THE OPENING TIP: The University of Minnesota Duluth hits the road for the second-to-last time for the 2017-18 season with road stops to Augustana University and Wayne State College. The Bulldogs, who dropped their last two games at home last weekend, play the Vikings on Friday, Jan. 26 at 8:00 p.m. then head to Rice Auditorium to face off with the Wildcats Saturday, Jan. 27 at 6:00 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON AUGUSTANA: The Vikings have lost one and ride a three-game winning streak into the weekend. Augustana is eighth in the coaches' poll with 16 of its 17 wins coming by double-digits. 
Dave Krauth is in his 29th season at the helm of the Vikings and has them ranked among the best in the NSIC in many categories. It carries the No. 1 scoring offense in the NSIC (83.6) and has the largest scoring margin (20.1). Offensively, the 45.6 shooting from the floor in second. The Vikings also are not afraid to shoot the deep ball as they make the most threes in the NSIC. The 16.1 assists per game is fifth best in the nation and, combined with their low turnover numbers, features the No. 1 assist-to-turnover ratio in all of Division II. They have forced the most turnovers, including most steals than any other NSIC squad, and used that to sport the best turnover margin (7.4) in the conference.
Augustana rolls out nine players with at least1 5 minutes of playing time per game. Logan O'Farrell leads the team in points (13.5), rebounds (6.6), assists (3.9) and steals (3.4). She is also second in blocks behind Shelby Selland (1.7). Presley O'Farrell is averaging 12.8 points and is shooting a team-high 55.1 percent. Selland is third in scoring at 11.1. Lynsey Prosser is fourth in the NSIC in assists (3.7). 

SCOUTING REPORT ON WAYNE STATE: The Wildcats is coached by Chris Kielsmeier, who is in his 10th season at Wayne State. Kielsmeier has the Wildcats sitting in second in the NSIC South just behind Augustana at 16-6 overall and 10-4 in the NSIC.
Wayne State is another high-potent offense. It ranks second in points per game and scoring margin in the NSIC. The Wildcats make and attempt the most free throws in NCAA II and have the 10th best percentage. Wayne State features one of the better interior defenses as it blocks the third-most shots in the country, which is the most in the NSIC.
Paige Ballinger, who was named the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year, leads the team with 11.6 points a game. Her 48 blocks are 16th in the nation and second in the conference. Maggie Schulte is second in scoring at 1.4 and is nailing 46 percent from behind the arc. She is also averaging 3.0 assists. Maagie Lowe has 35 steals on the season which is second among the NSIC.

THE SERIES: Augustana leads the series 18-9 and has won the last two games. Last season, UMD lost at home 77-63. The last win on the road against the Vikings came on Jan. 31, 2014.
The Bulldogs are up by one in the all-time altercation with Wayne State. UMD holds a 13-12 advantage but the Wildcats have won eight of the last nine. The Bulldogs won at home last season in the regular season but had their season come to an end in the second round of the NSIC Tournament. 

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and its 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           8th             NR               NR
Augie         1st              8th              12th
WSC          T-4th          NR               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 Bulldogs loss two games at home this past weekend ending their perfect home record this season. UMD suffered an 81-45 loss on Friday to Minnesota State University-Moorhead where it shot a season-low percentage. Northern State University held on to a one-point victory in overtime on Saturday 84-83.

SETTING CAREER HIGHS: Last weekend, junior forward Katie Stark and freshman guard Ann Simonet put up collegiate bests in scoring. Stark reached 16 points Friday night against MSU-Moorhead and Simonet fired 18 points Saturday against Northern State.

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 18 points in each quarter with their largest in the third (plus-43).
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.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE: The Bulldogs have held opponents to under 60 points in nine of their 17 games. They have allowed 60.4 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 1-6.

AGGRESSIVE ON THE BOARDS: Twelve out of the 17 games this season the Bulldogs have either tied or won the battle in the paint with rebounding. In those 11 games, UMD is 11-1 with the lone loss coming in the overtime game to Michigan Tech. The Bulldogs were heavily out-rebounded in their last two games. The Dragons were plus-19 and the Wolves were plus-20.

NO LATE GAME HEROICS: No team has overcome any deficit with five minutes to play in any UMD game this season. Opponents have yet to steal a victory over the Bulldogs (0-11). UMD is also winless against teams with leads in the last five minutes (0-6).

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 10.4 times a game.
UMD is second in the country in fewest turnovers with 177 sitting 12 behind Chaminade University for the lead. It also possesses 23rd best turnover margin at 5.24. Only Augustana (7.44) has a better margin in the NSIC.

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 16.0 assists per game, which equates to 63.5 percent of their total offensive production. Nationally, they are ranked 42nd in assists per contest.
Combined with the success of protecting the ball and dishing out assists, UMD rates as the third best team nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio. The 1.54 ratio one-tenth behind Augustana for the conference and national lead. 
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). Kozlowski, 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 5.2 assists per game. Kozlowski ranks 32nd in the country. Her 88 assists in the NSIC only trails Jacky Volkert of MSU Moorhead (105).

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 34 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. Logan O'Farrell from Augustana is first in both categories.

GET THAT OUTTA HERE: The Bulldogs are 59th in the nation in blocks shots per game (4.1) and 61st in total blocks (69). Sarah Grow leads UMD with 28 blocks (1.7 per game) and Katie Stark has 17 (1.0 per game). The duo is in the top 15 in the NSIC in blocks per game.

THREE-POINT MARKSMAN: Nailing four three pointers during her career high 18 points, Ann Simonet has slowly found her niche in her first collegiate season. The Park Center H.S. product has been a marksman from deep as she is slowly climbing the charts in three-point shooting. Simonet has been successful from behind the arc 30 times and is shooting a team high 42.3 percent. She ranks 11th in made three-pointer per game (1.8).

GO AHEAD AND SHOOT THE DEEP BALL: Opposing clubs struggle to hit the three-ball against UMD's defense. Teams are shooting 28.5 percent from behind the arc. That figure is 66th in the nation and second in the conference.

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 16 of the 17 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 start a five-game homestand over the span of nine days next weekend. Minnesota State University, Mankato makes the first visit to Romano on Friday, Feb. 2.