DULUTH — When it comes to freshman debuts, you’d have to dig deep in the archives to find a better one than Minnesota Duluth freshman Claire Bjorge’s earlier this season in Oklahoma.
The De Pere, Wisconsin native scored a team-high 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 5-of-6 from beyond the arc in her first official game as a Bulldog on Nov. 8 vs. Southeastern Oklahoma State — marking one of the best first games by a freshman since Lindsey Dietz did it in 2002 against St. Cloud State.
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The immediate scoring punch provided by the 5-foot-8 shooting guard may have come as a surprise to some, but not for head coach Mandy Pearson.
“Not at all — we knew what we were getting with Claire,” she said. “She’s a great scorer, but she’s very unselfish so she always makes the right basketball play. She’s not gonna force things, She’s gonna get into the paint and create some shots for her teammates ... she’s gonna do whatever she can to help her team win.”
The mindset should come as no surprise given her winning track record throughout her prep career as a member of the De Pere Redbirds, a team that reached the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I state tournament in 2022.
Bjorge was later a part of an undefeated national championship team as a member of the Wisconsin Purple Aces competing in the U.S. Junior Nationals tournament.
During her impressive run with the AAU Purple Aces, Bjorge committed to UMD after fielding offers from Division I North Dakota and Evansville, along with a Division II offer from Maryville.
Meeting the team and the coaching staff at Duluth during a campus visit ultimately swayed her decision.
“That night I knew I just loved it here,” she said during an interview earlier this season. “I love the school and the team is great. I’ve never had such a tight-knit team. This team is just so close and so fun to play with and it’s just been really fun to play together so far and I’m excited for the next couple of years.”
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Through the first nine games of her collegiate career, Bjorge leads UMD in 3-point field goals with 20, shooting at a 42% clip from beyond the arc. Her 12.3 points and 3.1 assists per game trail only Myra Moorjani, while her 10 total steals is a team-best mark.
The impact on both sides of the ball has caught the attention of veteran members of the team, including junior Lexi Karge, who points to her intensity at practice translating to early success in games.
“She’s always a hard worker in practice and in games and I think that encourages the people around her to do the same as well,” said Karge. “She’s always making those passes that you just don’t really think to make, and I think that that just helps the flow of our team a lot and it’s really encouraging to see.”
UMD takes down Augustana for first conference win
After a tough three-game start to their conference schedule, the Bulldogs notched their first NSIC victory of the season on Friday, a 61-48 triumph over Augustana on at Romano Gym.
“Anytime you can get a win in the NSIC, it’s a good day,” said head coach Mandy Pearson. “I thought our defense got a lot better today. Our players were working really hard and communicating a little bit better, so it was a good win.”
UMD had its offense dialed in throughout the opening 10 minutes as quick ball movement led to assists on each of their first five field goals. Karge and Bjorge each dished out a pair to lead the way as the Bulldogs clung to a 19-9 lead to start the second quarter.
The court remained tilted in the home team’s favor to start the second quarter after pushing the lead to 24-11 after back-to-back coast-to-coast layups from Moorjani and Bjorge, prompting an Augustana timeout. The Bulldogs held a 35-21 advantage at the break with Bjorge posting a team-leading nine points.
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UMD finished the half shooting 46% from the field thanks largely to a 24-12 edge in points in the paint. The Vikings were held to 27% shooting.
“In the first half we moved the ball really, really well,” Pearson shared. “In the second half we stopped that ball movement a little bit. It was one or two passes and a shot, and so we need to do a better job of doing that consistently for 40 minutes.”
Despite a cold 5-of-15 shooting stretch in the third quarter, the Bulldogs maintained a comfortable 47-33 lead into the final frame. Augustana cut the deficit to 10 with just over five minutes left to play, before a timely 3-point play by Johanna Miller followed by a quick Moorjani layup put the ‘Dogs back in the driver's seat with a 52-37 lead and the eventual win.
Miller and Moorjani each finished with 16 points to lead UMD. Bjorge finished with 12.
The Bulldogs (3-6, 1-3 NSIC) will be back at Romano Gym on Saturday, Dec. 14 to take on Wayne State at 3:30 p.m.
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