THE OPENING TIP: The University of Minnesota Duluth gears up for its final confrontation of the 2017-18 regular season against the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division this weekend. The Bulldogs, who are hoping to put an end to their four-game losing skid, start a much-needed five-game homestand at Romano Gymnasium. UMD plays Minnesota State University, Mankato on Friday at 6:00 p.m. before taking on Concordia University, St. Paul on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
IT'S A SLAM DUNK -- DON'T DRIVE DRUNK: The NSIC along with its institutions host the sixth-annual "It's a Slam Dunk - Don't Drive Drunk" Campaign initiative at its home basketball games throughout January and February.
The NSIC and its school partners started the campaign in 2013 to commemorate Drake Bigler, the five-month old-son of Southwest Minnesota State University's men's basketball coach Brad Bigler, who was killed by a drunk driver. During designated basketball weekends, NSIC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) members will be collecting signatures from fans pledging not to drive drunk. NSIC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) members will be collecting signatures from fans pledging not to drive drunk.
Over the past five years, the NSIC has collected nearly 50,000 signatures from fans pledging not to drive drunk.
SCOUTING REPORT ON MINNESOTA STATE: The Mavericks are 8-14 and 6-10 in the NSIC, which is fifth in the south division and tied for 11th in the league. Minnesota State is coached by sixth-year bench boss Emilee Thiesse. The Mavericks have won three of the last four including a weekend sweep of Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State.
Minnesota State is leading the NSIC in offensive rebounds per game (15.0). It is fourth in steals per game (8.4) and third in forced turnovers (17.0). The Mavericks have a balanced offensive attack that is led by Claire Ziegler. Ziegler has the best shooting percentage (47.9) of MSU players and leads all Mavericks with 12.3 points. Ziegler also is the team's leading rebounder (7.6), pickpocket (1.4) and shot blocker (0.9). Monica Muth is averaging 7.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and a team-leading 2.1 assists. Claire Jordan is second in scoring, knocking down an even 10.0 points per contest.
SCOUTING REPORT ON CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL: The Golden Bears split last weekend with Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State and enter this weekend with a 7-15 record and 4-12 NSIC record. Amanda Johnson is in her second full season coaching Concordia-St. Paul after a brief interim stint.
Anna Schmidt is the commander of the Golden Bears as the offense flows through her. Schmidt has twice as many points per game than her teammates. She is posting 20.4 points per game, which leads the NSIC, and is also dishing out a team-high 2.4 assists. Lindsay Dorr is pulling down 7.0 rebounds and sent back a team-high 19 shots. Concordia-St. Paul is not afraid to get to the line as they are ranked third in the NSIC in attempts and makes.
THE SERIES: UMD leads the all-time matchup 32-29 over Minnesota State. The Bulldogs snapped a four-game losing skid to the Mavericks last season as they thumped them on the road in the regular season 71-63 and then ended their season in UMD's first home playoff game in five years in the opening round of the NSIC Tournament.
Concordia-St. Paul trails 22-20 to UMD. The Golden Bears won the only showdown in 2016-17 in St. Paul. CSP won 70-59, in what was the start of a five-game losing skid for the Bulldogs. The Golden Bears have won five of the last six heading into Saturday. The last home win by the Bulldogs came on Jan. 13 when they demolished CSP 75-58.
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
MSU T-11th NR NR
CSP 13th 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 last two weekends haven't bolded well for the Bulldogs and they dropped two more games on the road last weekend to No. 8 Augustana University and Wayne State College. The Vikings dismantled UMD 69-46 last Friday and the Wildcats held off a charging Bulldog squad late to win 76-70 Saturday.
UMD got off to a terrible start Friday as it shot 15.8 percent in the opening quarter. Augustana used the poor execution to take a 20-7 lead after one and never looked back. The Bulldogs didn't fare much better the other three quarters as they finished shooting 27.3 percent from the floor, a season low. Eleven players registered points for UMD with Ann Simonet being the lone Bulldog to notch double figures with 10 points. Simonet also had four steals, a new career high.
UMD faced similar fate the next night as it fell in a nine-point hole in the first quarter that it never recovered from. The Bulldogs did go on a 14-5 to slice the down to three in the fourth but, the NSIC South Division Player of the Week, Paige Ballinger scored a game high 20 points to keep UMD at bay. The Bulldogs shot better (43.5 percent) but the Wayne State converted on 30 of its 34 free throws including Ballinger's 14-for-15 effort. Sarah Grow and Emma Boehm each posted 14 points. Katie Stark had 13 points and a career high six assists.
CLIFFHANGER: UMD had winning streaks of five and most recently four games before currently falling off the cliff. Amidst the longest losing streak this season, the Bulldogs have a chance to dust themselves off and start climbing back up the mountain with the homestand.
SLOW STARTS: The last two games, UMD has been slow out of the gates. It has been outscored 44-22 in its most recent road trip. Its opponents shot 50 percent from the field while the Bulldogs shot 29 percent. Before its recent struggles, UMD sported a plus-43 differential in the first quarter over the opposition.
OVERTIME WOES: The last time the Bulldogs claimed an overtime victory was on Dec. 5, 2015. UMD was not involved in an overtime game in 2016-17 but is 0-2 in such events this season. The Bulldogs lost a non-conference game at No. 21 Michigan Tech University 79-70 then 84-83 at home to No. 22 Northern State University.
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 (0-8).
LIGHT 'EM UP: Seven of the 11 victories this season have come by double figures. The Bulldogs have wins of 25, 38, 10, 15, 18, 21 and 31 points this season.
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. That mark was the lowest since the University of Minnesota-Morris put up 31 points on Jan. 6, 2001.
THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 43: When the Bulldogs hold opponents to under 43 percent shooting they are 10-1. The lone lost came last Saturday against Wayne State. UMD hit 43.5 percent but the Wildcats knocked down an efficient 50 percent. Trouble looms, however, when teams hit above that mark as UMD is 1-7.
AGGRESSIVE ON THE BOARDS: Thirteen out of the 19+ games this season the Bulldogs have either tied or won the battle in the paint with rebounding. In those 13 games, UMD is 11-2 with those two losses coming in the overtime game to Michigan Tech and the six-point setback to Wayne State.
PROTECTING THE BALL: Despite giving the ball away 18 times in back-to-back games, no one in the NSIC excels at limiting its turnovers 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 11.2 times a game.
UMD is third in the country in fewest turnovers with 213 sitting 14 behind the University of Hawaii at Hilo for the lead. It also possesses 30th best turnover margin at 4.79. Only Augustana (7.25) 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 64.3 percent of their total offensive production. Nationally, they are ranked 39th in assists per contest.
Combined with the success of protecting the ball and dishing out assists, UMD rates as the fifth-best team nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio. The 1.43 ratio is 11 points behind Augustana for the conference 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.
Five returnees have set personal bests in assists for a game this season (Sammy Kozlowski, Emma Boehm, Ayo Porte, Taylor Schneider, and Katie Stark). Kozlowski, Boehm, Stark 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 5.8 assists per game. Kozlowski ranks 33rd in the country. Her 96 assists in the NSIC only trails Jacky Volkert of MSU Moorhead (115).
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 38 steals this season good for an average of 2.0 per game. She is second in the NSIC in total steals and per game. Logan O'Farrell from Augustana is first in both categories.
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 deadly from deep as she is slowly climbing the charts in three-point shooting. Simonet, who has notched a three in 14 of the last 15 games, has been successful from behind the arc 33 times and is shooting a team high 39.3 percent. She ranks 10th in made three-pointer per game (1.8).
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 18 of the 19 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. Southwest Minnesota State University and 16 points versus University of Sioux Falls.
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 continue their five-game homestand with St. Cloud State University coming to Romano Gymnasium on Tuesday, Feb. 6 to conclude their season series. The Huskies took the victory 58-52 on Dec. 17, 2017 at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, Minn.
