The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team prepares for a home and away schedule before the holiday break, hosting the Winona State University Warriors at Romano Gym on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 7:30 PM and taking on the Concordia St. Paul Golden Bears on the road on Saturday, Dec. 21, at 3:00 PM.

 

Last Time Out 

 

The Bulldogs continued to defend their home court just like they have done all season long, picking up a pair of wins against the Augustana University Vikings and the Wayne State College Wildcats at Romano Gymnasium to break their three game losing streak and remain undefeated at home.

 

UMD jumped out to an early first half lead and maintained their lead to go into the halftime break with a 38-29 advantage over the Vikings. Augustana would battle back to take over the lead to open the second half, but 11 unanswered points for the Bulldogs swung things back in their favor to collect the win.

 

After opening the afternoon at a 13-9 deficit against the Wildcats, UMD battled back with excellent three point shooting to take a 37-32 advantage before the halftime break. The Bulldogs would hold on to the lead throughout the rest of the game, widening the margin throughout the rest of the afternoon to take home the 83-66 victory.

 

Last Weekend's Spotlight Players

 

#4 Caleb Siwek - 2 GP, 34 PTS, 9 REB, 5 A, 57.8 FG%

 

#1 Joshua Brown - 2 GP, 22 PTS, 15 REB, 3 A, 2 STL

 

#24 Charlie Katona - 2 GP, 25 PTS, 19 REB, 8 A, 2 BLK, 2 STL

 

Scouting Report - Winona State University 

 

The Winona State University Warriors are 8-3 overall and 3-2 against NSIC opponents throughout 2024-25, most recently coming off a loss to the Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs.

 

The Bulldogs are 8-8 against the Warriors since 2014, holding a 4-4 home record, 2-4 away record, and a 2-0 neutral site record against WSU. UMD's largest margin of victory over the Warriors has been 22 points (81-59, Jan. 2021), and the Bulldogs defeated the Warriors 90-76 in their most recent matchup in March of last season.

 

The Warriors are currently led in scoring by sophomore guard #7 Luke Haertle who is averaging 18.0 PPG with 198 total points over 11 games with the Warriors this season.

 

Scouting Report - Concordia St. Paul

 

The Concordia St. Paul Golden Bears are 9-2 overall and 4-1 against NSIC opponents throughout 2024-25, most recently coming off a two point win over the Augustana University Vikings. 

 

The Bulldogs are 8-4 against the Golden Bears since 2014, holding a 4-1 home record and 4-3 away record against CSP. The Bulldogs' largest margin of victory against the Golden Bears has been 35 (106-71, Jan. 2022), and UMD defeated CSP 92-69 in their most recent matchup in December of last season.

 

The Golden Bears are currently led in scoring by senior guard #0 Antwan Kimmons who is averaging 23.5 points with 259 total points over 11 games with the Golden Bears this season.

 

Bulldogs Against the Rest

 

The Bulldogs rank within the top five in the NSIC in 12 different statistical categories, including four different categories where they rank within the top three. These categories include:

 

Blocks Per Game - 3.8 (4th in NSIC, 62nd in NCAA)

Effective FG Percentage - 0.538 (5th in NSIC, 82nd in NCAA)

Fastbreak Points - 9.20 (4th in NSIC, 189th in NCAA)

Field Goal Percentage Defense - 40.8 (2nd in NSIC, 41st in NCAA)

Free Throw Attempts per Game - 21.8 (3rd in NSIC, 79th in NCAA)

Rebounds Margin - 5.3 (4th in NSIC, 53rd in NCAA)

Scoring Defense - 64.3 (2nd in NSIC, 16th in NCAA)

Scoring Margin - 11.1 (2nd in NSIC, 42nd in NCAA)

Steals per Game - 7.3 (4th in NSIC, 135th in NCAA)

Three Point Percentage Defense - 31.1 (4th in NSIC, 73rd in NCAA)

Turnover Margin - 1.5 (4th in NSIC, 99th in NCAA)

Turnovers Forced per Game - 12.8 (4th in NSIC, 167th in NCAA)

 

The Bulldogs' Caleb Siwek also ranks first in the conference and seventh in NCAA Divisions II for individual free throw percentage.

 

Caleb Siwek - Free Throw Percentage - 96.2 (1st in NSIC, 7th in NCAA)

 

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.

 

Offseason Departures

 

The Bulldogs will see some changes in the rotation from last season, suffering huge losses with the graduation of Drew Blair and Jack Middleton, and with the transfer of Lincoln Meister.

 

Drew Blair was the premiere player in the Bulldog's offensive scheme last season, breaking the program's all time scoring record at the beginning of the season against Oklahoma Baptist and going on to lead the team in four different statistical categories (total points, points per game, rebounds, and steals). 

 

Jack Middleton was the cornerstone of the Bulldog's leadership, and proved himself as one of the most accurate shooters on the team. Middleton ended his career with the Bulldogs as a 40.8% 3-pt shooter and an 89.8% free throw shooter.

 

Lincoln Meister was the Bulldog's primary sixth man option, serving as a dominant presence under the rim and an elite blocker. Ending the season with 32 blocks, UMD loses one of their strongest defensive big men with his transfer to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

 

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

 

The Bulldogs will play another weekend on the road to launch the second half of their NSIC schedule after the holiday break, taking on the Northern State University Wolves and the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons. Tip-off against the Wolves is currently set for Friday, Jan. 3, at 7:30 PM.