THE OPENING TIP: The University of Minnesota Duluth will finish out its four game road stint this weekend, taking on two Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opponents. The Bulldogs will first travel to Winona, Minn. to take on Winona State University (Jan. 31) before heading to Fayette, Iowa to face off against Upper Iowa University (Feb. 1).

SCOUTING REPORT ON WINONA STATE UNIVERSITY: The Warriors have been playing solid basketball as of lately. WSU swept both NSIC opponents last weekend, and has won the past four of its five games (riding a four game win streak). The Warriors took on Southwest Minnesota State last weekend, beating the Mustangs with ease 74-58. WSU then took on the No.11 ranked University of Sioux Falls, topping the Cougars in a battle until the final buzzer 78-76. Aside from those two opponents, in the past five games the Warriors have also beaten the University of Minnesota Crookston (75-55) and Bemidji State University (76-67), while losing only to Augustana University (68-51). WSU currently carries a 14-4 record on the year, while going 10-4 while playing conference opponents, good for a 2nd place spot in the Southern Division of the NSIC and a standalone 4th place spot in the division overall. Scott Ballard is leading the Warriors in his 16th season. Ballard carries with him a 278-181 (.606) record while with WSU, as well as a 547-313 (.636) overall record in his 30 seasons as a head coach.
Taylor Hustad is leading the way for the Warriors in the scoring category, carrying a 15.2 average of points per game so far this season (8th in the NSIC). She is also leading the squad in rebounds per game, grabbing  9.2 per game (Leading the NSIC). She's shooting 58.0% (119-205) from the field and is making 78.6% (33-42) free-throws this season. Allie Pickrain is complementing her scoring with scoring of her own, putting up 11.7 per game. She's dished out 38 assists on the year and is leading the team with 32.0 minutes per night, only missing two free-throws on the year with a 91.3% (2123) free-throw percentage.

SCOUTING REPORT ON UPPER IOWA UNIVERSITY: The Peacocks have been in a bit of a rough patch this year. UIU was swept last weekend, and have one of the past five games. The Peacocks first took on the University of Sioux Falls, falling to the No. 11 Cougars 86-43. UIU would then travel to Marshall, Minn. to take on Southwest Minnesota State University. The Peacocks fought hard but would fall in the end to the Mustangs by a score of 76-51. In addition to those two losses, UIU has also fallen to Wayne State College (78-55) and Bemidji State University (74-72), beating only the University of Minnesota Crookston (82-67) in the past five games. The Peacocks are curently sitting in 8th in the Southern Division and a tie (with the University of Minnesota Crookston) for 14th in the NSIC overall. At the helm of the program this year is Nate Oakland, taking over and in his first year with UIU, previously coaching DIII at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His career record as a head coach is 30-43 (.411).
Jessica Musgrave has been leading the way for the Peacocks this year. While averaging 26.3 minutes a night, Musgrave has averaged 14.0 points per game and 6.1 rebounds a game. She's been shooting 43.0%  (104-242) from the floor and 40.0% (6-15) from beyond the arc this season, as well as 19 steals on the season. Natalie Dinius has averaged 9.3 points per game on the season, second on the team, in 23.7 minutes a night this season.

THE SERIES: In the past five match ups, The Warriors have topped the Bulldogs three times. UMD has been able to win the past two games and looks to build upon that momentum this weekend, taking last years contest 80-59. The Bulldogs are 8-7 against WSU since the 2008-09 season.
Since the 2008-09 season, UMD has gone 14-0 against the Peacocks. The Bulldogs look to keep that streak going

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs split last weekend when taking on two NSIC opponents. UMD first took on Minnesota State University Moorhead in a battle until the final seconds, ultimately falling to the Dragons 56-51. The Bulldogs then traveled to Aberdeen, SD to take on Northern State University. UMD took to the challenge and bounced back against the Wolves, playing solid defense and beating the Wolves 56-39. The Bulldogs now sit at 15-5 overall on the season while carrying a 12-2 NSIC record, giving them the top spot in both the Northern Division of the NSIC, as well sitting atop the conference overall.

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.	WBCA
UMD	15-5	1ST	NR
WSU	14-4	2ND	NR
UIU	3-17	8TH	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 average 34.0 rebounds per game, a big part of that is Brooke Olson, who is sitting 14th in the NSIC for rebounds per game, averaging 6.5 per game. Katie Stark is another top rebounder, who is grabbing an averaging of 5.6 per game, good for 22nd in the NSIC and Sarah Grow is averaging 5.4 per game.

PASS ME THE ROCK: The Bulldogs are currently in 2nd in the NSIC in assists per game, averaging 15.7, and 2nd for total assists with 313.  Sophomore guard Maesyn Thiesen is leading the way, sitting T-2nd NSIC in assists per game with 4.2 (70th in DII) and sits in 3rd in total assists with 83. Ann Simonet has helped along the way, with an average of 3.6 per game (7th in the NSIC) and 71 overall (6th 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 7th overall in overall points in the NSIC. Brooke Olson has been a big part of the attack for UMD, averaging 15.7 points per game, 5th in the NSIC.

BRICK CITY: UMD ranks 2nd in the NSIC in the blocked shots per game category, averaging 4.00 per game. Sarah Grow has lead the team in blocked shots per game (1.9, 38 total) and sits in 2nd in the NSIC. Katie Stark has been a huge part of that stat as well, where she currently sits 10th in the conference with an average of 0.9 per game (17 total).

VALUE POSSESSIONS: The Bulldogs are sitting in 2nd in the NSIC in the assist/turnover ratio category with a 1.21 assist to every turnover. They sit in 13th in the DII landscape in said category.

ON TAP:  The Bulldogs come home to Romano Gymnasium in Duluth, Minn. to play a pair of NSIC opponents. First, UMD will take on Augustana University (Feb. 7), with student-athlete apprecitation night taking place as well. The Bulldogs will then play host to Wayne State College the following night (Feb. 8th).