THE OPENING TIP: The University of Minnesota Duluth kicks off 2018 with the chance to take the season series against a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foes this weekend. The Bulldogs, who are 7-4 and 4-3 in the NSIC, hope to use its unblemished home record to kick to the curb their two-game losing skid. The action starts Friday, Jan. 5 at 6:00 p.m. versus the University of Minnesota Crookston and concludes Saturday, Jan. 6 at 4:00 p.m. with Bemidji State University
SCOUTING REPORT ON MINNESOTA CROOKSTON: The Golden Eagles are 2-9 on the year and snapped a three-game losing streak after downing Upper Iowa by 28 points. UMC is coached by 11th-year man Mike Roysland. Roysland is one win away from becoming the first coach in school history to reach 100 wins.
The offensive production has clicked the last four games as UMC has increased his scoring output from 50, 64, 73 and then 89 points up on its opponents. The Eagles have moved the ball well the previous two outings hitting 20-plus assists both times. The defense also played well last time out as it blocked nine shots, had six steals and held the opposition to 21 percent shooting.
Isieoma Odor leads the team with 14.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks. Micaela Noga leads all Eagles with 16 steals and is averaging 13.1 points. Stephanie McWilliams is the main assister dishing out 3.3 assists per game.
SCOUTING REPORT ON BEMIDJI STATE: The Beavers are 4-7 as they enter 2018 and scored a season-low 33 points in a loss to Winona State on New Year's Eve. BSU is in its third season under head coach Chelsea DeVille.
The Beavers had a rough outing scoring only 10 points in the second half versus the Warriors as they shot 24.5 percent and 1-for-24 from three-point distance.
Mikayla Larson was slowed down the previous game but has exploded the two games before with 11 and 18 points. Brooklyn Bachmann is the team's leading scorer averaging 13.8 points a game.
THE SERIES: UMD has had a stranglehold in the series with Minnesota Crookston. The Bulldogs lead 33-2 and will head into the 36th career meeting having won 16 of the last 17 meetings including a 74-64 beat down of the Golden Eagles on the road a month ago.
Bemidji State will meet UMD for the 83rd time this weekend. The Bulldogs lead 65-17 and have won the last 30 matchups inside Romano Gymnasium. The Beavers split last year but weren't as lucky this year at home in the previous go-around as they fell 52-44 last month.
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-7th NR NR
UMC 9th NR NR
BSU T-11th 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 lost back-to-back games for the first time all year. UMD lost 65-51 to the University of Mary then had a 71-67 setback to Minot State University.
On Sunday, UMD trailed for most of the day before they crawled back to tie it on a free throw from sophomore forward Katie Stark with 44 seconds to go.
The Beavers turned the ball over in a 67-67 tie game with under a minute left to give the Bulldogs an opportunity to kill most the clock and attempt one of the last shots in regulation. However, the shot fell short and UMD committed a loose ball foul on the ensuing rebound with six seconds remaining, giving Minot State the win at the line.
Boehm carried UMD again on the offensive end for a third straight night, hitting 6 of her 13 attempts for 15 points. Stark had 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
LIGHT 'EM UP: Six of the seven victories this season have come by double figures. The Bulldogs have wins of 25, 38, 10, 15, 18 and 21 points this season. The Bulldogs have a positive point differential in by at least 24 points in each quarter.
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 seven of their 11 games. They have allowed 58.5 points per game, good for third best in the NSIC and 40th in Division II. UMD is 6-1 when holding teams under 60 points and 1-3 when teams score more than 60 points.
THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 43: When the Bulldogs hold opponents to under 43 percent shooting they are a flawless 6-0. Trouble looms however when teams hit above that mark as UMD is 1-4.
AGGRESSIVE ON THE BOARDS: Eight out of the 11 games this season the Bulldogs have either tied or won the battle in the paint with rebounding. In those eight games, UMD is 7-1 with the lone loss coming in the overtime game to Michigan Tech.
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. The Bulldogs are second in the nation in fewest turnovers per game. UMD is fifth in the country in fewest turnovers with 120. In fact, the Bulldogs are 8th in turnover margin and second in the NSIC behind Augustana University.
Last weekend, UMD committed only 11 turnovers (5.5 per game). The five turnovers against U-Mary was a season-low and the fewest in 24 games when it only gave the ball away twice in a match against Bemidji State.
GET THAT OUTTA HERE: The Bulldogs are 25th in the nation in blocks shots per game. They are averaging 4.6 blocks which is also third in the NSIC. Sarah Grow leads UMD with 22 blocks (2.0 per game) and Katie Stark has 11 (1.0 per game). The duo is in the top 15 in the NSIC in total blocks and top 15 in 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 27.3 percent from behind the arc. That figure is 59th in the nation and third in the conference.
FINDING HER RANGE: Emma Boehm has quietly put together a nice three-game stretch where she has led the team in scoring while increasing her points per game average by 1.5 points. The Eden Prairie, Minn., native has struck on 40.5 percent of her shots including an absurd 60 percent from behind the arc.
DROPPING DIMES: 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 5.6 assists per game. Kozlowski ranks 21st in the country. Her 62 assists in the NSIC only trails Jacky Volkert of MSU Moorhead (68).
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 10 of the 11 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 head south next weekend to play Winona State University and Upper Iowa University on Jan. 12-13.
