UMD Bulldogs "ALLETE" Moments: Competition
Throughout this year, UMD Athletics is partnering with Minnesota Power, ALLETE to highlight the Bulldogs accomplishments in the 3 C's: Classroom, Competition, Community.
No. 13 UMD women's basketball's Brooke Olson was named the NSIC North's Player of the Week on Monday, per a conference release. It's the second time this season that the graduate forward has earned the accolade, the sixth time across what has been a storied career.
It's the very fact that Olson has seen so much success across her tenure as a Bulldog that makes what she did this weekend a real sight to behold. Just when you think she's ticked all the boxes she could possibly tick… she outdoes herself. In game number 126 in her career on Saturday against SMSU, Olson tallied a new personal best in points with 35. And it didn't just come by way of a total shooting frenzy- the 6'2" Rice Lake, Wis. native was efficient in her effort. Those points came on 15-21 (71.4%) shooting from the field.
Perhaps Olson's effort the day prior in Sioux Falls should have served as a sign of what was to come. The graduate forward wouldn't quite set personal benchmarks against the Cougars, but a 29-point, 11-rebound double-double (her third double-double of the month of January alone) isn't a terrible consolation. It sure doesn't hurt that she shot 57.1% while going 12-21 from the field in the process.
All-told, Olson ended the weekend averaging 32 points- that was the highest PPG mark in the entire NSIC over that span. Her cumulative shooting percentage of 64.3% was fourth-best in the conference. She also averaged 7.5 rebounds a game for good measure.
Olson leads UMD in points per game (20.3) and rebounds per game (7.2) through 19 contests so far this season. The graduate forward's been a pivotal part of what's evolved into a 13-game winning streak for the Bulldogs, as she's registered double-digit points in each of the victories across that span.
UMD (17-2 overall, 14-0 NSIC) will look to stay hot and remain undefeated in conference play as it hosts a pair of NSIC South foes in Romano this weekend. The Bulldogs first welcome Wayne State on Friday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. before Augustana comes to town on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 5:30 p.m.
About Minnesota Power, ALLETE:
Our bold vision centers on our commitment to climate, customers and communities. We're a clean-energy leader under our EnergyForward strategy, already delivering 50% renewable energy ahead of all other Minnesota utilities. Now we're doubling down on that with a vision to deliver 100% carbon-free energy to customers reliably and affordably by 2050. Learn more at: https://www.mnpower.com/CarbonFreeEnergyVision
