The University of Minnesota Duluth stumbled out of the blocks in the season's second half but has a chance to rebound at home as it plays host to a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foes this weekend.
UMD (7-5, 4-4 NSIC) saw the return of its full cast as seniors
Hannah Rutten and
Katrina Newman returned to the court together for the first weekend of 2014, but the Bulldogs slipped up against a pair of ranked foes in No. 20 Concordia-St. Paul and No. 23 Minnesota State. Rutten had 14 points to lead the Bulldogs against Concordia, while Newman had 10+ points each night and led UMD with 16 points on Saturday night against MSU. Rutten and junior guards
Danielle Flood and
Jessica Newman each had at least 11 points on the night as the Bulldogs came from behind to take a second-half lead before the Mavericks' hot shooting took it back in the closing minutes.
Wiith 26 points last weekend, the elder Newman inched further up the all-time scoring ranks at UMD with 1,277 for her career, sitting now just four points behind ninth-place Carmen Kuntz ('87) with seventh-place Stacy Nelson's ('99) 1,295 career points well within striking distance. Meanwhile, Rutten ranks in the top ten in the NSIC this season in scoring at 16.3 points per game, good for ninth, and fourth in rebounds with 10.3 per outing including first with 4.50 on the offensive end.
This weekend, UMD takes on the University of Sioux Falls for just the second time ever and Southwest Minnesota State in a return of one of the Bulldogs' longest-standing rivalries.
About the Cougars
Sioux Falls (6-6, 2-6 NSIC) impressed out of the gate, opening the season with five straight victories but has hit a wall in conference play, falling in six of seven. Sophomore Taylor Varsho has led the Cougar offense, averaging 14.4 points per outing while also hauling in 4.6 boards per game. Senior forward Laura Johnson averages 7.1 rebounds per contest, good for 14th in the NSIC. Sioux Falls has averaged just 70.1 points as a squad, sitting 13th in the conference, but have allowed just 66.3 points by opponents.
The Cougars knocked off UMD last season, 78-83, almost a year ago to the date, on Jan. 11, 2013.
About the Mustangs
Southwest Minnesota State (2-10, 0-8 NSIC) won its first two games in 2014 but has struggled to notch one in the win column since Nov. 15. The Mustang offense flows through Alison Nagel as the senior forward has led scoring in seven of its 12 games this season. Nagel's 14.9 points per game rank 18th in the NSIC. She and fellow senior Bree Holleman, who averages 10.4 PPG, are the only players hitting double digits per game this season. Nagel is tied for the team lead in assists with 23 dimes on the season and averages a team-high 5.8 boards per game.
UMD reigned victorious over Southwest Minnesota last season, winning 62-50, on Jan. 12, 2013.
Friday's contest will tip off at its usual time with the Cougars and Bulldogs taking the court at 6:00 p.m. UMD and SMSU is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
