The University of Minnesota Duluth women's basketball team returns to Romano Gymnasium for matchups with Winona State University and Concordia University St. Paul. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. tomorrow against WSU, with CSP to follow on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

HEAD COACH MANDY PEARSON'S HITS 300 CAREER WINS: With the victory over St. Cloud State, it marked head coach Mandy Pearson's 300^th career coaching victory, who has been at the helm of the program since 2015. She now has 198 wins as a Bulldog head coach in her 11th season
 
Since taking over the program in 2015, she has led the team to five NCAA II Tournament births, three of which happened back-to-back, with one going all the way to the Championship in the 2022-23 season. Pearson has an overall record of 185-96 with 140-67 in conference play and three NSIC regular-season champion finishes.
 
RECEIVING VOTES: For three weeks in a row, the Bulldogs are receiving votes in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 Poll. 
 
10-0 NSIC START: Through the first ten matches, UMD dominated with ten straight wins with victories against Bemidji State (74-63), Minnesota Crookston (76-54), MSU Moorhead (73-69), Northern State (69-63), Jamestown (82-36), Minot State (83-69), UMary (80-65), Bemidji State (78-50), Sioux Falls (57-42), and SMSU (69-65). This came before falling narrowly to the only undefeated team in the NSIC, #2 Minnesota State Mankato, who is the favorite to win the NSIC South Division.
 
NSIC LEADERS: The team holds fourth in the conference for scoring offense (74.1 avg/g), second in scoring margin (11.1), second in scoring defense (62.9 avg/g), second in field goal percentage (44.7%), third in opponent field goal percentage (39.4%), third in turnover margin (2.94), second in assist/turnover ratio (1.15), fourth in blocked shots (3.75 avg/g), and fifth in assists (15).
 
FIRST NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Claire Bjorge earned both her career's first NSIC North Division Player of the Week award and the team's first of the 2025-26 season. Bjorge earned the selection after scoring a career high and team-leading 25 points in the victory over the University of Minnesota Crookston (76-54). In that effort, she shot an impressive 66.7% (10-15) from the field. Throughout the week, she averaged 21 points and seven rebounds in two conference wins. In the second matchup, she added another 17 points in the 73-69 win over Minnesota State University Moorhead.
 
SIX AND BULLDOG: The Bulldogs shattered the No. 15 (WBCA) ranked Northern Michigan Wildcats in a stunning 85-70 victory on their home court. 
 
Entering the matchup, the Wildcats were on an unbeaten six-game win streak to start the season. That is, until the Bulldogs came to town. In another double-digit point game for four UMD athletes, Claire Bjorge led the way with 20 points, with Myra Moorjani and Lexi Karge following one point behind. Grace Counts put up an 11-point game for the top four UMD scorers to combine for 69 points of 85 total. Karge also led the Bulldogs with eight rebounds to keep the ball out of the Wildcats' hands. 
 
In all, UMD shot 56.9% in field goals, 56.3% from beyond the arc, and 85.7% from the free throw line. Overall, the team combined for season highs in points, field goals made, and free throws made.
 
LAST MATCH: Pearson's Bulldogs were led by Claire Bjorge's 19 total points. Throughout the game, she totaled two rebounds, four assists, and a career high five steals while shooting 46.2% (6-13) from the field, 40% (2-5) from the three-point line, and 71.4% (5-7) from the free throw line. Also helping in the comeback were Myra Moorjani and Karly Jusczak with 14 points each.
 
The first quarter had the Huskies take an 11-2 advantage over the Bulldogs in the first four minutes. With 1:15 remaining, UMD had flipped the score on a 12-2 scoring run off the efforts of Jusczak, Bjorge, Ashley Fritz, Vanessa Bickford, and Moorjani for a 14-13 lead. SCSU reclaimed the lead with five points to UMD's two points in the final 60 seconds to take an 18-16 lead into the second quarter.
 
The Huskies continued to hold off the Bulldogs on an opening 10-9 scoring run for a 28-25 lead with 6:54 to go. Then Karge and Bickford combined for an unanswered four points to give the lead back to the Bulldogs at 29-28. However, SCSU bounced back outscoring UMD 12-2 for a 40-31 lead into the halftime break.
 
The Bulldogs fell further behind as the Huskies put up 15 points, overcoming Moorjani's and Jusczak's eight points. With the score at 55-39 with five minutes remaining, UMD scored five points to cut the lead to 12 before the fourth quarter.
 
The fourth quarter saw the Bulldogs rally with a 25-13 scoring run off the efforts of Bjorge (6), Jusczak (6), Moorjani (5), Fritz (5), Bickford (2), and Karge (1) to force the game into overtime at 69-69.
 
Over the course of the five-minute overtime, UMD remained determined, scoring an unanswered four points in the first four minutes to mark a 73-69 lead. The Bulldog defense held the Huskies to one layup, and with a free throw from Bjorge, they sealed the match at 74-71.
 
Overall, the team struggled in the first three quarters but rallied for a 64.29% (9-14) accuracy from the field, 66.67% (4-6) beyond the arc, and 60% (3-5) from the free throw in the fourth quarter to force overtime. The Bulldogs lost the total rebounding game, only grabbing 33 to the Huskies 50. Maria Counts led the team in rebounds with a career high of 10.

MORE ON THE WARRIORS: Overall, the Bulldogs own an 8-5 record over the Warriors since 2015. However, the Warriors narrowly won the last two matches in the 2024-25 season. Hailey Markworth leads the scoring effort with 277 points so far while shooting 46.4% (103-222) from the field and 79.7% (63-79) from the free throw line.

LAST TIME OUT AGAINST WSU: After falling behind 5-2 to open the night, UMD went on a 5-0 run with 7:58 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Grace Counts, to take a 7-5 lead. The Bulldogs surrendered that lead by the end of the quarter and entered the second down 11-10.
 
WSU added to that lead, building a 17-15 advantage before UMD collected five unanswered points, highlighted by a three from Maria Counts, to take a 20-17 lead. The Warriors responded back to take a 30-22 lead heading into the halftime break.
 
After intermission, UMD cut its deficit to 36-33 before going on a 5-0 run to grab a 38-36 lead with 3:31 to go in the third. Winona State responded yet again to seize a 43-40 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
WSU widened its lead in the fourth, constructing a 48-43 advantage before the Bulldogs collected another five unanswered points, finished off by Karge's layup, to even the score at 48 all with 5:03 to go in the contest. The Bulldogs could not turn their rally into a victory though as the Warriors outscored them 9-5 the rest of the way to close out the game at 57-53. UMD fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down two shots to account for six of its 13 points.
 
The Bulldogs had three players score in double figures, led by Maria Counts, who had 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Johanna Miller added 11 points and two blocks and Lexi Karge chipped in as well with 11 points and eight rebounds.
 
UMD still found success on both sides of the ball, making eight threes on 22 attempts throughout the night while holding Winona State shooters to just 31.7% from the field.

MORE ON THE BEARS: Overall, the Bears hold a narrow advantage since 2014 with an 8-7 record over the Bulldogs. In the last four matchups, CSP owns a 3-1 record, with UMD's lone win coming in 2024 in a 66-57 victory.
The Bears are led by Lauren Wilson, who is averaging 20.1 points, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.5 blocks, and 9.4 rebounds per game. She is currently averaging 53.1% (121-228) from the field, 25.6% (11-43) beyond the arc, and 67.7% (88-130) from the free throw line.
 
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST CSP: After falling behind 11-7 to open the afternoon, UMD went on a 5-0 run with 3:50 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Drew Johnston, to take a 12-11 lead. The Bulldogs then added one point to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with a 19-17 advantage. UMD relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 19 points.
 
The Bulldogs could not maintain their lead in the second quarter, getting out-scored 25-13 throughout the period and entering halftime trailing 42-32.
 
UMD's deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Bulldogs faced a 70-47 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. UMD played well near the basket, scoring 14 of its 15 points in the paint.
 
CSP kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 72-47 advantage before UMD went on a 5-0 run to shrink the deficit to 72-52 with 7:12 to go in the contest. The Golden Bears responded and outscored the Bulldogs the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 86-61. UMD took advantage of three CSP turnovers in the quarter, scoring four points off of those takeaways.
 
The Bulldogs had two players score in double figures, led by Lexi Karge, who had 16 points and six rebounds. Johanna Miller tacked on 10 points and Claire Bjorge added eight points and two steals.
 
UMD forced 13 CSP turnovers throughout the game, turning those takeaways into 14 points on the other end of the floor. Bjorge's two steals led the way for the Bulldogs.
 
NSIC REVIVES NORTH/SOUTH DIVISION: With the reformation of the North and South Divisions, the University of Minnesota Duluth women's basketball team has been selected to finish third in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) North Division, with Lexi Karge selected as the Player to Watch for the Bulldogs.
 
In the NSIC's annual preseason poll, UMD has been selected to finish third in the North Division, receiving 37 points. They fall behind the University of Mary in second (42 points) and Minnesota State University Moorhead in first (43 points). Overall, the team ranks middle of the pack in eighth with 139 points to fall one point behind MSUM, University of Mary in sixth (152), St. Cloud State University in fifth (155), and Southwestern Minnesota State University in fourth (172). Concordia University St. Paul splits second with the University of Sioux Falls (202), with Minnesota State University Mankato out ahead (215). 
 
The North Division has seen the Bulldogs finish first in the last four seasons from 2019-2023. The season prior, they managed a second-place finish. The conference spent the last two seasons with a single division structure where the maroon and gold settled for a combined 22-22 record in NSIC competition.
 
Senior forward Lexi Karge has been tapped as the NSIC's Bulldog Player to Watch after averaging a team-second high 11 points per game last season. She was also second on the team in average of rebounds per game (6.1), blocked shots (21), field goals made (126), and free throws made (41).