Last weekend, the Bulldogs hosted the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs on Friday, followed by the Sioux Falls Cougars on Saturday.
   The Bulldogs struggled to gain a rhythm on the offensive end of the floor as the Mustangs took a 9-4 lead at the first media timeout. The Mustangs managed to respond with a couple of three-pointers down the stretch as they took a 16-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.
    After another Mustangs basket, the Bulldogs managed to get a few consecutive stops on the defensive end as they were able to cut into the Mustang lead and eventually took a 23-22 lead thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Maesyn Thiesen. From there, the Bulldogs scored two baskets before halftime to take a 35-26 lead.
The second half began with a Brooke Olson three-pointer early in the third quarter. From there, the Bulldogs once again went on a big run as they went on a 13-5 run over the next five minutes to take a 51-35 lead with :51 seconds remaining. From there, the Bulldogs managed to get a couple stops to end the quarter as they took a 51-35 lead into the fourth quarter.
     The Bulldogs managed to slowly build up there lead throughout the quarter as they took a 60-43 lead with 3:44 remaining thanks to a Brooke Olson three-point play. The rest of the game, the Bulldogs defense once again stepped up and closed out the Mustangs and kept them out of reach. The Bulldogs went on to win the game 65-49.
   The Bulldogs began the game with a three-pointer on the opening possession from Ann Simonet. After back-to-back stops, the Bulldogs managed to take a 17-15 lead thanks to a Madelyn Granica three-pointer. Granica hit another three-pointer down the stretch to extend the Bulldog lead to 20-15. Teams once again traded baskets towards the end of the quarter as the Bulldogs took a 22-20 first quarter lead.
     Brooke Olson started the scoring for the Bulldogs with a layup to begin the quarter. Granica followed that up with yet another first half three-pointer. Despite the Bulldogs hot shooting, the Cougars responded with hot shooting of their own as they managed to keep pace with the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs maintained their lead as they took a 40-35 lead into halftime.
    The Bulldogs managed to slowly inch their way ahead after a Taytum Rhoades layup gave the Bulldogs a 48-41 lead with 5:18 remaining in the quarter. Kaylee Nelson followed it up with a three-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 3 point lead as they led 51-41. The Bulldogs stayed hot throughout the end of the quarter as they took a 60-47 lead into the fourth quarter.
    A Brooke Olson layup and a Kaylee Nelson three-pointer started the scoring for the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter. Despite the quick start, the Cougars battled their way back into the game as they got the Bulldogs lead down to 10 points as they trailed 67-57 with 6:29 remaining. From there, the Bulldogs managed to close out the game from the free-throw line as they won the game 76-66.
Coming into the matchup, the Bulldogs are currently 14-4 (12-2)... MSU Moorhead currently has a 6-10 (5-7) record... Northern State is currently 10-10 (7-8).
Previous Meetings
The Bulldogs have had the slight edge over the Dragons in recent history as they have won 3 of the last 5 meetings. The Dragons however have had the Bulldogs number since the 2013-14 season as they have a 6-11 advantage over the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs won their last matchup on 12/18/2021 when they won 54-37.
Coming into the matchup with the Wolves, the Bulldogs have won 8 straight matchups, dating back to the 2018-29 season. Their last matchup came on 12/17/2021 when the Bulldogs won a close one as they won 66-62.
Scouting the Dragons
Coming into this weekend, the Dragons currently rank 15th in the conference averaging 59.4 points per game. They also rank 6th in the conference as they are allowing just 63.9 points per game. The Dragons are led by Peyton Boom who is averaging 15.3 points per game, good for 7th in the conference. Boom also ranks 2nd in the conference with a 52.6% shooting percentage.
Scouting the Wolves
The Wolves ranked 9th in the NSIC averaging 66.1 points per game. They are also 11th in the country as they are allowing 66.9 points per game this year. Kailee Oliverson leads the team with 14.7 points per game, which is 8th in the NSIC this season. Laurie Rogers leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game, which is 4th best in the conference.
Experienced
The Bulldogs feature a very experienced lineup. Their lineup features 3 fifth years, 3 seniors and 5 juniors. This is a team 6 players with over 50 games played, including a trio of players with over 100 games played. The Bulldogs come into the season with a lot of experience of what it takes to make it through a long season and make it to the conference championship game.
NSIC Preseason Player of the Year
Bulldogs senior forward Brooke Olson was named as they NSIC Preseason Player of the Year. So far this season, Olson has averaged 17.9 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game. She has also been awarded the North Division Player of the Week twice this season.
Three of the NSIC's Best
The matchup between Minnesota Duluth, MSU Moorhead and Northern State will feature three of the top ten scorers in the conference. Brooke Olson is 2nd in the conference averaging 17.9 points per game, while Peyton Boom of MSU Moorhead is averaging 15.3 points per game, and Kailee Oliverson of Northern State is averaging 14.7 points.
Efficiency
The Bulldogs are currently the most efficient team in the NSIC this season. The Bulldogs are first in the NSIC in field goal percentage this season as they are shooting 44.5% from the field. They also lead the conference as they are allowing just 36.6% shooting on the defensive end of the floor.
Defensive Battle
The Bulldogs come into the weekend with the second best scoring defense in the NSIC. The Bulldogs are currently allowing just 56.2 points per game this season. MSU Moorhead also ranks towards the top of the conference as they are allowing just 63.9 points per game.
Nationally Ranked
Coming into the season, the Bulldogs were ranked No. 18 in the country according to the WBCA preseason coaches poll. The Bulldogs finished last season ranked No. 12 in the country in the WBCA poll. The Bulldogs also earned the No. 15 rank in the D2SIDA preseason poll. Following their first week of games, the Bulldogs jumped up to the No. 15 spot in the country but following two straight losses, the Bulldogs fell out of the top 25.
