After starting the 2015 calendar year with a pair of defeats on the road, the University of Minnesota Duluth returns to its home court at Romano Gymnasium with a chance to celebrate 400 wins for head coach Annette Wiles and pick up a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North division victories.

UMD (5-7, 3-5 NSIC) will seek a pair of season sweeps this weekend when it plays host to Bemidji State University and the University of Minnesota-Crookston. The Bulldogs own a 60-16 record against the Beavers, and they are 28-1 all-time against the Eagles. UMD fell in a streaky game Friday night on the road as Concordia-St.Paul took momentum at the end to win 75-70 before Minnesota State streaked its way to a 76-57 win over UMD on Saturday evening.

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• Junior forward Taylor Meyer averaged 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds for UMD on the weekend while shooting 37.5 percent on the weekend, putting together her sixth double-double with 22 points and 14.0 rebounds on Friday night against Concordia, shooting 47.1 percent (8-of-17) while adding three steals, one block, and one assist while putting a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.
• Meyer currently rank third in the NSIC in four categories: points (17.7/game), rebounds (9.0/game), offensive rebounds (3.0/game), and double-doubles. Her six double-doubles also ranks her 27th in all of NCAA II.
• Along with Meyer, the Bulldogs have been hauling in boards on the offensive end at an impressive rate overall producing 15 second chances per game, best in the NSIC and 58th in NCAA II. King (Tenn.) University leads the nation with 22 per game. UMD's 74.7 percent free-throw shooting also ranks in the top of the nation, 35th overall behind leader Drury (Mo.) University which is actually only sixth in the NSIC behind conference leader Wayne State (Neb.) College at 76.6 percent.

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS (Friday, Jan. 2, 6:00 p.m.) - Live Stats/Video
• Bemidji State (5-8, 2-6 NSIC) has won three of four after a five-game losing skid to start NSIC play this season. Meyer led the Bulldogs with a 25-point, 19-rebound effort as they knocked off BSU 88-67 on Dec. 6, 2014 in Bemidji earlier this season.
• Freshman center Sierra Senske netted 20 points to lead the Beavers against UMD to go with seven rebounds. Sophomores Hannah Zerr (14) and Aimee Pelzer (11) also reached double digits for Bemidji in their first meeting with a pair more nearing the mark in the high-scoring affair.
• Senske currently ranks tenth in the NSIC in her first season averaging 13.8 points per game. Pelzer, averaging 12.5 per outing, ranks 17th.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES (Saturday, Jan. 10, 4:00 p.m.) - Live Stats/Video
• Minnesota-Crookston (5-7, 4-4 NSIC) has won two in a row entering weekend play after an up-and-down start to conference play including a 71-67 defeat at the hands of UMD on Dec. 5, 2014 earlier this season. The Eagles will travel to St. Cloud State University on Friday before heading up to Duluth.
• No player had even five rebounds for Crookston as the Bulldogs edged the Eagles earlier this season, but a quartet hauled in four while 10 had multiple boards. Junior guard Alexa Thielman scored 19 points to lead the way while junior forward Katrina Moenkedick netted 12. The pair each ranks in the top-12 of the NSIC in scoring. Thielman averages 15.8 points per game while Moenkedick has scored 13.7.
• Thielman also ranks at the top of the league in free throw percentage (fifth, at 85.7) as well as steals (third, 2.5). Senior Ebony Livingston ranks just behind Thielman at 85.0 percent.

The Bulldogs and Beavers will take the court at Romano Gym on Friday night at 6:00 p.m.