The University of Minnesota Duluth, currently in fourth place in the North Division and two games up on its nearest competition in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, will take on a pair of South Division foes this weekend that are, too, in the thick of a playoff position battle as Upper Iowa University and Winona State University rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in their division.
UMD (11-11, 8-8 NSIC) finished a four-game road trip splitting a pair of games last weekend, rallying for 52 points in the second half to knock off Sioux Falls 74-70 on Friday night before Southwest Minnesota State scored 49 second-half points to knock off the Bulldogs 78-59 on Saturday night.
FREE THROWS• Junior forward
Brendon Pineda averaged 16.5 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds on the weekend, shooting 11-of-23 (47.8 percent) while making 5-of-9 three-pointers while adding four assists, three blocks, and two steals with just a pair of turnovers. He scored a game-high 21 points including 4-of-6 from three-point range, grabbing six rebounds and adding four assists. He then rabbed a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday night against SMSU.
• Junior guard
Taylor Lavery averaged a team-high 17.5 points per game, adding five rebounds and three assists on the weekend and shot 43.5 percent (10-of-23) on the weekend including 6-of-12 from three-point range. Lavery scored a game-high 18 points on Saturday night against SMSU, 6-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-9 from three-point range, dropping two assists.
• Even on the season in the NSIC and overall, the Bulldogs currently hold the fourth spot in the North Division and a shot at hosting an NSIC playoff game for the first time since 2004. UMD will be home for two of the last three weeks, but have a tough schedule ahead: next week they take on two of the top three teams of the North Division and close with four straight divisional foes.
• The Bulldogs
will host a pair of charitable efforts this weekend: It's a Slam Dunk, Don't Drive Drunk, spearheaded by the conference, and Locks of Love for Breast Cancer Awareness Day on Saturday.
SCOUTING THE PEACOCKS (Friday, Jan. 30, 8:00 p.m.) -
Live Video/Stats
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Upper Iowa (13-9, 9-7 NSIC), like UMD, split its last four, falling last time out against Bemidji State University, 88-85 in Fayette. The Bulldogs are an even 6-6 all-time against the Peacocks, falling 86-81 in the NSIC tournament on the road last season on Feb. 26, 2014.
• Senior guard Bo Pagel leads the Peacocks and ranks 20th in NSIC play, averaging 13.4 points per game on the season. Another senior guard, Grant Lang, is second on the team at 12.7 points per NSIC outing. Lang ranks 12th in the conference with 3.1 assists per game, and 10th in three-point field goal percentage at 46.1. Teammate Jernell Hughes ranks 11th at 45.7 percent.
• Junior swing man Jordan Hay is fifth in the NSIC swiping 1.6 steals per game and 13th with 0.7 blocks.
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS (Saturday, Feb. 7, 6:00 p.m.) -
Live Video/Stats
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Winona State (11-9, 8-8 NSIC) has won two straight and six of its last eight entering the weekend, and will travel to St. Cloud State University before heading to Duluth. UMD is 61-34 against the Warriors, falling 68-64 last season on Feb. 15, 2014 in Winona.
• Sophomore guard Isaiah Gray earned NSIC Player of the Week honors this week, lifting the Warriors to a pair of victories. Gray currently ranks 13th in the NSIC, averaging 14.8 points per outing in the league. He's also in the top-15 with 1.3 steals per game.
• Sophomore guard Riley Bambenek is second on the team averaging 12.8 points per NSIC game. Sophomore Kyle Bauman is fourth, knocking back 1.4 blocks per game, and freshman guard Kyle Wagner is hitting 1.8 three-pointers per contest.
The Bulldogs will take the court for "It's a Slam Dunk, Don't Drive Drunk" weekend on Friday night with Upper Iowa in town. Opening tip is set for 8:00 p.m., following the women's contest.
