The University of Minnesota Duluth starts a two-week, four-game home stand this weekend with a double-dip in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division against Minnesota State University-Moorhead and No. 22-ranked Northern State University.
The long road trip through North Dakota did not treat UMD (9-7, 6-6 NSIC) well as the Bulldogs dropped a pair of NSIC North division match-ups against Minot State University and the University of Mary. Friday night's game saw Minot's pair of sisters out-duel the Bulldogs', but junior guard
Jessica Newman had 17 points and five rebounds, both team highs, while senior forward
Katrina Newman added 15. UMD struggled to get second chances on the night as Minot State hauled in 29 defensive rebounds.
Saturday, the Bulldogs found themselves in a back-and-forth battle but saw its shooting cool off in the second half while U-Mary remained hot. UMD shot just 31.0 percent on the night, but senior center
Hannah Rutten fell just short of a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds. Junior guard
Danielle Flood led the Bulldog offense with 19 points on the night. UMD returns to Romano Gym for a two-week home-stand this weekend beginning with MSU-Moorhead Friday night.
The Bulldogs need to make waves in the weeks to come as they look to improve their standing in the NSIC North. After hosting MSU-Moorhead and Northern State this weekend, UMD travels to Moorhead and Aberdeen in two weeks.
About the Dragons
MSU-Moorhead (9-7, 5-7 NSIC) stumbles into the weekend, falling in three in a row. After averaging 74.0 points per game in the first half of the season, MSU has scored just 65.3 points in its last six. Senior Morgan Zabel ranks in the top 25 in the NSIC and leads the Dragons with 14.4 PPG. Senior Megan Strese has hauled in 8.0 rebounds per outing, and like the Bulldogs' pair of sisters, she plays alongside her sister Heather Strese. The sophomore Strese is averaging 4.6 PPG and 3.6 boards. Shooting 39.9 percent on the year, MSU-Moorhead ranks 12th in the NSIC as a squad.
The Bulldogs are 50-26 all-time against the Dragons, including a 54-50 victory last season on Feb. 16, 2013.
About the Wolves
Northern State (14-2, 10-2 NSIC) has won nine straight games since suffering back-to-back losses on Nov. 30 and Dec. 6 earlier this season. NSU is 7-2 on the road with just one loss coming in regulation. Senior guard Alison Kusler is ninth in the NSIC putting up 16.3 points per outing. Junior Krogman Rachel Krogman stands right behind her at 15.8 but averages a double-double with 10.8 rebounds per outing. The Wolves have not put up gawky offensive numbers numbers at 70.3 points per game but has held opponents to just a 60.1 PPG average, good for the third-best scoring margin in the NSIC.
UMD is 32-23 in the all-time series against Northern State but fell 57-61 last season on Feb. 15, 2013.
