The University of Minnesota Duluth opened its home season with seven consecutive wins and will hope to regain the winning edge this weekend as they play host to Augustana (S.D.) College and Wayne State College in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference competition.
UMD (7-11, 5-9 NSIC) suffered a pair of last-minute heartbreaking losses on its home court, holding the high-powered MSU-Moorhead squad down before falling 76-71 on Friday night with free throws being the difference in an 80-78 defeat at the hands of Northern State. Senior guard
Jordan Reetz had an outstanding weekend for the Bulldogs, shooting 43.8 percent from the floor with 26.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Saturday night, he went 15-of-18 from the charity stripe, falling two short of tying the UMD career record for free throws in a game. Junior guard
Reece Zoelle posted a 22-point night against the Wolves, while
Peter Crawford was his steady self, posting 14- and 15-point nights for the Bulldogs. UMD continues its four-game home-stand this weekend and will look to reverse its fortunes against Wayne State and Augustana.
About the VikingsAugustana (12-8, 9-5 NSIC) is 3-3 in its last six games and was knocked off by Southwest Minnesota State last Saturday night in Sioux Falls. Sophomores Casey Schilling and Daniel Johnsen lead the Augie offense, currently sitting at third and fourth in the NSCI at 18.9 and 17.7 points per game, respectively. Schilling also stands high in the league ranks with averages of 8.9 rebounds (second) and 3.3 assists (11th). Freshman Adam Beyer averages 3.1 assists per game, good for a 1.82 assist-turnover ratio, fifth best in the NSIC.
The Bulldogs are 12-10 all-time against the Vikings but dropped their last meeting 81-89 on Feb. 27 in the 2013 NSIC Postseason Tournament.
About the WildcatsWayne State (8-10, 5-9 NSIC) stumbles into Duluth on a three-game losing skid, 4-4 since the turn of the calendar but started the year 1-5 in the NSIC. Seniors Adol Aluongand Ty Bauschek lead the Wayne State offense, both averaging 12-plus points per game. Bauschek has made good on 82.2 percent of free-throws, the 13th-best percentage from the charity stripe in the NSIC. No Wildcat has averaged more than five rebounds per game this season, with Jared Schetling leading the pack at 4.1 per game. Still, WSC has 32.3 boards per contest compared to 36.0 by opponents.
UMD owns a 12-6 record all-time against Wayne State but fell 55-65 last year on Feb. 2, 2013.
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