THE OPENING TIP: Two games remain in the 2017-18 regular season for the University of Minnesota Duluth as it travels to Northern State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead this weekend. The Bulldogs lost both contests at home earlier this season to the Wolves, who they will play Friday, Feb. 16 at 6:00 p.m., and the Dragons, who they will play Sunday, Feb. 17 at 4:00p.m. Both games help UMD get a grip of what to expect in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament which starts at select host sites Wednesday, Feb. 21.
SCOUTING REPORT ON MSU-MOORHEAD: The Dragons have not lost in 2018 yet as they have rattled off 15 straight since Dec. 19, 2017. 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 first in rebounds per game (43.9) and sixth in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (32.0). The Dragons are second in the NSIC in scoring defense (60.8) and defensive field goal percentage (37.0). They also rank in the top 50 in three-points shots makes, shots and per game makes. 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, is averaging 13.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Cassidy Thorson is the best three-point shooter in the NSIC and is not shy from flinging it. She is 15th in total attempts and 28th in made three-pointers. Thorson is the new all-time leader at MSU-Moorhead. Jacky Volkert is tin a foot-race with Kozlowski for the lead in assists (130) and assists per contest (5.4) as they are neck-and-neck. She is knocking down a team-leading 14.3 points per game.
SCOUTING REPORT ON NORTHERN STATE: The Wolves are receiving votes in the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association poll and are 21-3 and 18-2 in the NSIC heading into the weekend. 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. The Wolves have the league's best rebounding margin in all of Division II, out-rebounding teams by 13.2. Northern State also is knocking down the highest percentage of shots among the NSIC. It hits 47.6 percent, which is fifth in the nation. The assists numbers are also among the best. The 504 assists this season is the fourth-most and it has the best per game stats (19.4) in the NSIC.
Miranda Ristau is the second leading scorer in the NSIC and the main threat for the Wolves. She is posting 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, all team highs. Ristau has the best field goal percentage in the NSIC (55.7). 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 3.4 assists per match.
THE SERIES: UMD is tied 32-32 with Northern State have won the last 12 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. The last road win for the Bulldogs came on Dec. 18, 2010.
UMD leads 51-34 over MSU-Moorhead in the most played rivalry in school history. Saturday night will mark the 86th meeting between the Bulldogs and the Dragons. Both clubs earned a split last year but UMD is hoping to avoid being split for the first time since 2015-16.
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 6th NR NR
NSU 2nd NR NR
MSUM 3rd RV T-18th
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 capped off its last home games of the season with wins over Minot State University and the University of Mary. UMD went 10-3 at Romano Gymnasium and captured double-digits victories at home for the first time since 2010-11. The Bulldogs have winning seasons at home in nine of the last 10 seasons.
A 30-point third quarter propelled UMD to a coasting victory over the Beavers last Friday. The Bulldogs were up by as much as 17 in the third before taking their foot off the pedal. Sammy Kozlowski had 19 points and was perfect at the charity stripe (7-for-7). Taylor Schneider collected a career high 16 points on the night and drilled back-to-back three pointers to put the nail in the coffin.
UMD needed overtime to finally put the Marauders to rest on Saturday. The Bulldogs clamped down in the extra session as it allowed no field goals and only one point during the five-minute period. It was an uneasy final as Sarah Grow (game-high 19 points) and Katie Stark both fouled out and Anna Monke was riding on four fouls. Kozlowski made the play of the night in the waning seconds as she avoided being fouled and found Payton Kahl slashing for two of her career high 10 points.
OVERTIME WOES: UMD was not involved in an overtime game in 2016-17 but is 1-2 in such events this season. The Bulldogs lost both of their OT games against ranked competition -- a non-conference loss at No. 21 Michigan Tech University 79-70 then 84-83 at home to No. 22 Northern State University. UMD finally won 69-66 last Saturday. The last time the Bulldogs claimed an overtime victory before Saturday was on Dec. 5, 2015.
NO LATE GAME HEROICS: Only St. Cloud State has overcome any deficit with five minutes to play in any UMD game this season. The Huskies were the only club to steal a victory over the Bulldogs (1-15). UMD is winless against teams with leads in the last five minutes (0-8).
LIGHT 'EM UP: Nine of the 15 victories this season have come by double figures. The Bulldogs have wins of 25, 38, 10, 15, 18, 21, 31, and most recently as of this past weekend, 13 and 17 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 11 of their 24 games. They have allowed 61.2 points per game, good for third best in the NSIC and 73rd in Division II. UMD is 10-1 when holding teams under 60 points and 5-8 when teams score more than 60 points. UMD is 0-7 when teams score at least 69 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.
GOING THE OTHER WAY: Over the past seven games, UMD, as a team, has combined for at least double-digit steals. It has 12 games with at least 10 steals including a season high 16 steals in the dominant win over Upper Iowa. The recently high string of steals has rocketed the Bulldogs up to third in the NSIC in steals per game (8.9). They cracked the top-100 overall (82nd) in the country.
THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 43: When the Bulldogs hold opponents to under 43 percent shooting they are 12-1. The lone lost came against Augustana when the Vikings shot 39.7 percent. Trouble looms, however, when teams hit above that mark as UMD is 3-8. The
NO LUCK FROM LONG RANGE: Opponents can't find the touch from long range. UMD is the third unit in the NSIC in three-point defense. It is allowing 29.7 percent of the long-range shots to fall.
AGGRESSIVE ON THE BOARDS: Fifteen out of the 21 games this season the Bulldogs have either tied or won the battle in the paint with rebounding. In those 15 games, UMD is 13-2 with those two losses coming in the overtime game to Michigan Tech and the six-point setback to Wayne State.
PROTECTING THE BALL: 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, only three teams in the country commits fewer turnovers per game than the Bulldogs, who lose the ball 11.5 times a game. The University of Central Missouri is factions better than UMD as it is first also at 11.5.
UMD is sixth in the country in fewest turnovers with 276 sitting 24 behind the Central Missouri for the lead. It also possesses 19th best turnover margin at 5.4. Only Augustana (8.1) has a better margin in the NSIC. The Bulldogs have won the turnover battle the last six contests.
DROPPING DIMES: UMD's offense is coordinated for success off the open look via the dish. Ranked third in the conference in assists per game, the Bulldogs average 16.5 assists per game, which equates to 65.4 percent of their total offensive production. Nationally, they are ranked 27th in assists per contest.
Combined with the success of protecting the ball and dishing out assists, UMD rates as the seventh-best team nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio. The 1.43 ratio is 15 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 best player in the conference with 5.5 assists per game. Kozlowski ranks 16th in the country. She is also 15th in total assists with 132. Kozlowski is in the running to became the first UMD player to lead the NSIC in assists since Susan Anderson averaged 6.97 assists in the 2000-01 season.
On Tuesday, Kozlowski had herself a night with a career-high with 13 assists, distributing the ball to six different scorers. Her 13 assists were a season-high mark in the NSIC, tied for ninth most in the NCAA Division II this season and tops among juniors. She was two assists shy of tying Denise Holm for the Bulldog single-game high. Holm had 15 assists on Feb. 18, 1989 versus Minnesota Morris.
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 47 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 17 of the last 20 games, has been successful from behind the arc 41 times and is shooting a team high 39 percent. She ranks ninth in the NSIC in made three-pointers per game (1.7).
PROCEED WITH CAUTION: Enter the restricted paint at your risk. Sarah Grow has been waiting to reject all shots in the interior. She may be seventh among her conference peers in blocks per game (1.5) but the freshman is 61st throughout all of Division II and eighth among all first-year newcomers.
WEEKLY HONORS: Recognition was given to Sammy Kozlowski when 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 will host a first-round home NSIC playoff game on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7:00 p.m. They are locked in as the fourth seed in the north division and will face the fifth seed in the south. Their opponent will be either Winona State University, Minnesota State University, Mankato or Concordia University, St. Paul.
