UMD Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams Set for NSIC Home Openers

Both teams will face Sioux Falls on Friday and Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday.

DULUTH, Minn. – It was a bittersweet weekend for the UMD men’s basketball team. Friday, they got their second straight NSIC win. But Saturday was a tough one against Mary.

The Bulldogs fell to the Marauders on a buzzer–beating shot. UMD did get a big performance from senior forward Sean burns who said it was good for the team to get put in that kind of situation.

“It was kind of us be able to experience what it was in that type of culture and atmosphere and being on the road, playing back-to-back games within those 48 hours. I think it was good for our team to try to fight through adversity and keep going throughout the season to make sure we meet that expectation every time,” said Burns.

The Bulldogs will be back at home this weekend, starting with a showdown against Sioux Falls on Friday, which will also be the Dave Goldberg Court Dedication Day.

“There’s a ton of alumni and fans that are coming back. It’s a really special night for us. Dave has put his heart and soul into this athletic department, especially the basketball program. We have a really good team coming in here. Sioux Falls is a team that’s playing at a real high level. They’re probably one of the top 15, 20 teams in the country. It’s going to be a big time challenge, but it’s something we’re excited about,” head coach Justin Wieck said.

As for the women’s team, they are coming off a five-game road trip themselves. And with all those bus trips, it was really a time for the players to get to know each other and strength their relationships off the court.

“I think at the beginning that’s one of the main things that Coach [Pearson] wanted us to work on. Since we’ve been together on the bus and always together on away trips, we’ve been working a lot better with communicating with everyone and working together more as a team,” said forward Sarah Grow.

“It’s a little bit of a different world. But they’ve responded pretty well. I’ve been really impressed with the way everybody on our team has handled it so far. I think it’s hard to start your season travelling as much as we have, and we’ve done a really good job of being focused and ready to go,” head coach Mandy Pearson said.

Tip-off for the women’s game against Sioux Falls on Friday is set for 5:30 p.m. and the men will play shortly after.