THE OPENING TIP: The University of Minnesota Duluth will host No. 24 Minnesota State University-Moorhead and Northern State University at Romano Gymnasium this weekend in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference activity. Friday night's "White Out" game against the top two teams in the North Division will tip off at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday's contest against the Wolves  is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MSU MOORHEAD: The Dragons are 16-2 and 12-0 in the NSIC. They are the only team still unbeaten in conference play. MSU Moorhead has won 14 straight and holds a 7-2 record on the road. 

Defense has been a calling card for the Dragons as they are right with the Bulldogs in points allowed per game. They are giving up 55.1 points, which is 16th in the NCAA. MSU Moorhead also excels in rebounding and not turning the ball over. It compiles around 14 offensive rebounds a game and the conference's best rebounding margin at plus 10.1 rebounds over the opponents. The Dragons are third in the nation in giveaways (11.6).

Kiley Borowicz, Megan Hintz and Jacky Volkert lead the way in scoring for the Dragons. Borowicz leads all players in the scoring department with 14.4 points. Hintz has the top shooting percentage at 57.9 percent. She is also pulling down 10.1 rebounds this season to pace her club. Volkert leads theDragons with 4.6 assists.

SCOUTING REPORT ON NORTHERN STATE: The Wolves are 8-10 and 5-7 in the NSIC. They dropped their last two home games to end their four-game home stand. Northern State has a 2-4 record on the road.

Northern State is scoring 59.4 points per game and giving up 59.3 points per game. It is sixth in the NSIC in rebounding but is second in rebound margin (+9.3). The Wolves are last in steals (4.7) and blocks (1.7) in the NSIC. They are also ranked last in made three-pointers per game (4.6) as they shoot 30.8 from beyond the arc. 

Brianna Kusler is averaging a double-double on the season with 12.0 points and 10.9 rebounds. She leads the team in scoring and on the glass. Kusler has led the Wolves in rebounding the last nine games. Lexi Wadsworth is the other player registering at least 10 points. She led the team in scoring each night last weekend. 

THE SERIES: UMD and MSU Moorhead are set to play in the 87th meeting, the Bulldogs most-played rivalry. UMD leads the all-time series 52-34. The series has split each of the past two seasons but the Dragons have captured wins in eight of the past 10.

UMD and Northern State will play in the 65th meeting this Saturday with the Wolves leading the series 33-32. Northern State has been unstoppable as of late with wins in the last 13 games dating back to the 2011-12 season. The last Bulldog victory came on Dec. 17, 2011 at home. 

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.

LAST TIME OUT: UMD split a couple of close contest last weekend. The Bulldogs pulled out a 72-66 overtime victory at Minnesota State University, Mankato on Friday. Concordia University, St. Paul held off UMD in the closing minutes to win 51-47. Sophomore forward Sarah Grow dumped a team-high 16 points and senior guard Sammy Kozlowski added 14 points in the win over the Mavericks. Senior guard Emma Boehm clinch the game with her three-pointer with 21 seconds left in overtime. Sophomore guard Ann SImonet and Grow each registered 11 points in Saturday's game against the Golden Bears. 

NORTH DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK ACCOLADES: On two instances this season the Bulldogs have had a player named the NSIC Player of the Week for the North Division. Sophomore forward Sarah Grow was bestowed with the honor on Dec. 17, 2018 with wins over the University and Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State University. Grow averaged a double-double registering 14.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 blocks over that weekend. Senior guard Sammy Kozlowski was named with the honor on Jan. 14, 2019 after the weekend sweep over the University of Mary and Minot State University. Kozlowski averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 steals, 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds that weekend.

GOOD START: The Bulldogs are off to a 9-3 NSIC start, the best start in conference play in 16 years. The 2002-03 Bulldogs started 10-2 in the conference. That team finished 25-5 with the NSIC postseason title and a berth to the NCAA North Central Region Tournament.

HOME COOKIN': At Romano Gymnasium this season, the Bulldogs are 5-1 overall and 5-0 against NSIC competition. 

AGAINST THE TOP 25: Friday will be the second confrontation against a nationally ranked club this season. UMD lost its only other battle against a top 25 team ranked in the coaches poll. Drury won 70-58.

AGAINST THE TOP 25 II: The last win over a top-25 team was, in fact, Friday's opponent, MSU-Moorhead. The Bulldogs upset the then-No. 15 Dragons 71-59 Jan. 20, 2017 on the road. Since then UMD has dropped the next four games versus the top-25.

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 15 games this season. Grow is collecting 6.4 rebounds per game. She is 13th in the NSIC in rebounding.

GET THAT OUTTA HERE: Sophomore forward Sarah Grow is among the conference leaders (second) in blocked shots. Grow averages 2.3 blocks per game and has at least two blocks in 10 games this season.

PAINT PROTECTOR: Sophomore forward Sarah Grow is one of the best at protecting the basket. She is 27th in the NCAA with 2.3 blocks per game. She tallied a career high six blocks in the season opener against Northern Michigan. 

PICKPOCKET: Senior guard Sammy Kozlowski is ranked first in the conference in steals with 3.0 per contest. She is ranked 15th in the nation on a per game basis. She has 45 steals in 15 games.

YOINK: Senior guard Sammy Kozlowski swiped a collegiate best eight steals against Mary. Her eight steals are tied for 15th for most in a game this season at the Division II level. Kozlowski has recorded a steal in every game this season. In fact, she has at least a steal in the last 24 games dating back to Jan. 20, 2018.

DE-FENSE: UMD is allowing 55.1 points per game this season. That is the best figure in the NSIC and only 15 other teams in the NCAA are holding opponents to a fewer points per game. Bowie State leads the nation at 49.4 points per game.

DENY THE THREE: Opposing teams are shooting 26.6 percent from behind the arc. That percentage clip is 17th-best in the nation. Teams, this season, have shot 20 percent or lower on five occasions.

PRESSURE COOKER: The Bulldogs force 18.4 turnovers per game this season. That average is the second highest in the NSIC. They have forced at least 20 turnovers seven times already this season.

PRESSURE COOKER II: UMD has forced at least 13 turnovers in every game this year. It created a season-high 24 turnovers last Friday against Minnesota State.

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 including three NSIC squads 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 18th in the nation with a plus 6.0 turnover differential.

SCORING STARK: Junior forward Katie Stark recorded a collegiate high 16 points last season in the home loss to MSU Moorhead last season. 

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Sophomore guard Ann Simonet is averaging 10.2 points at home and is shooting 46.8 percent overall and 33.3 percent from three-point range. That is nearly six points better and 19 percent better than her road figures. 

THE ALPHA WOLF: Sophomore guard Ann Simonet has had Northern State's number in the past. Last season, the native of Brooklyn Park, Minn., racked up a team-leading 13 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4 assists against the Wolves. She set her collegiate high with 18 points in the home outing last season. 

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.

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 dates.

SLOW OUT OF THE GATE: The first quarter has been the Bulldogs weakest. UMD has scored 199 total points in first quarters this season, the lowest of any quarter, and 32 fewer than the next. It is the only quarter with a negative scoring margin (-16). Opponents have only trailed five 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 eight times this season. It is 9-0 in those games when leading at the half.

FINISH STRONG: UMD is 22-2 when going to the fourth with a lead dating back to the 2017-18 season. The Bulldogs are undefeated this season (9-0).

ON TAP: UMD continues its longest home stretch of the season with two more home games against Winona State University and Upper Iowa University next weekend.