THE OPENING TIP: The University of Minnesota Duluth will conclude the regular season with two Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference engagements against the University of Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State University this Friday and Saturday at Romano Gymnasium. The Bulldogs host the Golden Eagles on Friday at 5:30 p.m. then they will hold Senior Day on Saturday against the Beavers starting at 3:30 p.m.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MINNESOTA CROOKSTON: The Golden Eagles are 10-16 overall and 6-15 in the NSIC. They are currently in the middle of a eight-game losing streak. Minnesota Crookston has lost 11 of the last 12 games. It is 1-9 on the road. The Golden Eagles average 67.7 points per game, which is ninth in the NSIC. They are 15th in the NSIC defensively, allowing 71.5 points per game. In the NSIC, they are ranked 10th in blocks (2.6) and steals (6.1), 13th in rebounding and 14th in assists this season. The leading scorer is Isieoma Odor who is third in the NSIC with 17.8 points per game. She is shooting 48 percent this season. Odor is also seventh in the NSIC with 8.5 rebounds per game, which paces Minnesota Crookston. Kylie Post and Caitlin Michaelis each register over two assists per game. Post also leads the team with 1.7 steals

SCOUTING REPORT ON BEMIDJI STATE: The Beavers are 5-19 overall and 3-17 in the NSIC. They are losers of their last six games including losses in their last four home games. Bemidji State is 1-9 on the road with its only win at the University of Mary, the Beavers' last win. Bemidji State scores 58.8 points per game and allows 70.7 points per game. It is 14th in the NSIC in scoring and 13th defensively. The Beavers rank 15th in assists (10.8) and blocks (2.0) and last in steals (6.0) and rebounds (30.6). Taylor Bray leads Bemidji State with 9.7 points per game. Bray is shooting a team-high 56.8 percent. She also leads the team with 4.7 rebounds per game. Brooklyn Bachmann averages 8.7 points and 4.3 rebounds this season while Trinity Myer leads the team with 2.3 assists per game. 

THE SERIES: UMD and Minnesota Crookston have played 37 times overall with the Bulldogs leading all-time series 34-3. Friday will feature the 38th battle between the Bulldogs and the Golden Eagles, who won 66-61 in Crookston on Jan. 5. UMD has won 18 of the last 20 meetings. The Bulldogs have won the last 13 home games with Minnesota Crookston last winning Feb. 1, 2002 at Romano.

UMD and Bemidji State have played 84 times overall with the all-time series leaning towards the Bulldogs at 67-17 heading into the 85th showdown. UMD is riding a three-game winning over the Beavers. The Bulldogs have won 22 of the last 23 battles in the rivalry. Bemidji State has lost the last 30 games at Romano dating back to Jan. 21, 1986.

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 defeated Northern State University 74-56 for its seventh straight victory before having that winning streak come to an end on Saturday to Minnesota State University Moorhead. The Dragons beat the Bulldogs 72-56 to take control of the NSIC. Senior guard Sammy Kozlowski had a team-high 21 points and sophomore guard Payton Kahl scored 14 points, a career high, against the Wolves. Sophomore forward Sarah Grow tallied 19 points and seven rebounds in he setback to the Dragons. 

SENIOR DAY: The Bulldogs will be honoring their three seniors -- Emma Boehm, Josie Buckley and Sammy Kozlowski -- on Saturday. Over the past four seasons, the seniors have gone a combined 54-50 record (51.9) and 33-17 (66.7) the last two seasons.

HOME PLAYOFFS: UMD will host an opening-round NSIC playoff game for the third consecutive season. Heading into the weekend, the Bulldogs are the second seed in the north division and would host Wayne State College, the current seventh seed in the south division. 

CHASING THE NSIC REGULAR SEASON CROWN: UMD is looking for its first NSIC crown in 16 years. The 2002-03 Bulldogs went 25-5 and 15-3 in conference play the last season UMD won the conference title. They also won the NSIC postseason title and went to the NCAA North Central Region Tournament.

NEEDING SOME HELP: One game back with two games to go in the league race, UMD needs help from the University of Mary and/or Minot State University, whom face MSU Moorhead this weekend, to close the gap and claim at least a share of the NSIC title.

WINNING!: UMD has 16 wins in the NSIC this season, tied for most wins in program history. The Bulldogs can eclipse their 16-win total from the 1999-2000 season, the most by any UMD team before this season. The Bulldogs went 16-2 and captured their then-ninth NSIC championship that season.

NEW HEIGHTS: The 17 wins this season under head coach Mandy Pearson is the most under her tenure. For the program, it is the most wins in seven seasons.

20-20: The Bulldogs are three wins away from posting their first 20-win season since Annette Wiles led UMD to a 20-11 record in her second season as coach in 2009-10.

20-20 II: UMD has 17 20-win seasons in its 42-year existence. However, it has recorded just one 20-win season in the last 13 years.

CONSISTENT DOGS: UMD has achieved at least 14 wins in nine of the last 11 years. Head coach Mandy Pearson has reached that threshold now in the previous three seasons.

NORTH DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK ACCOLADES: On three instances this season the Bulldogs have had a player named the NSIC North Division Player of the Week. Sophomore forward Sarah Grow was bestowed with the honor on Dec. 17, 2018. Senior guard Sammy Kozlowski was rewarded with the citation twice (Jan. 14 and 28).

HOME COOKIN': At Romano Gymnasium this season, the Bulldogs are 9-1 overall and 9-0 against NSIC competition. They are one win away from collecting its first 10-win home season since the 2011-12 season. 

AGAINST THE TOP 25: The victory over No. 24 MSU Moorhead on Jan. 25 was the first time in five attempts the Bulldogs came out with a victory against a ranked opponent. The Dragon were also the last team UMD beat before that handing the then-No. 15 team a 71-59 loss on Jan. 20, 2017.

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.

CLIMBING THE SCORING RANKS: Senior guard Sammy Kozlowski has 1,172 career point which ranks her 15th on the Bulldogs' all-time scoring list passing Mary Barker (1,164 points). She is also 53 points away from passing Kelsey Hewitt (1,225) for 14th all-time.

SAM I AM: Senior guard Sammy Kozlowski is approaching the top-5 in three statistical Bulldog categories -- three-point field goals, assists and steals. 

MASTER THIEF: Senior guard Sammy Kozlowski ranks 10th among active Division II players in total steals with her 236 career takeaways.

MASTER THIEF II: Senior guard Sammy Kozlowski is ranked first in the conference in steals with 2.8 per contest. She is ranked 24th in the nation on a per game basis. 

GET THAT OUTTA HERE: Sophomore forward Sarah Grow is first in the conference in blocked shots. Grow averages 2.39 blocks per game and has at least two blocks in 16 games this season.

PAINT PROTECTOR: Sophomore forward Sarah Grow is one of the best at protecting the basket. She is 26th in the NCAA with 2.39 blocks per game. She tallied a career high six blocks in the season opener against Northern Michigan. 

MILESTONE REJECTION: Sophomore forward Sarah Grow recently amassed 100 blocks for her career last weekend. Julie Coughlin holds the UMD record with 160 career rejections. 

BURYING TREYS: Senior forward Emma Boehm leads the NSIC in three-point field-goal percentage. On the season, Boehm is 26-for-51 from outside the arc. She is hitting her outside jumpers at a 51.0 percent clip. Cassie Askvig (Mary) is next at 48.1 percent.

LAY-UPS: In their last seven wins, the Bulldogs have won each of them by a margin of 15 points or more. They have 12 of their 17 wins this season by 15 points or more.

DE-FENSE: UMD is allowing 54.9 points per game this season. That is the best figure in the NSIC and only 11 other teams in the NCAA are holding opponents to a fewer points per game. Bowie State leads the nation at 48.8 points per game.

FROM DOWNTOWN: The Bulldogs have the third-best shooting percentage in the NSIC for three-point range and the 52nd best overall in Division II. UMD is 135-for-390 for 34.6 percent.

BLOCK IT OR TAKE IT AWAY: UMD is second in the conference in blocks per game and second in steals per game. The Bulldogs average 4.35 blocks per game and 9.61 steals per game. Nationally, they are 38th in blocks and 54th in steals.

PRESSURE COOKER: The Bulldogs force 17.4 turnovers per game this season. That average is the third highest in the NSIC. They have forced at least 20 turnovers nine times already this season.

PRESSURE COOKER II: UMD has forced at least 11 turnovers in every game this year expect for Feb. 16 outing against MSU Moorhead. It created a season-high 25 times against Wayne State.

NO WASTED POSSESSIONS: UMD has 11.4 turnovers per game. It ranks as one of the best teams in the country in not spoiling scoring opportunities. Three 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 16th in the nation with a plus 6.00 turnover differential.

SHARING THE BALL: Five players register over 1.5 assists per game. UMD is first in the NSIC with 16.0 assists per game. The Bulldogs are one of two teams in the NSIC -- Augustana being the other -- to have two players dish out at least three assists per game. 

BALL CONTROL: UMD has the third best assist-to-turnover ratio in the nation. The 1.41 A/TO ratio is No. 1 in the NSIC  while Ashland has the top ratio at 1.52.

BALL CONTROL II: Sophomore guard Ann Simonet leads the NSIC with an assist-to-turnover ration of 2.59. Simonet has 70 assists and only 27 turnovers. 

A NEAR SHUTOUT: UMD held SMSU to two points in the entire second quarter. It would have marked to first time the Bulldogs held a team to no points in a 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.

ON TAP: UMD will host its opening round NSIC Tournament game at Romano Gymnasium on Wednesday, Feb. 27. The winner will advance to the NSIC Quarterfinals in Sioux Falls, S.D. that same weekend.