The University of Minnesota Duluth women's basketball team heads out on the road to North Dakota this weekend to take on the University of Mary Marauders on Friday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 PM and the Minot State University Beavers on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 5:30 PM.

Last Time Out

The Bulldogs bounced back from their loss to St. Cloud State  to collect a weekend sweep at home against Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston.

UMD started the night off against the Beavers slowly, falling to a 17-13 deficit after the first before pushing BSU to a 36-36 tie by the halftime break. The Bulldogs went on to grab a 52-47 lead in the third quarter and held on to that lead to close out the night with a 74-60 victory.

The Bulldogs continued the momentum into the next game, grabbing a 31-26 lead by the halftime break against the Golden Eagles. UMC was able to bounce back going into the second half, pushing a 50-50 tie by the end of the third and grabbing a 64-58 lead late into the final quarter. UMD was able to collect an eight point scoring run, finished off by a game winning Moorjani three pointer, to end the game and collect the 66-64 victory.

Last Week's Spotlight Players

#42 Lexi Karge - 2 GP, 31 PTS, 19 REB, 4 A, 2 STL, 1 BLK

#45 Johanna Miller - 2 GP, 28PTS, 13 REB, 3 A, 1 BLK

#11 Myra Moorjani - 2 GP, 20 PTS, 7 A, 1 BLK, 1 STL

Scouting Report - University of Mary

The University of Mary Marauders are 9-7 overall and 6-6 against NSIC opponents throughout the 2024-25 season, most recently falling to both Sioux Falls and SMSU last weekend.

The Bulldogs are 9-12 against the Marauders since 2013, holding a 7-3 home record, 1-8 away record, and a 1-1 neutral site record against UMary. UMD's largest margin of victory over the Marauders has been 33 points (73-40, Feb. 2015), most recently falling to the Marauders 75-83 in last season's NSIC tournament semifinals.

The Marauders are currently led in scoring by sophomore guard #13 Bergan Kinnebrew, who is averaging 13.9 points per game with 209 total points over 15 games this season.

Scouting Report - Minot State

The Minot State University Beavers are 5-14 overall and 4-8 against NSIC opponents throughout the 2024-25 season, most recently coming off a split weekend with a loss to Wayne State and a win over Augustana.

The Bulldogs are 17-5 against the Beavers since 2013, holding a 11-1 home record and 6-4 away record over MSU. UMD's largest margin of victory over Minot State has been 28 points (79-51, Jan. 2019), and most recently lost to the Beavers 54-66 in February last season.

The Beavers are currently led in scoring by sophomore guard #24 Maya Aguilar, who is averaging 11.2 points per game with 213 total points over 19 games.

Bulldogs Against the Rest

The Bulldogs, as a team, rank within the top three throughout the NSIC in two different statistical categories and top five throughout the NSIC in three different categories. These categories include: 

Assist/Turnover Ratio - 1.06 (4th in NSIC, 36th in NCAA)

Fouls Per Game - 14.4 (2nd in NSIC, 27th in NCAA)

Turnovers Per Game - 13.4 (1st in NSIC, 20th in NCAA)

UMD Slated Eight in NSIC Preseason

The University of Minnesota Duluth women's basketball team was slated to finish eighth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) preseason coaches poll. The Bulldogs received 119 points in the conference poll after finishing the 2023-24 season in the semifinal round of the NSIC tournament.

Moorjani Named NSIC Player to Watch

Junior guard Myra Moorjani has been named UMD's NSIC Player to Watch for the 2024-25 season. While she made an appearance in all 29 games, Moorjani became a mainstay member in the Bulldogs' starting five for the final 10 games of the 2023-24 season. Moorjani tallied 181 total points last season while averaging 6.2 points per game, 3.0 rebounds per game, and was third on the team with 40 total assists.

Offseason Losses

The Bulldogs graduated a large majority of their veterans, including losing a large majority of their starting five from the previous season.

Taytum Rhoades leaves UMD after a career season with the Bulldogs. Rhoades led the team in total points, assists, steals, and blocks last season, and closed things out with a NSIC All Conference first team nod.

Ella Gilbertson leaves the program after leading the team in total rebounds throughout 2023-24. Gilbertson was the only other Bulldog member to receive an all conference nod, being named to the NSIC All Conference second team last season.

Taya Hakamaki was able to lead the team last season in average points per game despite missing the final 10 games with a knee injury. Hakamaki ended her time at UMD as a career 90.1% free throw shooter.

Madelyn Granica set new career highs in nine different statistical categories throughout the 2023-24 season. Granica closed out her UMD career with 689 total points.

Abby Johnson spent the last two years of her college career with the Bulldogs after transfering from the University of Nebraska Omaha. Throughout her 38 appearances with the Bulldogs, Johnson collected 172 points, 56 rebounds, and 15 blocks.

Gus Boyer made 51 total appearances for the Bulldogs throughout her college career. A member of the Bulldogs three consecutive conference championship wins, Boyer collected 46 points, 51 rebounds, and 16 steals while at UMD.

Last Season

The Bulldogs closed out their season with a 19-10 overall record, falling in the semifinal round of the NSIC tournament to the University of Mary Marauders.

UMD carried the momentum from their one point win in their regular season finale against St. Cloud State into a dominant 73-69 home victory in the opening round of the tournament over the University of Sioux Falls.

The Bulldogs stayed alive in their first matchup at the Sanford Pentagon, turning a three point deficit after the third quarter into a nine point comeback victory over Concordia St Paul. UMD would go on to fall 75-83 in their semifinal matchup against the University of Marauders.

Looking Ahead

Bulldog women's basketball will play one more road game against the Winona State Warriors before returning to Romano Gymnasium for a rematch with the Concordia St. Paul Golden Bears. Tip-off against the Warriors is currently set for Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 7:30 PM.