The University of Minnesota Duluth will look to right its momentum and end the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season on a winning note this weekend as the Bulldogs head to North Dakota for a pair of North Division match-ups against the University of Mary and Minot State University.

UMD (15-11, 11-9 NSIC, T-2 North) has seen its grip on second place in the NSIC North grow ever-more tenuous during a four-game losing skid, now locked in a three-way tie with U-Mary and Northern State University entering the final week of conference play. While the Bulldogs have locked up at least a fourth seed and a home playoff game for the second time in as many years, who they match up against from the NSIC South in the first round of the tournament next week likely will be unknown until the end of the weekend with the second through seventh seeds all in the air for the other division.

AGAINST THE MARAUDERS | 16-10, 11-9 NSIC, T-2 North
U-Mary won both games on the road last weekend including an 83-67 victory over the University of Minnesota Crookston last time out, snapping a streak of defeats in 8-of-9 games ... the span included a 100-74 defeat against UMD at Romano Gym on January 23 ... junior forward Bryan Jefferson leads the Marauders averaging 15.8 points per game, 12th-best total in the conference ... U-Mary had five players reach double digits including Jefferson against the Bulldogs earlier this season, but senior guard Marquealis Edwards led the way with 17 points for the Marauders ... UMD had three players total at least 17 points on the night ... head coach Joe Kittell is in his first season leading U-Mary ... the Bulldogs are 9-5 all-time against the Marauders including that victory earlier this year.

AGAINST THE BEAVERS | 13-13, 8-12 NSIC, Sixth North
Minot State has won three of its last four including a weekend sweep on the road last weekend, knocking off Bemidji State University 81-79 last time out ... the Beavers had lost three straight previously dating back to handing UMD its soundest defeat of 2015-16, a 94-64 win for Minot State at Romano Gym on January 22 ... sophomore forward Tyler Rudolph leads the Beaver offense averaging 17.6 points per game, seventh-best in the conference. He had 15 points to lead the Minot starting line-up against the Bulldogs ... senior forward Winston Williams netted 17 points off the bench against UMD as Minot had 47 points from its reserves ... head coach Matt Murken has led the Beavers for the last four seasons ... Minot State owns a 6-4 all-time record against the Bulldogs including that victory earlier this seaosn.

FREE THROWS
Senior guard Taylor Lavery led the Bulldogs offensively against No. 11 MSU Moorhead and Northern State, shooting 45.5 percent while averaging 21.5 points per game on the weekend ... senior guard Pierre Newton grabbed 8.5 rebounds per game and scored 18.0 points per outing on the weekend, shooting 44.8 percent while adding five assists and three steals ... senior forward Brendon Pineda also hit double figures with 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, leading the Bulldogs with four steals ... UMD's "big three" each ranks in the top-14 for scoring in the NSIC: Newton second with 20.3 points per game, Lavery eighth at 17.8, and Pineda 14 at 15.2.

WHERE TO FOLLOW
... vs. U-Mary: Live Stats | Video | Audio
... vs. Minot State: Live Stats | Video | Audio

WHAT'S NEXT?
UMD will travel to Bismarck, North Dakota on Friday night to take on U-Mary to begin the weekend. Opening tip between the Bulldogs and Marauders is set for 8:00 p.m. following the women's contest.