THE OPENING TIP: The University of Minnesota Duluth is looking to keep the streak going this week on the road, first taking on the University of Mary (Jan. 10) before heading to Minot State University (Jan. 11).

SCOUTING REPORT ON THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY: The Marauders opened the decade with a pair of losses. The first would come to the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears in a high scoring match 91-72. UMary would then travel to Mankato, Minn. to take on the Minnesota State University Mavericks in a game where they would get beat 70-59. The Marauders currently carry an 11-6 record overall on the year while going 5-3 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, sitting 4th in the northern division and 8th in the conference overall. Rick Neumann has been at the helm this season, and carries a 117-104 (.529) overall record in eight seasons with UMary.
The Marauders have gone 3-2 since last seeing the Bulldogs, beating Minnesota State University-Moorhead (89-68), Northern State University (75-69) and Minot State (81-60), while falling to Concordia-St. Paul (91-72) and Minnesota State University (70-59).
Cassie Askvig has been the lead point getter for UMary, dropping an average of 19.5 per game. She is currently shooting at a 49.2% (118-240) on the year, 32.9% (24-73) from beyond the arc and 81.8% (72-88) from the charity stripe. She's been able to grab 6.6 rebounds per game, sitting third on the team. The Marauders have three other point scorers averaging over 10 points a game, with Lexie Schneider sitting behind Askvig with 10.9 per game. Schneider is leading the team rebounding, grabbing an average of 8.2 per game, with Askvig and Lauren Rotunda both averaging over six per game as well. Schneider is currently shooting at a 57.7% (71-123) from the floor this season while averaging 25.8 minutes a night.

SCOUTING REPORT ON MINOT STATE: The Beavers are coming off a weekend where they would drop two games, starting with Minnesota State University where they would fall 85-54 before heading to St. Paul, Minn. to take on Concordia-St. Paul, ultimately falling to the Golden Bears 84-74. Minot State University carries a 3-9 overall record while going 0-8 in the NSIC, sitting 8th in the northern division and 16th in the overall standings. Mark Graupe is at the head coaching position, and holds a 30-38 (.441) all time record while being with the Beavers in three seasons.
Since the last meeting between the two teams, Minot State has gone 0-5. The Beavers have fallen to St. Cloud State University (80-56), Northern State University (65-46), Minnesota State University-Moorhead (72-62), University of Mary (81-60), Minnesota State University (85-54) and Concordia-St. Paul (84-74).
Leading the way for the Beavers is Mariah Payne. Payne has lead the way on the scoring front for Minot State, dropping an average of 17.4 points a game while being able to grab 4.1 rebounds per game, sitting 5th. The Beavers have five other scorers averaging over five points a game, including Bethany Theodore, who is dropping 8.3 per game and grabbing 2.4 rebounds a game. Theodore leads the team in assists, dishing out a total of 38 on the year.

THE SERIES: The Marauders have a slight edge in the in the past 10 years these two teams have met. Since the 2009-10 season, UMD is 9-11 against UMary. The Bulldogs have won the past two and the past three of four games. UMD has fared better against Minot State. Since the 09-10 season, the Bulldogs hold an 11-5 record, with the past four match ups going to UMD.

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs opened up the fresh decade with a weekend sweep of two tough opponents. UMD would first top the Bemidji State University Beavers in a cruising victory 62-41. The Bulldogs would battle against the University of Minnesota-Crookston that would come down to the final basket with the UMD walking away with a 68-67 victory and improve to 8-0 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 RANK	WABC
UMD	11-3	1ST	RV
UMARY	11-6	8TH	NR
MISU	3-9	16TH	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 34.6 rebounds per game, a big part of that is Brooke Olson, who is sitting 12th in the NSIC for rebounds per game, averaging 6.5 per game. Katie Stark is another top rebounder, who is grabbing an averaging of 6.2 per game, good for 15th in the NSIC.

PASS ME THE ROCK: The Bulldogs are currently in 2nd in the NSIC in assists per game, averaging 15.36, and 4th for total assists with 215.  Sophomore guard Maesyn Thiesen is leading the way, leading the NSIC in assists per game with 4.6 (43rd in DII) and sits in 2nd in total assists with 65. Ann Simonet has helped along the way, with an average of 2.4 per game (23rd in the NSIC) and 34 overall (19th 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.

ON TAP: The Bulldogs will prepare to host another duo of NSIC opponents next weekend, first taking on Minnesota State (Jan. 17) before playing host to Concordia-St. Paul (Jan. 18).