Brooke Olson and Minnesota Duluth make a case to be among the NSIC's best women's basketball team ever

Thank you for checking out Basketball Across Minnesota, my weekly look at some of the state's top hoops stories, from preps to pros. — Marcus Fuller

Minnesota Duluth's dominance in the Northern Sun Conference women's basketball tournament almost makes you want to rename the championship trophy in their honor.

For the third straight season, the Bulldogs were crowned NSIC tourney champions Tuesday after a victory over Minnesota State Mankato. No other women's team in the history of the league can claim that same achievement.

"It was just incredible," Duluth coach Mandy Pearson said after earning an automatic berth to next week's NCAA Division II tournament. "I'm just really, really proud. You guys were just beasts. It's impressive."

Pearson beamed about how her 27-win club held off a tough opponent for 40 minutes, highlighting the 36-point performance from senior standout Brooke Olson.

The Bulldogs' program built a Division II dynasty in the state. Olson is not only the biggest reason for that successful run, she has also made a case to be the best women's player in conference history.

After sinking the last of her team's 22 free throws Tuesday to seal the 80-74 win, the 6-2 forward from Rice Lake, Wis. reflected on a season that almost never happened. Olson seriously considered not returning for a fifth year because of the pressure she felt to perform last season.

"I didn't know if I was going to come back or not, but I'm super glad I did," Olson said after receiving NSIC tournament MVP honors for the third consecutive season.

"That was because of my teammates and the group that we had coming back. Just really encouraging me. I fell in love with the game again."

Olson's stellar play going into the postseason had her averaging 21.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. She also set the NSIC all-time scoring record with 1,615 career points in the regular season.

When Pearson took over the Duluth program in 2015, she felt that the city and school were great attractions for recruiting. How successful they would become was far from her mind when she went 7-19 in her first season after coming from Division III Saint Mary's University in Winona.

The Bulldogs have now reached their fifth straight NCAA tournament under her direction. In her eighth season, they are 27-3 and 21-1 in the NSIC.

"I had high hopes we could be successful," Pearson said. "I just didn't look too far into the future."

In 2021, the Bulldogs were 14-2 during a shortened season, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. They hope to make a deeper run this year after the bracket's announced Sunday.

"I'm not playing with expectations or anything like that, never having the pressure on my shoulders like I felt like last year," Olson said. "I don't think I've ever had as much fun as I've had this year. We are not done. And so that's a really exciting thing."

On the men's side, Minnesota State Moorhead defeated Duluth 79-69 in the other NSIC championship game, which was the second straight title for the Dragons.

Fuller's Five ballers

Kylie Baranick, Gustavus Adolphus

The Maple Grove native scored 24 points and shot 12-for-12 on free throws to lead the Gusties to their second straight MIAC women's title and Division III NCAA tournament bid.

Jacob Beeninga, Minnesota State Moorhead

The sophomore guard and former Wayzata star averaged 21 points and shot 11-for-33 from three-point range in three victories to lead the Dragons to the NSIC tournament title.

Jeremy Beckler, Carleton College

The 6-8 senior scored 35 points in Carleton's 86-76 MIAC championship win vs. Saint John's to reach the program's first Division III NCAA tournament since 2010.

Gianna Kneepkens, Utah

The sophomore guard from Duluth led the Utes with 28 points in an 84-78 win against No. 3 Stanford to win a share of their first ever Pac-12 regular season title.

Naz Reid, Timberwolves

The 6-9 third-year NBA center scored 30 points, to go with nine rebounds, five steals and two blocks Sunday in a 109-105 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

22 — Consecutive wins for Park Center before the No. 1 Class 4A suffered its first loss of the season, 73-70 at home to Elk River on Feb. 24. The Pirates had beaten the same opponent earlier by 48.

11 – Free throws for the Gophers men to end last Saturday's loss at Nebraska with a team record while going perfect at the foul line.

2 – Teams (Indiana and Utah) with Minnesota natives that were No. 1 seeds in the first NCAA women's tournament projections last week.

Basketball Across Minnesota will be published weekly on startribune.com. Don't be a stranger on Twitter after reading, as chatting about these stories makes them even more fun to share. Thanks, Marcus (@Marcus_R_Fuller on Twitter)