The University of Minnesota Duluth women's basketball team returns to Romano Gymnasium for the first time in 2025 to take on the St. Cloud State University Huskies on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 1:00 PM, for their annual Sophie's Squad mental health awareness game.
Last Time Out
The Bulldogs walked away with a weekend split to open up the new year and the second half of their 2024-25 schedule, falling to the Northern State University Wolves on Friday and bouncing back with a win over the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons on Saturday in back to back road games.
UMD got out to a strong start against the Wolves to open the weekend, taking a two point 18-16 advantage by the end of the first quarter. However, the Bulldogs struggled to maintain their momentum and were out-scored 26-6 in the second and the 23-7 in the fourth to fall to NSU 73-43.
The Bulldogs were firing on all cylinders for a bounce back game against the Dragons, taking a 34-23 lead by the halftime intermission. UMD continued to strengthen their lead throughout the rest of the game, out-scoring MSUM 40-22 in the second half to collect their first win of 2025.
Last Week's Spotlight Players
#42 Lexi Karge - 2 GP, 28 PTS, 15 REB, 5 BLK, 1 A, 1 STL
#4 Maria Counts - 2 GP, 18 PTS, 9 REB, 8 A, 3 STL, 1 BLK
#23 Claire Bjorge - 2 GP, 18 PTS, 5 REB, 4 A, 3 STL
Scouting Report - St. Cloud State University
The St. Cloud State University Huskies are 8-6 overall and 5-4 against NSIC opponents, most recently coming off a 17 point loss to the Concordia St. Paul Golden Bears on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs are 14-12 against the Huskies since 2013, holding a 8-4 home record, 3-7 away record, and a 3-1 neutral site record against SCSU. UMD's largest margin of victory against the Huskies has been 23 points (63-29, March 2022), and defeated the Huskies 64-63 in their most recent matchup last season.
The Huskies are currently led in scoring by junior guard #11 Jada Eggebrecht, who is averaging 13.7 points per game with 192 total points over 14 games this season.
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 four different categories. These categories include:
Assist/Turnover Ratio - 1.02 (5th in NSIC, 43rd in NCAA)
Blocks Per Game - 3.7 (5th in NSIC, 57th in NCAA
Fouls Per Game - 14.6 (1st in NSIC, 35th in NCAA)
Turnovers Per Game - 14.1 (1st in NSIC, 37th 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 continue their three game homestand next weekend against the Bemidji State University Beavers and the University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles. Tip-off against the Beavers is currently set for Friday, Jan. 17, at 7:30 PM.
