THE OPENING TIP

No. 10 UMD women's basketball (17-2 overall, 14-0 NSIC) will stick around Duluth this weekend to play host to a pair of opponents from the NSIC South. First comes Wayne State on Friday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. followed by Augustana on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 5:30 p.m. These will be the next two foes to attempt to blemish what is currently a 13-game undefeated streak for UMD.

 

LAST TIME OUT

These Bulldogs sure do know how to make it a party wherever they go.

Friday's contest in Sioux Falls was a bit of a party platter in terms of offerings. Like scoring? UMD put up 72 points on 50.9% shooting from the field? Defense more your thing? The Bulldogs still managed to hold the Cougars to just 54 total points. And operating as a through-line was Brooke Olson, who tallied a double-double of 29 points and 11 rebounds.

On Saturday, it was time for fireworks. 

UMD's matchup with Southwest Minnesota State saw a grand total of 142 points scored across its runtime. For their (winning) efforts, the Bulldogs put up 87. A grand total of 35 of those tallies belong to a single player: Olson. The graduate forward walked into Saturday with a storied career and walked out of it with another chapter- 35 points is the most she's ever scored in a single game. Would you believe it if we said she did this on 15-21 (71.4%) shooting from the field? Believe it or not, it's true.

But there's still so much left to be seen from the weekend. Take Taya Hakamaki, for example. Her efforts on Saturday left her with a new career-high in assists with five. That was just one figure out of what was a 14-point, six-rebound, four-steal outing for the junior guard. And what about Maesyn Thiesen? An offensive stalwart for the Bulldogs across her entire career, the graduate guard was finally able to cash in all of her dimes for a major milestone: a spot on the top five assists list in UMD school history. Thiesen's current tally of 231 assists lands her right at No. 5- with plenty of room left to jump up.

All things considered, it's safe to say the Bulldogs had a pretty pleasant road trip. Time to let the good times roll in Romano.

RANKINGS ROUNDUP

Another resounding success of a weekend called for yet another week of rankings boosts. The Bulldogs jumped from No. 13 to No. 10 in the WBCA Coaches Poll, entering the top ten for the first time this season and the first time overall since March of 2021. Why not complete the collection- UMD also joined the upper echelon of the D2SIDA Media Poll by kicking up five spots from No. 11 to No. 6. Its the first time they've been in this top ten since they were (coincidentally) No. 6 back in February of 2021. And as a cherry on top, UMD finds itself at No. 1 in the D2SIDA Regional Rankings, also a first since February of 2021.

STATS STATUS REPORT

At this point, merely saying that Olson leads her team in scoring isn't enough- we have to think bigger. The graduate forward's clip of 20.3 points a game is 10th in the entirety of DII women's basketball right now. And why not do it all at a shooting percentage of 52.3% from the field? To top it off, Olson also leads UMD in average rebounds with 7.2 a night. 

Ella Gilbertson has also proven to be a consistent scoring threat for the Bulldogs, currently rounding out UMD's list of double-digit averagers with 10.3 points a night. She's especially scary from beyond the arc- the junior guard is shooting 42.1% from deep right now. 

Predictably, Thiesen leads the club in average assists with 3.6 dimes a night. And on the defensive side of the ball, Hakamaki has continued to be a nightmare for opposing teams. The junior guard averages 2.1 steals a game right now.

As a unit, the Bulldogs have maintained what has undeniably been a winning recipe of statistical figures: a shut-down defense with a reliable offense on the other end. UMD sits at 15th in the entire nation in scoring defense, holding teams to an average of just 55.4 points a night. Meanwhile, the Bulldog offense works at an efficiency clip of 46.2% from the field, good for 11th in all the land. 

THE RHOADE TO 500

With just 25 more points across two home contests this weekend, Taytum Rhoades would hit the 500-point mark for her career. The senior guard added 20 points towards her effort last weekend, leaving her at 475 in-all. 
 

SCOUTING REPORT ON WAYNE STATE (10-8 OVERALL, 6-8 NSIC)

COACHING CONVO

The Cougars are led by fifth-year head coach Brent Pollari. Prior to what will have been a half-decade of seasons in Wayne, Pollari found his start in the NCAA world with DIII program Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. The Cardinals enjoyed three years of success under Pollari, compiling an overall record of 50-29 (63.3% winning percentage) and making the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs two times. Pollari even won the MIAC Coach of the Year award for his efforts in Saint Mary's 21-6 campaign in 2015-16 that saw the team finish second in the MIAC and make it all the way to the MIAC Playoff Championship game.

Through four seasons and change with the Wildcats, Pollari has essentially broken even, amassing a 56-61 record (47.9% winning percentage). His tenure started with a 2018-19 campaign that saw the team finish exactly 15-15. The Wildcats would qualify for the NSIC Tournament in Pollari's inaugural effort, even winning their opening-round matchup against Mary off of a three-pointer with just 1.8 on the clock. This would be the end of the line, though, as Wayne would fall to Sioux Falls in the quarterfinals. Record-wise, the Wildcats fared a little better in year number two of the Pollari experience, going 16-13. They even started with a 16-7 mark before closing the year with six-consecutive losses, including a 75-62 defeat at the hands of St. Cloud State in the first round of the NSIC Tourney. Then came a COVID-shortened 2020-21 effort that saw the team finish below .500 for the first time under Pollari's watch at 6-10. There'd be no NSIC Tournament talk this time around.
 

2021-22 IN A NUTSHELL

The Cougars finished last season with a 9-15 overall record. This marked the first time Wayne State's registered back-to-back losing campaigns since 1996-97 and 1997-98. The team's 6-14 tally in the NSIC failed to qualify it for the NSIC Tournament. 
 

DROPPING THE HAMMER

When it rains, it pours.

Through what proved to be a below-.500 campaign last season, one player's storyline still served as a constant glimmer of hope: that of Kylie Hammer. The guard absolutely burst onto the scene in 2021-22. The season prior, she'd averaged a reliable 9.8 points- last year, that clip skyrocketed to a team-leading 20.1 points. It was enough for Hammer to not only make the NSIC All-Conference First Team but also be crowned the outright NSIC South Player of the Year. Not bad for a senior send-off. 

See, that's the thing- last season was Hammer's last as a Wildcat. Just as quickly as her 20-point dependency had appeared, it had vanished. Rebounding from a below-standards season would already be enough- trying to fill this scoring void in the process sure wouldn't make it any easier.
 

STRENGTH IN SENIORITY 

Alas… here we are. Wayne State is currently 10-8 overall. They'd still like to make up some ground on the NSIC front with that 6-8 conference mark, but there's still plenty of season left to be played. Well, the whole leading through experience thing seemed to work last year- why not try that again, but two-fold?

At the top of the scoring charts for Wayne so far this season is Lauren Zacharias. The guard had a commendable outing last year, averaging 12 points to go along with five rebounds and 2.83 assists a night. As a senior, Zacharias has done nothing but improve. She's now scoring a team-high 16.1 points a night, all-the-while being just as reliable as she was last year elsewhere on the court. The guard's rebounding clip of five has maintained itself while her assist game has seen a slight boost, jumping to 2.94 dimes a contest. Zacharias has also become a bit of a defensive pest- she's snagging 2.2 steals a night so far this year.

Rounding out Wayne State's list of double-digit scorers is Kassidy Pingel, another senior. The forward was a reliable option for the Wildcats last year, firing at clips of 7.1 points and 5.2 rebounds a night. Pingel's rebounding totals have dipped slightly through 2022-23 thus far- she's averaging 3.2 boards this season. However, what she's lost in rebounding, she's gained in the scoring department. The guard's averaging 10.2 points a contest right now

 

SOPHOMORE SWIPER

There's one more name in particular that UMD should really be on the lookout for- especially when the Bulldogs have the ball in their hands.

Enter Maya Fitzpatrick. As just a freshman last season, the forward did a little bit of everything. She averaged 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals throughout her debut campaign. Fitzpatrick's numbers have mostly stabilized to similar marks to last year through her sophomore season so far- except for one thing. When it comes to generating steals, Fitzpatrick's game has seen marked improvement. The guard now averages a team-high 2.78 swipes a contest, which lands her at 22nd in the nation in that regard (third in the NSIC) . It's the highest mark in an overall team clip of 11.6 steals that's good for 26th in the nation.

SCOUTING REPORT ON AUGUSTANA (17-3 OVERALL, 13-11 NSIC)

 

THREE DECADES WITH DAVE

Sports are sports. For as emotional and dramatic as they can sometimes be, at their core are measurable stats and figures that often end up spitting out in similar ways. It's often a wacky world, but it isn't one that can't be reliably studied and discussed.

Every once and a while, though, you stumble across something that feels like an exception. On one hand, the numbers are right in front of you, just like they always are- they aren't telling a lie. But something about what you're seeing just seems… improbable. You check a few other places to cross-reference, but sure enough, it's real.

The story of Dave Krauth is one such example.

Krauth has been the head coach of the Augustana women's basketball team for what has now been 34 seasons. Thirty-four. Reader, that's longer than the person writing the words that appear in front of you has been alive- and then some. This run has seen six different U.S. presidencies. Whatever way you want to try to quantify it… good luck.

Somehow, if you can believe it, this just gets more unbelievable. Of the 33 completed seasons that Krauth has overseen, 33 of them have ended above .500. No typo there- Krauth has never had a losing campaign. Once. A popular 2000s pop figure once told us that everybody makes mistakes- perhaps we need to reevaluate.

All of this culminates in an overall record of 687-299. That's a 69.7% winning percentage, which would be pretty impressive across a 10-year span, much less triple that time.  

And you don't even have to look all that far back to find some of the peaks of this legendary run. Take 2012-13 for example, a season that saw Krauth and company finish with a new program-best wins mark at 28-7. The Vikings did a little more than just win the NSIC Tournament that year- they went all the way to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight.

Quite literally the only way to top a school-record type of season is to, well, set the record all over again. That's exactly what Krauth's Augustana club did in 2017-18 when it finished the year with a whopping 29-4 overall record. The Vikings started that season by winning 14-consecutive games. They'd take a triple crown of the NSIC South, NSIC Regular Season and NSIC Tournament titles (the regular season title was shared) en route to a Sweet Sixteen appearance that year. For his efforts, Krauth would take home the 2018 NSIC Coach of the Year Award.

Closer and closer we creep to the present day, but things just keep coming up aces for Krauth and the Vikings. Just look at the 2020-21 season. In what was a COVID-shortened campaign, Augustana still finished with double-digit wins at 12-5 and took the NSIC South Title. Krauth added yet another NSIC Coach of the Year honor to his resume after that one.

That makes two personal accolades and a charcuterie board of team feats of what is a complete list of awards and recognitions that could fill an entire library. If you're ever in the mood to read a short novel, Krauth's biography on Augustana's website would be a recommendation. 

 

2021-22 IN A NUTSHELL

A winning record is a winning record, but not all of them are necessarily created equal. 

 

For an example of this, look at Augustana's 2021-22 campaign. The Vikings did in fact finish above .500 last year, but their record was just 13-11. There are, of course, several programs around the country that would do anything to finish a season with such a mark. Relative to the "recent" (three-plus decades long) standards in Augustana, though…

 

THE LAST FRONTIER COMES CALLING

And it never helps having to try to bounce back in a new season when a key piece is no longer on the roster heading into it.

Last year, Vishe' Rabb was a major force for the Vikings. She closed the year third on the team in both points per game (12.7) and rebounds per game (4.9) while sitting in second in average assists with 2.8. But over the summer, Rabb made the trek all the way through the Great White North to join up with the Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage. 

 

THE SIOUX FALLS BIG FOUR

But there was always far more than just one Viking on the ship. So far this season, the talented crew that remained has already blown last year's results out of the water- and that might be underselling it.

Augustana is 17-3. By Jan. 13, the Vikings had already secured more wins this season than they'd gotten through all of their 2021-22 outing. It's a group that holds a commanding 11-3 mark in NSIC competition, leaving them atop the NSIC South with Minnesota State in that regard. 

Conversations about what's gone right for Augustana so far this year should probably start with someone that's been a reason for this team's success far beyond just this season- Aislinn Duffy.

Duffy had nothing short of a special run through 2021-22. The forward averaged 15 points last year. That's pretty good! But she also averaged 10.8 rebounds. And 3.8 assists, too. That's more than pretty good. In fact, it's good enough to land you NSIC First Team All-Conference honors. 

She's not quite averaging a double-double these days, but Duffy is still a real force to be reckoned with. The rebounds are down to eight a game, but the scoring is on the upswing. The senior is averaging 16.2 points a game so far this year. Haven't covered the most frightening part yet, though- the efficiency. Duffy is shooting at a clip of 52.4% from the field right now, essentially a 10% bump-up from where she was last season. Through all of this, she's somehow found time to improve as a passer, too. Duffy's averaging 4.3 assists this season.

Next up on the docket Is Lauren Sees. Sees is basically in the midst of a carbon-copy of her 2021-22 campaign this year- which isn't the worst thing imaginable. Last year, the guard averaged 15.4 points, 2.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds a game. Through the start of her junior campaign, Sees is working at clips of 14.3 points, 2.3 assists and 3.4 boards a night.

One player that's having a much different experience this year compared to a season ago is Michaela Jewett. In 2021-22, Jewett tallied 5.5 points and 3.7 rebounds a game across an average playing time of 18 minutes. An increased clip of 26.3 minutes a night sure has done wonders for the dual guard/forward in her junior year. She's now averaging 11.6 points a game, more than double her previous total, while upping her rebounding efforts to 5.7 a night.

Last but not least, there's Jennifer Aadland. Aadland hovered tantalizingly close to averaging double-figures last season at a mark of 8.2 points a night- she was just a freshman. Aadland has been able to see that reality through thus far in 2022-23, as she currently averages 10 points a night. What makes this forward particularly impressive is her relentless accuracy. She's not just shooting 46.3% from the field- she's 52.2% from deep, too. Toss in six rebounds a game, for good measure. 

 

PREMIER STEALER

It'd be just as much of a mistake for us to overlook Kenzie Rensch as it would be for the Bulldog offense to do so on Saturday.

The sophomore guard has been nothing short of a ruthless defender so far this season. She's averaging a clip of 3.25 steals a contest right now. That's not just second in the NSIC- it's sixth in the nation. 

 

OFFENSIVE CONQUEST 

Speaking of national rankings…

This Vikings offense is one to be feared- and the stats prove it. Augustana's is the 19th-highest scoring offense in the country at a clip of 76.2 points a game. The Vikings outscore opponents by an average of 16 points, which is 18th in the nation. Both of these marks are second in the NSIC. When it comes to assists, though, there is little in-conference competition. Augustana is quite an offensive machine in terms of its team play, and a 16.2 assists average is good evidence of that. That tally is the best in the NSIC and 22nd nationally. 

 

THE BROADCAST

Can't make it to Romano this weekend? Don't fret! Catch all of the action live through the NSIC Network by following the links below:

 

vs Wayne State (Friday, Jan. 27 @ 7:30 p.m.): bit.ly/3XZKtSm

vs Augustana (Saturday, Jan. 28 @ 5:30 p.m.): bit.ly/3HAqJiz

 

UP NEXT

UMD will meet up with some familiar faces (for the first time in a long time) in new places next weekend, as road matchups against MSU Moorhead and Northern State are on the slate. The Bulldogs will dance with the Dragons on Friday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. before playing the Wolves in Aberdeen on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 6:00 p.m.