The University of Minnesota Duluth, tied for third place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference's North Division after a split last weekend against Minot State University and the University of Mary. This week, the Bulldogs continue on the road to face the University of Sioux Falls and Southwets Minnesota State University in a pair of interdivisional match-ups.
UMD (10-10, 7-7 NSIC) split on its trip through North Dakota this past weekend, knocking off Minot State 60-56 on Friday night before falling 75-71 to the U-Mary on Saturday, falling short after coming back from 17-down at halftime.
FREE THROWS• Senior center
Brett Ervin continued his season-long effort to lead the Bulldogs offensively, averaging nearly a double-double with 22.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, shooting 48.4 percent on the weekend while addist three assists and a block. He put together a 14-point, 12-rebound effort, including 11 on the defensive end, while knocking back a block in Friday night's win over Minot Stat. On Saturday, he netted 30 points as UMD performed its comeback against U-Mary.
• Junior guard
Pierre Newton also averaged nearly a double-double for UMD with 13.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per outing, while also grabbing a steal on the weekend. He scored 18 points while hauling in nine boards against U-Mary.
• It's no secret the Bulldogs weigh heavily on their starting line-up, with five players averaging 30+ minutes per game, with sophomore guard
Justin Byrd averaging 23.3 and freshman guard
Kyle Schalow 11.4 as the only other UMD players above ten minutes per outing. The Bulldogs' bench has outscored opponents just three times this season for a 2-1 record including last Friday night's win against Minot State. UMD is 6-4 when its bench scores between one and nine points, but 1-2 in outings that the reserves go scoreless. The season high for the Bulldog bench was 37 points in a season-opening win against Lincoln (Mo.) University, and UMD is 3-3 on the year when scoring 10 or more points off its bench.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS (Friday, Jan. 30, 8:00 p.m.) -
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Sioux Falls (7-13, 4-10 NSIC, South: 7) has lost six straight entering the weekend, but fell by a combined seven points this past weekend in a pair of games against Concordia University, St. Paul and Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Bulldogs and Cougars have split a pair of contests against each other the past two seasons - the only meetings between the two teams.
• Senior guard Charles Ward currently ranks sixth in the conference, averaging 18.1 points per game so far this season. He's also in the top 15, grabbing 1.2 steals per outing. Sophomore guard Mack Johnson also averages 13.6 points per game, averaging 2.1 threes per game.
• USF leads the conferences in blocks, averaging 4.6 per game with four players ranking in the top 15 in NSIC play. That defense has helped the Cougars, as they average a league-low 58.8 points per game but are right in the middle (ninth) in points allowed at 74.2/game.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS (Saturday, Jan. 31, 7:00 p.m.) -
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Southwest Minnesota State (9-11, 5-9 NSIC, South: 6) has dropped seven in a row enterting this weekend and will host St. Cloud State on Friday night before UMD comes to town. UMD owns a 50-28 all-time record against SMSU.
• Sophomore forward Joey Barlett currently ranks seventh in the NSIC with 16.7 points, 12th with 5.6 rebounds, and 15th with 4.2 defensive boards. Sophomore forward Mitch Weg and senior guard Cole Martin are not far behind, averaging 13.2 and 12.1 points per outing. Weg's 6.3 rebounds per game are eighth-best in the league while also shooting 59.5 percent on the season, sixth-best.
• The Mustangs average 76.6 points per game, sixth-best in the league, but rank 12th in defense allowing 79.5 points. The team's 47.3 percent shooting average also ranks sixth, but teams are shooting 48.6 percent against, the second-worst mark in the NSIC.
The Bulldogs and Beavers will do battle in Minot on Friday night to start the road trip. Opening tip is scheduled for 8:00 p.m., following the women's contest.
