TIP-OFFS
UMD basketball is set to face off against in-state rival St. Cloud State in a doubleheader on Sunday, Dec. 18. The women's team will start off the day's action at 1:00 p.m, the men's game starting right after at 3:00 p.m.
BALLING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND
If you were to read that opening paragraph just a few days ago, it might have made your head ring a little bit. Let's explain how we got to this point.
Continued inclement weather and winter storm advisories led the NSIC to shift some games around. Included in this move was a total rescheduling of both of UMD's originally scheduled doubleheaders against Northern State and MSU Moorhead to after the holiday break. This was an amendment to what was originally a mere postponement, an initial plan that saw the Bulldogs take on some Sunday games against the Dragons.
In this new, final rescheduling, a Sunday slate was retained- with a new opponent. Rather than waiting until New Year's Eve to see the Huskies again, those contests were bumped up to this weekend.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: ST. CLOUD STATE
For the first time this season, the Bulldogs will be facing off against foes they already grew familiar with earlier in the year.
The UMD women's team's contest out in St. Cloud came about as close to going to extra time as a game can get without actually doing so. After trailing by seven at the half, the Huskies came storming back with a 22-13 third quarter to enter the final frame with a two-point lead of their own. It was a fourth quarter that wouldn't be settled until the final buzzer. A Brooke Olson free throw left the Bulldogs up 59-56 with six ticks left on the clock for St. Cloud to navigate to a tie. The Huskies put the ball in the hands of Jada Eggebrecht, their leading scorer both in the game and on the season. The freshman sensation got a shot off, but that's when the Bulldogs played their own hand- more specifically, the hand of Ella Gilbertson, which blocked Eggebrecht's shot and fully sealed the deal on a UMD victory.
That was St. Cloud's first loss in what had been a short three-game stint at that point. An ensuing deficit on the road against Michigan Tech left the Huskies dead-even at 2-2 to start the year. Apparently for St. Cloud, when it comes to losing, twice has been enough for them so far. The team has rattled off five-straight wins since those losses, including four consecutive conference victories. That leaves the Huskies with an overall record of 7-2, an NISC mark of 4-1.
Leading the way for St. Cloud during this stretch and beyond has been Eggebrecht, who's now averaging 14.9 points per game on 53.5% shooting from the field and 42.9% shooting from three. Right behind her is fifth-year veteran Katrina Theis, who's also continued to play a major role for the Huskies. The forward's second on the team with 14.8 points a night, and she's scoring hers at a clip of 58.3% that's 17th in the country, second in the NSIC. Theis is still leading the team in the rebounds department, too, averaging 8.4 boards a night now. Even with all of this going on, she's emerged as the team's leading distributor. Theis is averaging 2.7 assists a night through nine games.
As a unit, St. Cloud's women's team is stout defensively. The Huskies are 24th in the country in scoring defense, allowing an average of just 55.3 points a game. They're quite disciplined throughout that defensive process, too, sitting at 15th in the nation in fouls committed per game with just 13.6.
UMD men's basketball came a little bit closer to hitting overtime with the Huskies because, well, they went to overtime.
That contest was one of ebbs and flows. UMD jumped out to a 9-2 advantage only for St. Cloud to answer with a 31-10 run. It was the Bulldogs' turn to counter, and they did so resoundingly, ending the quarter on a 29-7 stretch. This included scoring nine unanswered points heading into halftime. Through it all, the score was 39-38 UMD at the break.
The Bulldogs were able to maintain their lead for some time in the second half, but the Huskies kept clawing around. Even when UMD's advantage hit as high as nine at a score of 77-68, it didn't take long for things to be knotted up at 81 apiece. The teams continued to trade blows until the buzzer sounded at 85-85.
Once the Bulldogs took the lead in the extra frame, they never let it go. UMD played commanding basketball in OT to eventually take the contest 94-89. And as the smoke settled, Drew Blair stood tall with a career-high 38 points to his name.
After coming up short in the tightly contested all-dogs matchup, St. Cloud fell to a record of 1-3. The Huskies had clearly shown an ability to compete, though- one that really made itself known in their ensuing stretch. St. Cloud rattled off four straight victories after its barn-burner with UMD, two of those falling out of the NSIC and the others residing in-conference. Perhaps it should have been predictable given their efforts against the Bulldogs that this Huskies squad can be a streaky one. St. Cloud will hope this doesn't end up being the case right now, though, as the team has lost its last two NSIC contests, leaving it at a record of 5-5.
If the Huskies are going to buck the trend and cross the right side of the .500 line, a trio of upperclassmen will have to continue to lead the charge. Among them is Matthew Willert, the one Husky to average double-figures last year and return for another season. The junior's now scoring 14.7 points a night to lead the team. And Willert's probably not someone you want to send to the line right now- he's been nearly automatic. His 96.2% free throw percentage is first in the NSIC and third in the entire country. Meanwhile, transfer guard Tommy Chatman is really starting to acclimate to his new home. He's second on the team in scoring with 13.4 a night while leading the team around the boards with an average of 5.2 rebounds. Making much of this possible is fifth-year guard Ryan Bagley, who's emerged as the team's leading passer. He's clocking in at 5.4 assists per game (second in the NSIC) all while being very disciplined with the ball, his 4.15 assist/turnover ratio being seventh-best in the nation and second-best in the conference.
THE BROADCASTS
Can't make it to Romano? No worries- stay safe out there! Gather around the fireplace and catch Sunday's action live through the NSIC Network by clicking the links below:
UMD women's basketball vs St. Cloud State (Sunday, Dec. 18 @ 1:00 p.m.): bit.ly/3hyDNuM
UMD men's basketball vs St. Cloud State (Sunday, Dec. 18 @ 3:00 p.m.): bit.ly/3V4Fn5k
UP NEXT
With St. Cloud coming to town a little earlier than expected, it'll be Northern State filling the Huskies' spot as UMD's New Year's Eve opponent. The women's team will get the day started at 1:00 p.m., followed by the men at 3:00 p.m. Another result of the rescheduling is that the Bulldogs will now face MSU Moorhead on New Year's Day. UMD will ring in the new year with the same time table that they followed to close out 2022, with games at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m
