THE OPENING TIP: One of the more interesting Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference story lines is happening at Romano Gymnasium this weekend. With the University of Minnesota Duluth jostling for a home playoff spot in the opening round of the NSIC Tournament in a mere 13 days, the Bulldogs have a grand opportunity to give them some room heading to the finish of the 2017-18 regular season. The Bulldogs, who are tied for fourth in the NSIC North and the final home playoff spot, battle Minot State University (tied for fourth in the north) and the University of Mary (two games behind in sixth place in the north). This weekend can shift the outlook of the playoff scenarios for UMD and their opponents. The highly-anticipated weekend will start Friday, Feb. 9 with the Beavers at 6:00 p.m. The Bulldogs will hold senior day Saturday, Feb. 10 against the Marauders. Game time of senior day is at 4:00 p.m.
SCOUTING REPORT ON MINOT STATE: The Beavers have the exact 13-9 and 10-8 NSIC record as the Bulldogs. Minot State has won the last seven contests and look to make it eight on Friday. The Beavers are coached by Mark Graupe who is in first season at Minot State.
Holly Johnson leads the team with 16.2 points per game. Kristal Flowers and Madison Wald are both a touch over 10 points a game as well. Flowers has 88 offensive rebounds and is averaging 4.0 offensive boards per game, ninth in the country. The Beavers are third in total rebounds per game and second in offensive rebounds in the NSIC.
SCOUTING REPORT ON U-MARY: The Marauders are 12-12 and 8-10 in the NSIC. Rick Neumann is in his sixth season coaching U-Mary. It has won six of the last eight games going into the weekend.
The dynamic duo of Gabbie Bohl and Cassie Askvig lead the Marauders in scoring. Bohl is close to 18 points per game, third in the NSIC. Bohl is aggressive at getting to line as she is the best in the NSIC at getting to the line and making her attempts. Askvig is averaging 14.4 points and a team-best 8.5 rebounds this season. Lauren Rotunda has played the most minutes (811) in the NSIC and is leading her squad in assists per game (3.3)
THE SERIES: U-Mary is up three games over UMD. The Marauders won 65-51 with a big fourth quarter effort to shock the Bulldogs. U-Mary has now won the last two games to move to 10-7. UMD won at home last season 85-73.
The Bulldogs have won three of the last five matchups with Minot State but they weren't as fortunate in their last meeting earlier this season. The Beavers won 71-67 in the final seconds hitting a pair of free throws and forcing an offensive foul. UMD does have the advantage in the series 7-5.
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 T-6th NR NR
MISU T-6th NR NR
U-Mary 10th 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
SENIOR SALUTE: Four seniors will be honored on Saturday. Amanda Hunt, Anna Monke, Allison Olley and Ayo Porte will embark on their final regular season games at Romano Gymnasium. Those seniors have been a part of 113 games (56-57) and are 28-21 at home.
NOTHING BUT NETS: Amanda Hunt, who had her senior campaign abruptly come to a halt before it began with a season-ending knee injury, is making a difference away from the court for others in need. Under Hunt's guidance, the Bulldogs are promoting the "Nothing But Nets" campaign to help promote and raise awareness for countries and people at need to help fight and conquer the battle against Malaria.
During Friday's game, UMD will be hosting a chuck-a-ball fundraiser where fans can win prizes by chucking a ball into cans. Staff will also be on hand to collect donations during the games this weekend.
LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs got back to their winning ways after dismantling Minnesota State University Mankato 68-55 Friday and Concordia University, St. Paul 61-44 Saturday for the home weekend sweep. It put to a stop their four-game winning drought before falling to St. Cloud State on Tuesday.
Sammy Kozlowski tied a season high scoring 20 points while adding eight assists and three steals in the victory over the Mavericks. UMD was plus-14 in the paint and had 26 points off turnovers. Emma Boehm had a career high 19 point in the win. Saturday featured a defensive struggle as the first quarter produced 20 points between the two squads. The Bulldogs allowed 44 points, which tied the second lowest total allowed all season. Sarah Grow rejected four blocks and Ann Simonet went 6-for-7 from the field to lead all scorers with 14 points. The Huskies were just the third team to comeback from the half and the second in the fourth quarter. Sammy Kozlowski had a career high 13 assists in the six-point loss.
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: 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 (1-13). UMD is winless against teams with leads in the last five minutes (0-8).
LIGHT 'EM UP: Nine of the 13 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 21 games. They have allowed 61.0 points per game, good for third best in the NSIC and 65th in Division II. UMD is 10-1 when holding teams under 60 points and 3-8 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 five games, UMD, as a team, has combined for at least double-digit steals. It has 10 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 (8.8). They cracked the top-100 overall 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 1-8. The Bulldogs only victory was a 74-64 win over Minnesota Crookston.
NO LUCK FROM LONG RANGE: Opponents can't find the touch from long range. UMD is the second unit in the NSIC in three-point defense. It is allowing 29.1 percent of the long-range shots to fall.
AGGRESSIVE ON THE BOARDS: Fourteen out of the 21 games this season the Bulldogs have either tied or won the battle in the paint with rebounding. In those 14 games, UMD is 12-2 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 four teams in the country commits fewer turnovers per game than the Bulldogs, who lose the ball 11.8 times a game. Union (TN) claims the top notion at 11.3 turnovers.
UMD is sixth in the country in fewest turnovers with 259 sitting 29 behind the Charminade University for the lead. It also possesses 29th best turnover margin at 4.77. Only Augustana (7.41) has a better margin in the NSIC.
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 16.2 assists per game, which equates to 64.8 percent of their total offensive production. Nationally, they are ranked 31st in assists per contest.
Combined with the success of protecting the ball and dishing out assists, UMD rates as the ninth-best team nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio. The 1.38 ratio is 14 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 17th in the country.
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, and tied for ninth most in the NCAA Division II this season. 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 44 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 16 of the last 18 games, has been successful from behind the arc 38 times and is shooting a team high 40 percent. She ranks ninth in made three-pointer 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 (1.7) but the freshman is 56th throughout all of Division II and seventh among all freshman.
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 polish off the 2017-18 regular season away from home with road assignments out west against Northern State University and Minnesota State University-Moorhead. Those two games will be on Feb. 9-10 against the top two teams in the NSIC North Division.
