THE OPENING TIP: It's a rematch of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference/Sanford Health Tournament Championship. The University of Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota State University Moorhead will go head-to-head on Friday, March 15 for the fourth and final time this season in the NCAA II Tournament. The Bulldogs (23-6) and the Dragons (26-6) take the court in the opening round of the central region at 7:30 p.m. at the Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, Kan.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MSU MOORHEAD: The Dragons are 26-6 overall and finished 19-3 in NSIC play. They claimed the NSIC regular season title and lost to the Bulldogs in the NSIC Tournament championship game. MSU Moorhead advanced to its third consecutive and sixth national tournament in program history, and they are receiving votes in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll. 

The Dragons are 103th (8th in the NSIC) in the nation in scoring with 68.8 points per game. They are 40th in the country (3rd in the NSIC) in scoring defense, allowing 59.2 points per game. Nationally, MSU Moorhead is 60th (4th-NSIC) in rebounding (40.8), 128th (8th-NSIC) in assists (13.5), 164th (9th-NSIC) in blocks (2.7), and 285th (11th-NSIC) in steals (5.7).

Megan Hintz is averaging 15.6 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game this season. Kiley Borowicz is second in scoring for the Dragons with 14.2 points and has 79 three-pointers, the 29th most in the nation. Jacky Volkert runs the MSU Moorhead offense. She leads the NSIC with 4.8 assists per game and is the Dragons all-time leader in assists. Volkert is averaging 12.5 points per game. Madi Green, who averages 7.5 points, has scored in double figures in five of the last six contests.

THE SERIES: UMD and MSU Moorhead are set to play in the 90th meeting, the Bulldogs most-played rivalry. UMD leads the all-time series 54-35. The Bulldogs are 2-1 this season against the Dragons.
 

Date	Team	Score	Location
1/25	UMD	69-53	Duluth, Minn.
2/16	MSUM	72-56	Moorhead, Minn.
3/5	UMD	52-48	Sioux Falls, S.D.

      
HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and MSUM stack up with their records, their seeding in the NCAA II Central Region, in the WBCA Coaches Poll and in the Division II SIDA Poll. 
 

Team	Record	NCAA	WBCA	D2SIDA
UMD	23-6	4th	NR	RV
MSUM	26-6	5th	RV	NR

HOW THE DOGS GOT HERE: UMD bested MSU Moorhead in the NSIC Postseason Championship with a 52-48 victory on March 5 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Bulldogs, who were fifth in the final NCAA Regional Rankings, earned an automatic bid for winning the conference tournament.

IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: UMD is 7-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. This is the 11th tournament appearance for the Bulldogs since joining the NCAA ranks in 1995, and the first appearance in seven seasons.  The Bulldogs' last victory in the NCAA Tournament came on Mar. 11, 2005 when they defeated Regis in the first round 60-45. They have made the second round six times in their prior 10 appearances. UMD's farthest run came in the 2000-2001 season when it advanced to the Sweet 16 before bowing out to regional host North Dakota.

FOUR TIMES: The Bulldogs and the Dragons will play against each other for the fourth time this season. Oddly enough, UMD has played the same opponent for times before in the same season. UMD played Concordia-St. Paul back in the 2003-04 season. The Golden Bears won both regular season contests before the Bulldogs won the NSIC Tournament Championship. Concordia-St. Paul won the rematch against UMD in the NCAA II Central Region Tournament.

NSIC TOURNAMENT RECAP: UMD won the NSIC Postseason Championship for a league-leading fifth time with its four-point victory over the Dragons. The Bulldogs are 5-2 in the championship game and are 21-10 all-time in the NSIC Tournament. UMD won its first postseason finale in 15 years, last taking home the trophy during the 2003-04 season. UMD defeated Southwest Minnesota State (87-57) in the first round, Augustana (80-72) in the quarterfinal, and St. Cloud State (68-50) to advance the the conference title. 

ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM: Sophomore forward Sarah Grow, junior forward Katie Stark and senior guard Sammy Kozlowski were each named to the NSIC All-Tournament Team. Grow was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. The native of Circle Pines, Minn., posted 17 points, three rebounds and a game-high four blocks in the championship.

OUT FRONT: The Bulldogs are especially dangerous when leading this season. They have not lost a game in which they have led at the half (22-0) or entering the lead in the fourth quarter (22-0) this season.

NEW HEIGHTS: The 23 wins this season under head coach Mandy Pearson is the most under her tenure. It also the most for the program since a 25-win season in 2002-03.

20-20: The Bulldogs posted 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 18 20-win seasons in its 43 years of recorded history. However, it has recorded just two 20-win season in the last 14 years.

WINNING!: UMD has 18 wins in the NSIC this season, the most conference wins in program history. The Bulldogs eclipsed 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.

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.

SAVING HER BEST FOR LAST: Senior forward Emma Boehm has produced her best season yet. She has cracked season highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Boehm is scoring a career high 8.7 points including a career high 27 points against Southwest Minnesota State in the NSIC Tournament.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: One of the four major conference awards was bestowed upon senior guard Sammy Kozlowski. Kozlowski was named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday. She lead the league's top-ranked defense with a league-leading 63 steals for 2.7 steals per game in league play. 

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS: Senior guard Sammy Kozlowski was also named to the NSIC All-Conference First Team for the first time in her lucrative career. She is a three-time all-conference pick after being selected to the second team the last two seasons. Sophomore forward Sarah Grow was named to the NSIC All-Conference Second Team and freshman forward Brooke Olson was named to the NSIC All-Freshmen Team.

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).

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

Three-Pointers
Kozlowski: 129 (6th)	Jaime Bell: 133 (5th)
Assists
Kozlowski: 428 (T-5th)	Sue Fiero: 428 (T-5th)
Steals
Kozlowski: 247 (4th)	Denise Holm: 260 (3rd)

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 1,252 career points which ranks her 11th on the Bulldogs' all-time scoring list. She needs 30 points to overtake Carmen Kuntz (1,281) for 10th among most points as a Bulldog.

MASTER THIEF: Senior guard Sammy Kozlowski ranks 10th among active Division II players in total steals with her 247 career takeaways. Kozlowski is ranked first in the conference in steals with 2.6 per contest. She is ranked 30th in the nation on a per game basis. 
 
PAINT PROTECTOR: Sophomore forward Sarah Grow is one of the best at protecting the basket. She is 22nd in the NCAA with 2.5 blocks per game. She is first in the conference in blocked shots and has at least two blocks in 20 games this season. 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. She is up to 118 blocks for her career. Julie Coughlin holds the UMD record with 160 career rejections. Grow's 71 blocks this season are 11 short of the program record set by Jayne Mackley  in 1978-79.

BURYING TREYS: Senior forward Emma Boehm leads the NSIC in three-point field-goal percentage. On the season, Boehm is 35-for-70 from outside the arc. She is hitting her outside jumpers at a 50.0 percent clip. Cassie Askvig (Mary) is next at 45.3 percent.

... AT RECORD PACE: Senior forward Emma Boehm is on pace to break the single-season three-point percentage mark in program history. Boehm, who has recorded the UMD's fourth-best three-point percentage during her freshman campaign, is ahead of Sarah Belanger's 47.4 percentage from the 1992-93 season.

DE-FENSE: UMD is allowing 54.7 points per game this season. That is the best figure in the NSIC and only 10 other teams in the NCAA are holding opponents to a fewer points per game. Bowie State leads the nation at 48.5 points per game.

DE-FENSE II: The Bulldogs are 20-1 this season when allowing fewer than 60 points this season. They have won their last 12 games when holding opponents under 60 points. 

NO EASY BUCKETS: UMD is holding teams, on the season, to a combined 36.7 percent shooting clip. That clip is one of program's best defensive efforts all-time. It is the lowest shooting percentage allowed by UMD dating all the way back to 1979-80 (34.4).That is second in the NSIC and 44th overall in the NCAA. Eight teams have shot under 30 percent this season against the Bulldogs.

DENY THE THREE: Opposing teams are shooting 28.3 percent from behind the arc. That percentage clip is 36th-best in the nation and second in the NSIC. Teams, this season, have shot 20 percent or lower on six occasions and only once has an opponent shot above 50 percent.

HISTORICALLY FROM DOWNTOWN: The Bulldogs have the second-best shooting percentage in the NSIC for three-point range and the 40th best overall in Division II. UMD is 166-for-475 for 34.9 percent. The last time UMD shot that well from the three-point line goes back to the 1997-98 season.

BLOCK IT OR TAKE IT AWAY: UMD is first in the conference in blocks per game and second in steals per game. The Bulldogs average 4.5 blocks per game and 9.5 steals per game. Nationally, they are 26th in blocks and 49th in steals.

PRESSURE COOKER: The Bulldogs force 17.0 turnovers per game this season. That is the second highest in the NSIC. They have forced at least 20 turnovers 11 times this season including a season-high 25 times against Wayne State.

NO WASTED POSSESSIONS: UMD has 11.3 turnovers per game. It ranks as one of the best teams in the country in not spoiling scoring opportunities. Four other DII schools give the ball away less.

SHARING THE BALL: Four players register over 1.5 assists per game. UMD is first in the NSIC with 16.1 assists per game, the best in the NSIC and 24th in the nation. The Bulldogs have the second best assist-to-turnover ratio in the nation. The 1.43 A/TO ratio is No. 1 in the NSIC while Ashland has the top ratio at 1.49.

ON TAP: The winner of the opening-round NCAA Central Region quarterfinal will face off against the winner of top-seeded and regional host No. 3 Fort Hays State University and Pittsburg State University on Saturday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m.