True freshman guard Joshua Brown was an unsurprising bright spot offensively for the Bulldogs in a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games against at the University of Mary at historic Romano Gym last weekend.


Brown, a 6-foot-4 three-point sharpshooter from Minneapolis, scored 16 points in UMD's 72-50 win over the Marauders on Friday, and exploded for a career-high 19 points in an 80-70 loss Saturday. He was 9-for 20 from beyond the arc in the series.


"So far, so good," said Brown, who is averaging 15.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs, through three games. "Everything's been limited because of COVID, but I really like my teammates and the program, which has exceeded my expectations in every way. Coach (Justin) Wick is a perfect for the program, and his personality fits with our guys."


UMD (2-1 overall and 1-1 in the conference) will play host to Minnesota State University Moorhead (4-2, 4-0) on Friday and Saturday at Romano Gym.


So, do the Bulldogs have the horses to make a strong run for a NSIC conference championship and nab an NCAA tournament berth?


"Yeah, we do," said Brown, candidly. "I think we get overlooked because of how young we are, how many true freshmen we have playing. We can make a run because of how well we mesh together and how well we're coached. As the year goes on, we'll keep getting better and gain more experience."


Editor's Note: Howie, the dean of local sports columnists, is a longtime fan of Bulldogs men's and women's teams.


*Guest column from Howie Hanson, Editor & Publisher, The Duluth Times