After an extended holiday season hiatus that was perpetuated by the miracle last Sunday it's time to get back to giving due to as many of the local athletes as possible. I'll have a Vikings focused post after the game so let's kick it off with some Green & Gold greatness!
Bison
The only action during the week was a men's basketball show down against the Sioux. Suffice it to say that when this team's defense isn't able to hold a team in the 60's or maybe low 70's, if not lower, then they are odds on to lose. Such was the case as UND came to the Shac and made it their house. To end the week, the ballers went out to IPFW where they scored at a much higher clip but all that amounted to was having the highest scoring output of the year in a loss. Whoop-di-doo! Scoring 88 but allowing 92 isn't every going to work. They're deep into the conference schedule and now have a losing record so they need to get it together in a hurry!
Beyond that the women scored their fourth most points on the season and got their first conference win. So that's the bright side. They're still three games below .500 for the year. Gotta hope that the win can start a snowball effect going into the rest of their season but even off the victory, things should not be too sunny around the hoops offices.
Both the men's and women's track & field teams competed in Brookings. Reading T & F results is sort of like reading an encyclopedia for fun but to keep it short and sweet - both teams and many of the individuals did very well in their various events.
And finally, the Wrestling team hosted Wyoming on Saturday, get throughly out classed with a final score of 32 - 6. That sort of speaks for itself, so I'll let it.
Timberwolves
Team howl is coming together. Their ascension was highlighted by a five game home winning streak but after another win last night they've officially eclipsed 30 wins. That's the fourth time that mini milestone has been reached since 07. That it came only 48 games into the season is the most significant note about the win. They can't rest on their laurels, as demonstrated by the loss to Orlando a few days ago but they're playing much better lately and have the Vikings to thank for a tremendous distraction as they continue to come together. They are not a finished project, whatever that would even look like, but if you're a Wolves fan, it's time to come out of the wood work!
Dragons
As part of a two day, four game road trip into Minnesota the Dragons Basketball teams had very different experiences. They traveled to Duluth for a Friday double feature and then to St. Cloud on Saturday. In both towns and on both days the lady Dragons continued their recent run of great play. With those wins they have run their winning streak to nine games, coming on the heels of a narrow loss to a ranked Northern State team in South Dakota. So a mere four points is the difference between nine and 11 straight wins. But nine wins in a row is still tremendous! The eighth win in the streak was highlighted by five players in double figures and a defensive effort that held the home bulldogs to 45 points. The high scorer was Jacky Volkert with 15, further demonstrating the balanced scoring that the team managed on Friday night. The following game wasn't quite as dynamic on both ends but they still won by a comfortable 24 point margin. The same five players powered their offense but Kiley Borowicz put it through the hoop for the most points and "only" three of her teammates joined her in double figures. Frankly I'm surprised to be able to say it but these ladies seem like the team to watch from this area if you enjoy Basketball!
So as I've already alluded to the men's team continued to struggle. They kept it close in Duluth and even lead at the half but those positives weren't enough for them to avoid losing 10 of their last 11 games. Travaun Coad poured in 26 and had a duo of scorers to help carry the load but there isn't enough of a bench for them to compete night in and night out. Things only got worse from there. St. Cloud St. held them to 55 points and pretty much shut everything down that the Drags wanted to do. There shouldn't be high expectations for the team but that may have out done the lowest of expectations. Not a great place to be, except theres no where to go but up. so there's that.
Beyond hoops, the Wrestlers got whooped by Augustana
The track and field managed to win 14 events in their latest competition so that's a high note to end on!
Cobbers
The Cobber collective had a couple victories over the week but were so overwhelming underwhelming with most of their outcomes that I'm just going to put a pin in it.
So until next week, try not to take the Vikings loss to seriously!