THE OPENING TIP: The University of Minnesota Duluth has a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game this weekend at home. The Bulldogs, who are in the thick of the division race, can gain footing in the conference standings as they face the University of Mary and Minot State University this Friday and Saturday night a Romano Gymnasium. UMD starts the weekend against Mary on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and plays Minot State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MARY: The Marauders are 9-2 overall and 7-1 in the NSIC. They have won four straight and eight of the last nine. The lone loss came against Minnesota State University Moorhead. 

Mary is scoring 74.9 points per game and giving up 63.5 points. It is 46th in the country in scoring offense. It is shooting 45.6 percent from the field, 37.8 from three, both categories lead the NSIC and are in the top 23 in the nation. 

Gabbie Bohl and Cassie Askvig guide the Marauders this season from their post positions. Bohl averages 18.8 points (team high) and 9.5 rebounds this season and Askvig, the reigning NSIC North Division Player of the Week, averages 17.6 points and 9.8 rebounds (team high). Bohl tied her career high with 30 points against UMD. Tonya Dvorak and Macy Williams are tied for the team lead with 2.7 assists per game.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MINOT STATE: The Beavers are 6-8 overall and 1-7 in the NSIC. They have dropped seven of their last eight heading into the weekend. They snapped a six-game skid last Friday with a 93-87 win over Minnesota State University Mankato. 

Minot State is scoring 66.2 points per game, ninth in the NSIC. It is allowing 65.2 points per game, 10th in the NSIC. The Beavers are shooting 42.9 percent this season, third in the conference and 64th in the country. They are also third in the NSIC and 36th overall in three-point shooting with 35.7 percent. Minot State boasts the second highest assists per game in the NSIC at 16.3. That mark is also 31st in the country.

Madison Wald leads the Beavers with 14.3 points per game and Kari Clements is next in line with 13.9 points this season. Wald, who leads the NSIC in three-point percentage, leads the team with 4.8 rebounds as well. Mariah Payne averages a team-leading 4.2 assists per game which is third in the conference.

THE SERIES: UMD and Mary have played 19 times overall with the Marauders leading the all-time series 11-8. Both teams split last season with the respective home team each grabbing a win. The Bulldogs can force a split for the second straight season. UMD has won three of the last four at Romano. Mary won 82-76 on Dec. 8 earlier this season. 

UMD and Minot State have played 14 times overall with the Bulldogs leading the all-time series 9-5. UMD is looking for its fourth straight home win over the Beavers. The Bulldogs have won five of the last seven meetings including a series sweep in 2015-16. UMD defeated Minot State 74-48 behind sophomore forward Sarah Grow's 19 points.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and its opponents stack up with their records, in the NSIC standings and in the WBCA Coaches Poll.

THE BROADCAST: Bulldog Productions will be carrying the game live through a web stream with Matt Johnson and Josh Wallace on the call of the action. The game on Sunday can viewed, with live stat capabilities at: portal.stretchinternet.com/umd.

LAST TIME OUT: UMD took the first game and dropped the backend of the road weekend last week. The Bulldogs took down Bemidji Sate 60-40 Friday night. Ten different players registered points against the Beavers with sophomore forward Sarah Grow leading all scorers with 11 points. Minnesota Crookston defeated UMD 66-61 on Saturday but almost surrendered a 19-point lead. Freshman guard Brooke Olson gave the Bulldogs a slight lead but the Golden Eagles prevailed down the stretch. Olson and sophomore guard Ann Simonet each had a team-high 10 points in the loss as UMD had its four-game NSIC winning streak come to a halt.

GROWING INTO THE SPOTLIGHT: On Dec. 17, sophomore forward Sarah Grow led the team to a pair of victories and was awarded the NSIC North Division Player of the Week on Monday. It's her first weekly accolade of her career.

Grow averaged a double-double registering 14.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 blocks. She tallied nine points, a season-high 12 rebounds and three blocks in the win over Sioux Falls. Grow scored a season high 20 points, with eight rebounds and five blocks in the 21-point win against Southwest Minnesota State. 

1K FOR KOZLOWSKI: Senior guard Sammy Kozlowski reached 1,000 points for her collegiate career in the Dec. 19 game against Michigan Tech. She became the 21st Bulldog to accomplish the feat when she sunk a free-throw-line jumper in the third quarter. Taylor Meyer is last UMD player to amass 1,000 points as she reached the mark in the 2016-17 season.

CRASH THE GLASS: Sophomore forward Sarah Grow led the team in rebounds last year as a true freshman as is leading the way again through nine games this season. Grow is collecting 7.0 rebounds per game. She is 13th in the NSIC in rebounding.

GET THAT OUTTA HERE: Sophomore forward Sarah Grow leads the NSIC in blocked shots. Grow averages 2.45 blocks per game and has at least two blocks in eight games this season. She tallied a career high six blocks in the season opener against Northern Michigan. 

PAINT PROTECTOR: Sophomore forward Sarah Grow is one of the best at protecting the basket. She is 19th in the NCAA with 2.45 blocks per game. 

PICKPOCKET: Senior guard Sammy Kozlowski is ranked first in the conference in steals with 2.64 per contest. She is ranked 42nd in the nation on a per game basis. Kozlowski has recorded a steal in every game this season. In fact, she has at least a steal in the last 20 games dating back to Jan. 20, 2018.

DE-FENSE: UMD is allowing 53.5 points per game this season. That is the best figure in the NSIC and only eight other teams in the NCAA are holding opponents to a fewer points per game. Indiana (PA) leads the nation at 47.5 points per game.

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL: Opposing teams are hitting 36.1 percent from the field this season. UMD is 46th in the nation in defensive field-goal percentage.

DENY THE THREE: Opposing teams are shooting 26.0 percent from behind the arc. That percentage clip is 20th-best in the nation.

PRESSURE COOKER: The Bulldogs force 17.5 turnovers per game this season. That average is the third highest in the NSIC. They have forced a season-high 20 turnovers three times already this season. UMD has forced at least 13 turnovers in every game this year.

NO WASTED POSSESSIONS: UMD has 11.9 turnovers per game. It ranks as one of the best teams in the country in not spoiling scoring opportunities. Five other DII schools give the ball away less.

POSSESSIONS APLENTY: Stellar defense and taking care of the ball have poised the Bulldogs with one of the better turnover margins in the nation. They are 22nd in the nation with a plus 5.55 turnover differential.

A NEAR SHUTOUT: UMD held SMSU to two points in the entire second quarter on Saturday. It would have marked to first time the Bulldogs held a team to no points in any quarter since the NCAA switched to the 10-minute quarter format in 2015-16. The Mustangs didn't attempt a shot four minutes into the quarter as they finished 1-for-8 with six turnovers.

KEEP THEM UNDER 50: When holding opponents under 50 points, UMD has won its past 21 games. They are 6-0 this season when accomplishing that mark. The last loss to a team when holding them under 50 points came on Jan. 22, 2010 against Minnesota State University.

BACK-TO-BACK NIGHTS UNDER 40: SMSU and USF didn't crack the 40-point mark against the daunted UMD defense. It was the first time the Bulldogs held consecutive opponents to under 40 points since Dec. 3 & 6, 1997. Northland College (Wis.) and the University of St. Francis (Ill.) were UMD victims on those eventful dates.

SLOW OUT OF THE GATE: The first quarter has been the Bulldogs weakest. UMD has scored 133 total points in first quarters this season, the lowest of any quarter. and 41 fewer than the next.  It is the only quarter with a negative scoring margin (-27). Opponents have only trailed three times so far after the opening 10 minutes.

SECOND QUARTER TAKEOVER: Despite the slow first quarter, UMD is has taken a lead into the half six times this season. It is 6-0 in those games. It is plus-40 this season in the second quarter of games this season, the best plus-minus differential in any quarter. 

FINISH STRONG: UMD is 19-2 when going to the fourth with a lead dating back to the 2017-18 season. The Bulldogs are undefeated this season (6-0).

ON TAP: UMD will take on Minnesota State University Mankato and Concordia University, St. Paul on the road next weekend on Jan. 18-19.