THE OPENING TIP: The University of Minnesota Duluth will travel west into northern Minnesota this weekend to play Bemidji State University and the University of Minnesota Crookston in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action. The Bulldogs kick off 2019 against Bemidji State at the BSU Gymnasium on Friday, Jan. 4 at 7:30 p.m. Minnesota Crookston will host UMD at Lysaker Gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 5:30 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON BEMIDJI STATE: The Beavers are 2-8 overall and have yet to pick up a victory in six attempts in the Northern Sun. Bemidji State returns home after completing a three-game road stint. The Beavers are 2-4 at home this season. They have lost the last five games by 10 points or more.

Bemidji State is averaging 61.9 points per game which is 13th in the NSIC. It is averaging 71.1 points allowed per game which is 15th in the conference. The Beavers are 13th in field-goal percentage (37.5) and last in three-point percentage (25.1) among the NSIC ranks.

Maria Appicelli is the leading scorer for Bemidji State averaging just shy of 11 points this season. Brooklyn Bachmann is averaging 9.7 points and Taylor Bray is scoring 8.6 points per game. Bachmann had 18 points and eight rebounds in the loss last Sunday. Bray a career high 24 points in their game against Wayne State.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MINNESOTA CROOKSTON: The Golden Eagles hold a 8-4 record and are one of four NSIC clubs with a 3-3 conference record. They are 2-3 in their last five games and most recently beat Bemidji State 73-63 at home. Minnesota Crookston has played well at home this season winning four of the five contests at Lysaker. 

The Golden Eagles are averaging 70.0 points per game, sixth in the NSIC, and allowing 29.3 points per game, which is 13th in the NSIC. The Eagles collectively shoot well at the free throw line hitting 79.4 percent. That mark is first in the conference and No. 9 in the nation. Minnesota Crookston is knocking down 41.4 percent from the field and opponents are scoring at a slightly better clip at 41.6 percent, which is next to last. 

UMD will have contain Isieoma Odor in order to win. Odor is second in the NSIC is scoring with 19.0 points. She is shooting 54.5 percent from the floor, third in the NSIC and 38th in the nation. She also leads the conference in free throws made (59). Odor has 9.3 rebounds on average this season, seventh in the NSIC. Aside from Odor, Caitlin Michaels is putting up 14.3 points and Kylie Post is scoring 10.3 points per outing. Micheals is the three-point specialist with a team-leading 27 threes this season. 

THE SERIES: UMD and Bemidji State have played 83 times overall with the all-time series leaning towards the Bulldogs at 66-17 heading into the 84th showdown. UMD is riding a two-game winning over the Beavers. The Bulldogs have won 21 of the last 22 battles in the rivalry.

UMD and Minnesota Crookston have played 36 times overall with the Bulldogs leading all-time series 34-2. Saturday will feature the 37th battle between the Bulldogs and the Golden Eagles. UMD has won the last four meetings and 18 of the last 19.

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: The games on this weekend can viewed, with live stat capabilities at: portal.stretchinternet.com/umd. 

LAST TIME OUT: UMD stormed back for a 59-54 win over St. Cloud State at home last Sunday. The Bulldogs came back from a 12-point second-half deficit to sweep the season series against the Huskies. UMD scored 26 points in the fourth quarter. Sophomore forward Brooke Olson registered 17 points and 10 rebounds, both career highs, in the win. Senior forward Emma Boehm scored all 11 points in the final 20 minutes.

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. On Friday, 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. She accounted for 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting in the second and third quarters as UMD went from trailing by 10 to leading by 17 versus SMSU.

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 7.8 rebounds per game, which is about 22 percent of the team's total rebounds. She is 10th in the NSIC in rebounding and fourth in offensive rebounds (2.6) per game.

GET THAT OUTTA HERE: Sophomore forward Sarah Grow leads the NSIC in blocked shots. Grow averages 2.67 blocks per game and has at least two blocks in seven games this season. She tallied a career high six blocks in the season opener against Northern Michigan. 

RIM PROTECTOR: Sophomore forward Sarah Grow is one of the best at protecting the basket. She is 17th in the NCAA with 2.67 blocks per game and holds the top billing in the NSIC.

PICKPOCKET: Senior guard Sammy Kozlowski is ranked second in the conference in steals with 2.56 per contest. 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 53.6 points per game this season. That is the best figure in the NSIC and only 12 other teams in the NCAA are holding opponents to a fewer points per game. 

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL: Opposing teams are hitting 36.5 percent from the field this season. UMD is 59th in the nation in defensive field-goal percentage.

DENY THE THREE: Opposing teams are shooting 24.5 percent from behind the arc. That percentage clip is 10th-best in the nation.

NO WASTED POSSESSIONS: UMD has 12.4 turnovers per game. It ranks as one of the best teams in the country in not spoiling scoring opportunities. Nine other DII schools give the ball away less.

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 20 games. They are 5-0 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 106 total points in first quarters this season, the lowest of any quarter. It is the only quarter with a negative scoring margin (-22). Opponents have only trailed twice so far after the opening 10 minutes.

SECOND QUARTER TAKEOVER: Despite the slow first quarter, UMD is has taken a lead into the half five times this season. It is 5-0 in those games. 

FINISH STRONG: The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 153-114 in the final quarter this season.  That is the best quarter-margin (+39) for UMD this season.

FINISH STRONG II: UMD is 18-2 when going to the fourth with a lead dating back to the 2017-18 season. The Bulldogs are undefeated this season (5-0).

ON TAP: UMD will return home to Romano Gymnasium to wrap up the season series with the University of Mary and Minot State University next weekend.