The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team is set to face Concordia University St. Paul in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Tournament Quarterfinals. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. Sunday inside the Sanford Pentagon.

SECOND NSIC NORTH DIVISION CHAMPIONS: With a 13-9 record, the Bulldogs clinched the NSIC North Division title after their 85-72 victory over Minnesota State University Moorhead. This marked the program's second title since its first in the 2021-22 season.

BULLDOGS AND THE NSIC TOURNAMENT: Under head coach Wiecks' leadership, the Bulldogs have a 9-5 record since the 2018-19 season. The 2021-22 season was the last time the program earned the North Division title, which saw them advance all the way to the championship, falling 81-73 to Minnesota State University Moorhead.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE CLUB: Kole Hanson and Noah Paulson of the University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team have earned selections to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) All-Conference teams.
 
Sophomore guard from Prior Lake, Minn., Hanson earns his first selection to the All-Conference First Team. In a career season, he is on track to average 15.2 points, 1.2 steals, 1.5 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game. Currently, he holds or is tied for multiple of the team's season single-game highs, including field goals (12 of 22 vs. St. Cloud), three-pointers (5 of 9 vs. CSP), free throws (12 of 15 vs. Minnesota Crookston), and steals (4 vs. Minot/CSP). Ahead of the upcoming NSIC Tournament Quarterfinals, he has tallied 410 points, 32 steals, two blocks, 40 assists, and 60 rebounds.
 
Duluth native and redshirt senior, Paulson, is selected to his first All-Conference Second Team list. Ahead of the upcoming NSIC Tournament Quarterfinals, he is on pace to average 12.7 points, 1.0 steals, and five rebounds per game. This season, he is tied for the team's best single-game performance in steals (4) and blocked shots (3). Currently, he has 368 points, 30 steals, 21 blocks, 52 assists, and 144 rebounds.
 
COACH WIECK'S 8TH SEASON: Head Coach Justin Wieck enters his eighth season at the helm of UMD men's basketball. Since taking over the program in 2018, he has led the team to three NCAA II Tournament berths, all of which happened back-to-back, with one going all the way to the Elite Eight in the 2023-24 season. Wieck has an overall record of 142-58 with 99-43 in conference play.
 
HANSON HEATING UP: Kole has 11 double-digit games in the past 12 outings of the regular season. He tallied a career high 32 points against St. Cloud State to go along with 22 points against Minnesota State Mankato, 16 against Winona State, 28 against Concordia-St. Paul, 13 against Wayne State, 28 against Augustana, 14 against UMary, 23 against Minot State, 15 against Northern State, 18 against Minnesota Crookston, and 12 against MSUM.
 
SIWEK ON THE RISE: After being chosen as the NSIC's Player to Watch for the Bulldogs, redshirt junior Caleb Siwek has gotten off to the best start in his career. He earned six straight games in the double-digit points category to start the season with 34 points on opening day against East Central, 20 points against Southeastern Oklahoma,  21 points against St. Scholastica, 12 points against Michigan Tech, 22 points against Lake Superior State, and 23 points against Bemidji State. He also finished the season on a hot streak earning 19 points against Minnesota Crookston and 25 points against MSUM in the final week.
 
A COLOSSAL OUTING FOR PAULSON: In a narrow loss to the conference newcomer, the University of Jamestown, Noah Paulson earned 28 points of the team's 70 while shooting 61.5% (8-13) from the field, 91.7% (11-12) in free throws, and making his only three-pointer for his best outing so far.
 
NSIC LEADERS: The Bulldogs, as a unit, are the third best in scoring defense (71.8 avg/g) in the NSIC, second in scoring margin (6.5), fourth in opponent field goals (43.5%), third in rebounding margin (2.7), first in combined opponent rebounds (32.9), and first in turnover margin (2.52). Individually, Kole Hanson ranks fifth in free throws (86.5%)
 
LAST MATCH: The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team battled to a 74-68 overtime win against Minot State University in the NSIC Tournament First Round inside Romano Gymnasium.
 
Leading the victory was Kole Hanson with 18 points and four rebounds while shooting 33.3 % (6-18) from the field, 33.3% (3-9) beyond the arc, and 75% (3-4) from the free throw line. Following close behind was Caleb Siwek (15), Noah Paulson (14), and Mattie Thompson (12).
 
After making 50% (4-8) from the field, the Bulldogs found themselves up 10-8 after the opening five minutes, with Hanson leading the effort with five points. The next three minutes, UMD broke out with a Thompson three-pointer and a Wyatt McBeth jumper to take a 15-9 lead.
 
The Beavers responded with a 9-2 scoring run to inch ahead of the Bulldogs 18-17 with 7:25 remaining before halftime. A combined effort from Hanson (10), Paulson (5), and Thompson (2) forced a 17-6 scoring run to retake the lead at 34-24 into halftime.
 
Coming out of the halftime break, MSU outscored UMD 10-6 to chip back within six points in the first five minutes. Siwek (7), Owen Leach (3), and McBeth (2) led a 12-point effort to hold a 52-42 lead over the Beavers with ten minutes to go.
 
The Bulldogs only scored 11 points in the final 10 minutes to allow a 21-point comeback by the Beavers to force overtime at 63-63. UMD's defense controlled the full five-minute overtime, allowing only three points from MSU to allow Siwek (4), Katona (2), and Paulson (1) to close the first-round victory at 70-66.
 
Overall, the Bulldogs hit 35.9% (23-64) from the field, 28% (7-25) beyond the arc, and 84% (21-25) from the free throw line.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARS: Concordia-St. Paul is led by two-time NSIC Player of the Week Ben Kopetzki. He is averaging 21.3 points, 1.2 steals, 3.5 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 44.5% from the field, 38.5% beyond the arc, and 88% from the free throw line. The Bears are second best scoring team in the conference, averaging 83.7 points per game.
 
EARLIER AGAINST CSP: UMD earned its second straight victory inside Romano Gymnasium Saturday after overcoming Concordia University St. Paul in 71-61 fashion.
 
Leading the victory for the Bulldogs was Kole Hanson with his sixth over 20-point game this season, in a staggering 28-point outing. He had one of his best outings this season, making 58.8% (10-17) from the field, a career best 55.6% (5-9) beyond the arc, and 100% (3-3) from the free throw line. He also tallied a season high of four steals along with three rebounds and one assist.
 
Hanson and Nick Katona opened the scoring for UMD with six points for an early 6-5 lead. By the 10:47 mark, CSP had completed an 11-9 scoring run to take the lead at 16-15. The lead continued to be traded for the next 10 minutes as the Bears again claimed a narrow scoring advantage off a 15-14 run.
 
With the score at 31-29 and only seconds remaining before halftime, Katona sent in a buzzer-beater three-pointer to take a 32-31 lead into the break.
 
Entering the second half, UMD broke out on a 13-6 scoring run lifted by Hanson (6), Katona (5), and Mattie Thompson (2) for a 45-37 lead with 16:26 remaining. Over the next six minutes, Jackson Fowlkes, Hanson, Katona, and Caleb Siwek combined for another 11 points to widen the gap to 56-43.
 
By the 3:31 mark, the Bears completed a 16-9 scoring run to get close to the Bulldogs at 65-59. With the clock winding down, Hanson continued to dominate with five of UMD's six points to close out the match at 71-61.
 
Overall, the Bulldogs earned a season high 12 total steals while shooting 48.1% (26-54) from the field, 34.6% (9-26) beyond the arc, and 76.9% (10-13) from the free throw line. UMD won the rebounding battle with 37 to CSP's 31. Leading the team in rebounds was Thompson with 8 rebounds (two offensive).