on a three-game winning streak but took its first home loss of the season (8-1) during its last homestand on Jan. 3. It was
Jessica Newman's last-minute heroics that lifted UMD over the Beavers, 70-68 on Dec. 14 earlier this season. Newman had two go-ahead scores for the Bulldogs including a buzzer-beating jumper. Four Minot players hit double figures scoring, led by Morgan Klose's 19. Much like UMD, the Beavers are often led by a pair of sisters, Carly (Sr.) and Christina (Jr.) Boag. The elder Boag leads the NSIC with a 20.1 PPG average and is sixth in the leauge with 9.2 boards per outing.
UMD is 3-1 all-time against Minot State with its lone loss coming on the road last season, 51-52 on Jan. 26, 2013.
About the Marauders
U-Mary (7-6, 5-5 NSIC) stands as winner of two in a row on the road, but dropped three straight home contests before that. UMD's offense stalled in the opening half against the Marauders as the Bulldogs fell 76-68 on Dec. 13. UMD had some open looks from three-point range but shot just 6-of-29 from beyond the arc. Senior Linda Murray hauled in seven defensive rebounds and 12 overall while she and Lindsey Sand (Sr.) each dropped in 23 for U-Mary to sneak past the Bulldogs at Romano Gym. Murray ranks fifth in the NSIC with 17.4 PPG this season and is fifth averaging 9.7 rebounds.
The Bulldogs are 5-4 in the historical series with U-Mary including a split last season, winning at home but falling on the road against the Marauders.
UMD will look to secure a split with U-Mary on Saturday afternoon, but the Bulldogs and Beavers will tip off the weekend at 6:00 p.m. Friday in Minot.
