THE OPENING TIP: The University of Minnesota Duluth will gear up for another Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference weekend at Romano Gymnasium. The Bulldogs, who have won the last four, are undefeated thus far at home (6-0) and will put their unblemished home record on the line against two of the upper-class teams in the NSIC North Division. UMD, who is a game-and-a-half behind in the NSIC North, takes on Minnesota State University-Moorhead on Friday at 6:00 p.m. The second part of the home weekend series will include Northern State University making a stop Saturday at 8:00 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MSU-MOORHEAD: The Dragons winning streak has reached seven games after beating No. 11 Augustana and Wayne State last weekend.  MSU Moorhead finished the four-game homestand perfect and sit at 13-3 overall and 10-2 in the NSIC.
MSU-Moorhead is under the direction of Karla Nelson.  Nelson has her team as one of the better rebounding teams in the NSIC. They rank second in rebounds per game (42.4) and 19th in the nation in total defensive rebounds. The Dragons are also close to the top 50 in three-points shots made per game. They are also efficient at distributing the ball (15.8 assists per game). 
Drew Sannes, who was named NSIC Preseason Player of the Year in the North Division, was the player of the week in the north while she averaged a double-double for the week at 20.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. She posted 22 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks versus Augustana, and scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds versus Wayne State. Sannes is six blocks away from tying school record.
Cassidy Thorson hit nine 3-pointers last week and is new all-time leader with 198 career threes at MSU-Moorhead. Jacky Volkert is the NSIC leader in assists and assists per game. She is knocking down a team-leading 14.3 points per game.

SCOUTING REPORT ON NORTHERN STATE: The Wolves moved down two spots to No. 22 in last week's WBCA Top-25 Poll after a split with Wayne State and Augustana. Last week, Northern State shot 47.2 percent from the floor, 47.6 percent from the arc, and 58.6 percent from the foul line.
Curt Fredrickson is in his 39th season as the head coach of the Wolves. Fredrickson is the second-winningest active NCAA II women's basketball coach with 835 wins. He has Northern State at 15-3 this season and tied atop the NSIC North Division.
The Wolves are the league's best rebounding team is all categories. They lead all of Division II in rebounding margin, out-rebounding teams by 13.4. They are sixth in total rebounds and average 44.5 boards a game, good for 19th in the country. Northern State also is knocking down the highest percentage of shots among the NSIC. It hits 46.6 percent, which is 14th in the nation. The assists numbers are also among the best. The 333 assists this season is the fifth most and it has the best per game stats in the NSIC.
Miranda Ristau is the second leading scorer in the NSIC and the main threat for the Wolves. She is posting 18.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, all team highs. Jill Conrad is the secondary scoring option with 12. 1 points per contest. Brianna Kusler is one of five players who average at least two assists per game. She has 3.3 assists per match.

THE SERIES: UMD leads 51-33 over MSU-Moorhead in the most played rivalry in school history. Friday night will mark the 85th meeting between the Bulldogs and the Dragons. Both clubs earned a split last year but UMD has not won at home against MSU-Moorhead the last four games. The Bulldogs last won at home on Feb. 16, 2013.
Northern State trails by one in the all-time altercation with UMD. The Bulldogs hold a 32-31 advantage but the Wolves have won the last 11 games dating back to the 2011-12 season. UMD last took home a win over Northern State on Dec. 17, 2011 at Romano Gym 68-52. 

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and their opponents stack up in the NSIC standings and in the Women's Coaches Basketball Association (WCBA) and the D2SIDA media polls.
TEAM        NSIC        WCBA        D2SIDA
UMD          T-5th           NR              NR
MSUM       T-2nd          NR              RV
NSU          T-2nd         22nd             NR

THE BROADCAST: Both games this weekend will be carried live through a video stream with live stats and is available at:
portal.stretchinternet.com/umd

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldog stretched their win streak up to four after taking road victories over Winona State University and Upper Iowa University. 
UMD was the fifth team to upend the Warriors at McCown Gymnasium since the 2014-15 season. It also put an end to their eight-game winning streak as well. The Bulldogs were fueled by Sarah Grow who scored a career high 21 points. The Bulldogs limited Winona State to 11 points in the final quarter as they overcame their second fourth-quarter deficit of the season. UMD finished with 21 points in the final quarter and went on a 21-7 run for the final 7:36 to close out the 67-58 win.
The Bulldogs improved to 14-0 against the Peacocks with a 65-34 win. The 31-point victory was the second largest margin this season. The defense single-handedly shut down the Peacocks. Upper Iowa scored 34 points and shot 21 percent from the floor -- a season low allowed by the Bulldogs. They also forced a season high 23 turnovers on 16 steals. Taylor Schneider had a collegiate high six steals and Sammy Kozlowski had five. Schneider also registered a career high 16 points as ten different players got onto the scoreboard. The bench combined 36 of the 65 points.

BRING IT!: UMD is in the middle of a six-game set with five teams with winning records. It will be put to the test the next two weeks as the combined record of its opponents is 57-13 (.814). With five weeks left in the regular season, the Bulldogs have the third-hardest schedule remaining among the teams in the NSIC (103-66, .609).

LIGHT 'EM UP: Seven of the victories this season have come by double figures. The Bulldogs have wins of 25, 38, 10, 15, 18, 21 and 31 points this season. The Bulldogs have a positive point differential by at least 22 points in each quarter with their largest in the first (plus-40).
UMD's largest margin of victory came in the home opener vs. Lake Superior State when it blasted them in a 38-point rout. The 38-point victory was the largest since Nov. 19, 2013 when Wisconsin-Superior fell 89-43 at Romano.

DOMINATING THE INSIDE: The only Bulldog to hit the double-double threshold this season is freshman Sarah Grow. The Circle Pines, Minn., native has all four double-doubles. Grow had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the latest go-around. 

DEFENSE, DEFENSE: The Bulldogs have held opponents to under 60 points in eight of their 13 games. They have allowed 57.1 points per game, good for third best in the NSIC and 27th in Division II. UMD is 8-1 when holding teams under 60 points and 3-3 when teams score more than 60 points. Upper Iowa managed to score only 34 points in the Jan. 13, 2018 outing, which was a season-low allowed by the Bulldogs.

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 43: When the Bulldogs hold opponents to under 43 percent shooting they are a flawless 10-0. Trouble looms, however, when teams hit above that mark as UMD is 1-4.

AGGRESSIVE ON THE BOARDS: Ten out of the 13 games this season the Bulldogs have either tied or won the battle in the paint with rebounding. In those 11 games, UMD is 10-1 with the lone loss coming in the overtime game to Michigan Tech. The Bulldogs have out-rebounded the opponents the last four games. 

PROTECTING THE BALL: No one in the NSIC excels at limiting its turnovers quite like UMD. It has done a masterful job at getting it done on the offensive end without giving possessions away. Actually, no other team in the country commits fewer turnovers per game than the Bulldogs, who lose the ball 10.7 times a game.
UMD is third in the country in fewest turnovers with 161 and 22nd in turnover margin and second in the NSIC behind Augustana University.

DROPPING DIMES: UMD's offense is coordinated for success off the open look via the dish. Ranked fifth in the conference in assists per game, the Bulldogs average 15.7 assists per game, which equates to 60.3 percent of their total offensive production. Nationally, they are ranked 51st in assists per contest.
Combined with the success of protecting the ball and dishing out assists, UMD rates as the fourth best team nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio. The 1.47 ratio is the best in the NSIC. It is not far behind the Azusa Pacific University who leads all teams with a ratio of 1.50.
In the match against Lake Superior State, UMD assisted on 27 made buckets, the most by the team since Jan. 6, 2001 when it dished out 28 dimes against the University of Minnesota Morris.
Four Bulldogs have set personal bests in assists for a game this season (Sammy Kozlowski, Emma Boehm, Ayo Porte, Taylor Schneider). Kozowski, Boehm and Ann Simonet have registered at least five assists in a game.

RUNNING THE POINT: There are not many elite passers in the NSIC better than Sammy Kozlowski. The New Berlin, Wis., native is the second-best player in the conference with 5.3 assists per game. Kozlowski ranks 27th in the country. Her 80 assists in the NSIC only trails Jacky Volkert of MSU Moorhead (93).

SLIGHT OF HAND: In addition to her passing, Sammy Kozlowski is a master of the pickpocket. The 2016-17 All-NSIC Defensive Team selection has 30 steals this season good for an average of 2.0 per game. She is third in the NSIC in total steals and second in per game swipes.

GET THAT OUTTA HERE: The Bulldogs are 43rd in the nation in blocks shots per game (4.3) and 61st in total blocks (61). They are also third and sixth in the NSIC in those categories, respectively. Sarah Grow leads UMD with 28 blocks (1.9 per game) and Katie Stark has 14 (0.9 per game). The duo is in the top 15 in the NSIC in total blocks and blocks per game.

GO AHEAD AND SHOOT THE DEEP BALL: Opposing clubs struggle to hit the three-ball against UMD's defense. Teams are shooting 27.4 percent from behind the arc. That figure is 49th in the nation.

FOUR NEW FACES IN THE STARTING FIVE: UMD replaced four of its starters as Taylor Meyer, Kenzie Kane, Jenna Orr and Allyson Harris each played their final collegiate games in 2016-17. Sammy Kozlowski is the only starter returning. The Bulldogs have started Katie Stark, Ann Simonet, Emma Boehm in each game this season. Sarah Grow has received 14 of the 15 starts while Anna Monke tallied the other start.

WEEKLY HONORS: Recognition was given to Sammy Kozlowski this week as she was named the NSIC North Division Player of the Week on Monday, Dec. 11. Kozlowski is the first Bulldog to achieve the honor since Taylor Meyer grabbed her third award of the season back in 2015.
For the weekend, Kozlowski averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.0 steals. She shot 52 percent from the floor (13-of-25) including makes on five of her eight attempts from three-point range. The New Berlin, Wis., native led the team in scoring each night, knocking down 17 points vs. SMSU and 16 points versus USF.

CONFERENCE COACHES CORNER: On Oct. 25, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference 2017-18 Preseason Coaches' Poll picked UMD to finish in eighth in the conference and fourth in the North Division. The Bulldogs, which finished third in the division and ninth overall a season ago, received 132 points in the poll.
Minnesota State Moorhead, who claimed the preseason favorite in the North Division, topped out in the overall poll with 213 points slightly topping division rival Northern State with 209. Augustana, who was picked to finish first in the south, was picked to finish third overall in the NSIC.
The Dragons' senior forward Drew Sannes was named the North Division Preseason Player of the Year. The Wildcats' senior forward Paige Ballinger was named the South Division Preseason Player of the Year.

NEW DOGS ON THE BLOCK: The Bulldogs bring in six newcomers this season after losing seven letterwinners from last season. UMD hopes to have found its next low post dominator in Sarah Grow (Circle Pines, Minn.). The Bulldogs bring in a pair of guards who had a bunch of success scoring in bunches. Maizie Deihl (New Prague, Minn.) and Ann Simonet (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) each reached the 1,000-point threshold in their careers for their respective high schools. Payton Kahl (Stoughton, Wis.) and Jordyn Thomas (Hermantown, Minn.) are athletic wing players that can play the tweener between guard and forward. UMD also picked up another guard in Chelsea Mason from Mountain Iron, Minn., who dominated the high school landscape in northern Minnesota and was a Ms. Minnesota finalist her senior season.

THE COACH: Third-year head coach Mandy Pearson, following a 14-14 (11-11 NSIC) second season, will look to continue to stamp her mark on the University of Minnesota Duluth women's basketball program.
The Bulldogs doubled their win total from Pearson's first season at the helm, displaying definite signs of a program headed in the right direction. Pearson will look to continue to take steps forward in the 2017-18 season and vault UMD further up the NSIC standings.
Pearson proved her ability to turn a program around while leading the NCAA Division III Cardinals since the 2007 season. Saint Mary's quickly moved up the ranks in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference under her guidance, securing its first playoff bid since 2005 during the 2011-12 campaign. A year later, the Cardinals posted a 22-5 record, second-best in program history, advanced to the MIAC Tournament semifinals, and earned a victory over UMD's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference rival Winona State University. Pearson was named the MIAC Coach of the Year for the first time in 2012-13, repeating that feat a year later, and also earned the SMU Staff Recognition Award following that season.Her last two years with the Cardinals, Pearson's squads posted a 42-13 combined record including a 24-4 mark--best in program history--in 2013-14. The team found itself ranked in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association/USA Today Sports NCAA III Top 25 Coaches' Poll and d3hoops.com polls for the first time ever, as high as no. 12. In her nine seasons as the SMU bench boss, Pearson produced one d3hoops.com All-American selection in Courtney Euerle (an honorable mention in 2013-14), who also earned MIAC Player of the Year honors and was the only player from the entire conference to earn All-America recognition that season. Pearson also produced two All-NCAA III West Region Team members, nine All-MIAC award selections, seven all-conference honorable mentions, four All-MIAC Defensive Team selections, and four MIAC All-First Year Team picks.
Before joining Saint Mary's, Pearson served as an assistant with NCAA III Hamline University during the 2005-07 seasons after wrapping up a four-year playing career at another MIAC school, Concordia College of Moorhead. Pearson earned three All-MIAC selections during her playing career and was named a First Team All-American during her senior season in 2004-05. She was the first Cobber to achieve 1,000 points and 500 assists in her career. She also played softball for Concordia-Moorhead, earning All-MIAC citation on the diamond as well in her senior campaign. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Concordia with minors in sociology, health and coaching. While coaching at Saint Mary's, she earned her Master of Arts degree in human development in 2013.
Over the last five years, Pearson has spoken at several camps and clinics, including the Minnesota State High School League Association Clinic in 2011. She also polished her own coaching acumen at the Nike Championship Basketball Clinic, the University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Northern State University, and Final Four Coaching Clinics.

ON TAP: The Bulldogs hit the road before a five-game homestand to start the month of February. UMD will play its final NSIC South Division clubs next weekend with Augustana University on Friday and Wayne State College on Saturday.