The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team heads out for their first road contest of the regular season, taking on the Lake Superior State University Lakers on Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 1:00 PM.
Last Time Out
The Bulldogs closed out the inaugural St. Louis County Classic with a pair of wins over the Michigan Tech Huskies and the Northern Michigan Wildcats, improving to an overall 5-0 record on the 2024-25 season.
The Bulldogs started out the St. Louis County Classic strong, thriving in the paint to gain a 34-23 advantage at halftime against the Michigan Tech Huskies. A 20 point effort from Joshua Brown throughout the game allowed the Bulldogs to finish off the game with an 80-70 win.
A 22 point first half from Mattie Thompson gave the Bulldogs a 37-24 lead through the opening 20 minutes against the Northern Michigan Wildcats. UMD would close things out at 79-67, continuing their undefeated streak and moving to 5-0.
Weekend's Spotlight Players
#24 Charlie Katona - 2 GP, 16.5 PPG, 20 REB, 5 A, 5 STL
#12 Mattie Thompson - 2 GP, 16.0 PPG, 5 REB, 2 BLK, 2 STL
#4 Caleb Siwek - 2 GP, 14.0 PPG, 7 REB, 3 A, 8-8 FT
Scouting Report - Lake Superior State
The Lake Superior State University Lakers are 6-1 to start the 2024-25 season, picking up a pair of wins against Missouri-St. Louis and McKendree last weekend. This will be the Bulldogs first matchup against the Lakers in program history.
UMD Slated Third in NSIC Preseason
The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team was slated to finish third in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) in the preseason coaches poll. The Bulldogs received 172 points in the conference poll, including one first place vote, after finishing off the 2023-24 season in the second round of the NCAA Central Region tournament.
Katona Named NSIC Player to Watch
Fifth year senior Charlie Katona was named UMD's NSIC Player to Watch for the 2024-25 season. Katona was a mainstay in the Bulldog starting five last season, starting in all 33 games for the Bulldogs and averaging 28 minutes a game. Katona recorded 424 total points while averaging 12.8 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, and 1.9 assists per game and will enter the season as the reigning NSIC Defensive Player of the Year.
Last Season
The Bulldogs closed out their 2023-24 season with their third straight NCAA tournament appearance, falling in the second round against the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats.
UMD closed out the regular season at second place in the NSIC standings, and would go on to fall in the championship game of the NSIC tournament to the eventual NCAA National Champs, Minnesota State Mankato.
The Bulldogs secured the third seed going into the NCAA Central Region tournament, and closed out the opening round with a buzzer beater layup from Mattie Thompson to defeat Fort Hays State.
UMD ended their season in the semifinal round after a defense driven, 71-62 loss to the Bearcats.
Looking Ahead
Bulldog men's basketball is back in action in the first weekend of December, opening their NSIC schedule on the road against the Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs and the University of Sioux Falls Cougars. Tip-off against the Mustangs is currently scheduled for Friday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 PM.
