THE OPENING TIP: The University of Minnesota Duluth are looking to stay hot and continue its win streak, heading to St. Cloud, Minn. to take on the St. Cloud State Huskies.

SCOUTING REPORT ON ST. CLOUD STATE: SCSU currently sits in fourth place in the Northern Division of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, sitting behind UMary (third), Minnesota State University of Moorhead (second) and the UMD Bulldogs (first in North, first in conference), and eighth in the conference overall. The Huskies are coming off a weekend sweep against Southwest Minnesota State University and the University of Sioux Falls. SCSU would take their first game of the weekend over SMSU by an 18 point margin, winning over the Mustangs 74-56. The Huskies would then travel to Sioux Falls to take on the Cougars, and hand them their second loss of the season (first coming from UMD on Friday) by a score of 80-76. The Huskies are currently riding a three game win streak, beating Minot State as well. Their last loss came to the University of Mary in a 60-51 battle. SCSU is currently 6-3 overall (3-2 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) on the year. Since the Bulldogs last took on the Huskies, SCSU has gone 3-1 in part to the coaching job done by Lori Fish. Fish is continuing her 12th season at the helm for the Huskies, carrying a 174-138 (.558) record while with SCSU, and a 236-191 (.553) overall record in 16 season as a head coach.
Tori Wortz was chosen as the Huskies preseason player to watch this season. So far this year, Wortz has managed to be a solid player for SCSU. She sits second on the squad for points per game (12.0), sixth in rebounds per game (4.2), second in assists (25) and has made 37% (40-108) of shots taken, where she also leads the team in shot attempts. Madelin Dammann leads SCSU in points per game this season, dropping 13.2 per game while averaging 33.7 minutes a night. She has managed to grab 4.8 rebounds a contest so far, while dishing out 13 assists on the year. She's managed to score 39.4% (41-104) of the shots she's put up, accounting for the second most attempts for the Huskies this season.

THE SERIES: UMD won the last meeting between the two teams, which took place on Dec. 2 of this year, where the Bulldogs won 71-59. The contest was delayed two days due to weather. UMD is currently riding a four game win streak against the Huskies, last falling in 2018 to SCSU. Since 2008, UMD has had the upper hand against the Huskies by a slim margin, holding a 13-10 record in the 11-year span.

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs swept the weekend on the road, opening up the weekend with a hard fought 84-74 win against Sioux Falls, at the time, a team that was ranked ninth overall in the nation in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll, and who was undefeated up to that point. UMD then would travel to Marshall, Minn. to take on Southwest Minnesota State University. The Bulldogs would hand the Mustangs their fifth loss on the season in as many games in a 70-59 contest. The Bulldog improved to 8-3 on year and 5-0 in the NSIC and currently rank first in both the northern division and in the NSIC.

HOW THEY RANK: Below is a look at the Bulldogs overall record, division rank, and rank in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association DII Poll, as well as their opponents.
 

SCHOOL	OVERALL	NSIC DIV. RANK	WBCA
UMD	8-3	1ST	NR
SCSU	6-3	4TH	NR

THE BROADCAST: The game between the Bulldogs and the Huskies will be available through live streaming capabilities at the following link:

UMDBulldogs.com/watch

Live stats are available through the same link, following the live stats button: UMDBulldogs.com/watch

THAT'S OUR BALL: The Bulldogs currently rank seventh in the NSIC in total rebounds with 371 in 11 games this season. Brook Olson has been leading the charge and has an average of 6.6 per game, which is good for 11th in the NSIC, and has totaled 73, which is 11th  in the NSIC.

PASS ME THE ROCK: The Bulldogs are currently in second  in the NSIC in assists per game, averaging 16.00, and second for total assists with 176.  Sophomore guard Maesyn Thiesen is leading the way, leading the NSIC in assists per game with 5.1 (29th in DII) and sits in second in total assists with 56. Ann Simonet has helped along the way, with an average of 2.3 per game (25th in the NSIC) and 25 overall (22nd in the NSIC).

TOP OF THE BOARD: UMD ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in the NSIC in every single stat category as a team in 2018-19.  Along with ranking top or number two in every category, the Bulldogs ranked in the top six nationally (DII) in seven of those categories.

POINTS ON POINTS: The Bulldogs currently rank 5th overall in overall points in the NSIC. Brooke Olson has been a big part of the attack for UMD, averaging 16.2 points per game.

BRICK CITY: UMD ranks third in the NSIC in the blocked shots per game category, averaging 3.91 per game. Katie Stark has been a huge part of that stat, where she currently sits eighth in the conference with an average of 1.2 per game (13 total).

VALUE POSSESSIONS: The Bulldogs are sitting in third in the NSIC in the assist/turnover ratio category with a 1.27 assist to every turnover. They sit in 15th in the DII landscape in said category.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: returnees senior guard Taylor Schneider and senior forward Katie Stark will be the captains of the 2019-20 UMD Bulldogs.

FAMILIAR FACES: The Bulldogs return nine players from last years NSIC regular season/tournament winning team, including All-NSIC second team recipient junior forward Sarah Grow and All-NSIC Freshman team recipient forward Brooke Olson. Grow received NSIC Player of the Week honors once last season, on December 17th.

OLSON PLAYER TO WATCH: Sophomore forward Brooke Olson was named the Bulldogs preseason player to watch for the season. Olson finished 2018-19 averaging 5.4 (166 total) rebounds per game, ranking 20th in the NSIC. She shot .425 from the floor, finishing third on the team while attempting 233 shots (made 99). She's expected to have a breakout year on both sides of the ball. She averaged 20.1 minutes a game last season.
 
NSIC PRESEASON COACHES POLL: The Bulldogs have steadily climbed to the forefront of the NSIC the past four seasons under the new regime of head coach Mandy Pearson. Around the league, the coaches highlighted UMD as one of the teams to beat this season. UMD was picked to place second in the northern division and third overall in the NSIC.

The Bulldogs were picked this year to finish just behind MSU Moorhead in the northern division this year, finishing just three points back and receiving one first place vote. The Bulldogs did receive one first place vote for overall standing, finishing in third behind Sioux Falls (receiving six first place votes) and MSU Moorhead (finishing with nine first place votes).

Megan Hintz from MSU Moorhead was named  the NSIC North Division Preseason Player of the Year while Sioux Fall's Kaely Hummel was bestowed the NSIC South Division Preseason Player of the Year honors.

THE COACH: Fifth-year head coach Mandy Pearson has the program trending in the right direction. The Bulldogs have displayed definite signs of a program steadily rising the ranks. UMD doubled their win total from Pearson's first season at the helm and last season was another rewarding step as the Bulldogs finished 23-7 overall and 18-4 in league action, both program best season.

Already in four seasons, Pearson has evolved a trio of players to all-conference heights in forward Taylor Meyer, junior forward Sarah Grow and guard Sammy Kozlowski. Pearson's ingenuity has UMD boast one of the better defensive and ball control units in the nation. The Bulldogs were tops in all of Division II in turnovers per game and in the top-60 for points allowed per game in 2017-18. In 2018-19, UMD was No. 11 in points allowed per game, and No. 2 in fewest turnovers in all of Division II.

UMD officially announced in August 2015 the selection of former Saint Mary's University head coach Mandy Pearson to lead the next generation of UMD Bulldog women's basketball.

Pearson proved her ability to turn a program around while leading the NCAA Division III Cardinals since the 2007 season, providing stability to a program that posted a 7-18 record during the 2006-07 season and needed its third coach in as many seasons before she stepped into the role. 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 2013-14 and in the top-25 from d3hoops.com in 2014-15. 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 Artsin 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 six 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.

2018-19 ACCOLADES: Two players, alumnae Sammy Kozlowski and junior forward Sarah Grow were named to the All-NSIC team. Kozlowski was named to the first team while Grow was honored with second team honors. Sophomore forward Brooke Olson was named to the All-NSIC Freshman team and Kozlowski was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year. The Bulldogs won NSIC Player of the Week a total of three times last year, with Grow winning it once in December and Kozlowski winning it twice in January. Eight Bulldogs were named to the NSIC All-Academic team. Alumnae Emma Boehm, Josie Buckley, Maizi Deihl, Sammy Kozlowski, senior Katie Stark, junior Ann Simonet, junior Payton Kahl and sophomore Sarah Grow were all honored to the team. Emma Boehm was named as the recipient to the NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic award.

ON TAP: The Bulldogs take a weekend off before returning to Romano Gymnasium to take on Bemidji State University (Jan. 3) and Minnesota Crookston (Jan. 4).