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News
News
WHITE HITS GAME-WINNER AS BULLDOGS EDGE GOLDEN EAGLES 58-56
Friday, December 5, 2008
In every close game, there's always that guy who wants the ball in the closing seconds. They thrive under pressure and know they can hit the game-winning shot to lead their team to victory.
Friday night, that guy was University of Minnesota Duluth junior guard Ron White.
With just 3.2 seconds left on the clock, the Chicago, Ill. native sank the game-winning jumper, as the Bulldogs slipped past the University of Minnesota Crookston 58-56, in their 2008-09 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference debut before 277 fans at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston, Minn.
UMD (6-3; 1-0) started the game quick, as they scored the first six points in nearly the first minute of the contest; however, a 26-10 Golden Eagle run gave Crookston (2-5; 0-1) a 10-point advantage with just five-and-a-half minutes left in the first half.
The Bulldogs scored eight of the last 11 points to narrow the margin to just five, as they walked into the locker room trailing the host Golden Eagles 29-24.
The second half went back-and-fourth, as Crookston held on to a slim advantage for a majority of time, until junior forward Brian Sykora gave UMD a 53-51 lead by knocking down a pair of free-throws with just a minute-and-a-half to play. The key free-throws marked the Bulldogs first lead since the 10-minute mark in back in the first half; 28-and-a-half minutes earlier.
UMD and the Golden Eagles again traded points back-and-fourth, until Crookston buried a jumper to tie the score at 56 with just 30 seconds to go.
As the Golden Eagles took a timeout to strategize their defense, Bulldog head coach Gary Holquist drew up the play for White, ultimately leading to the thrilling come-from-behind conference victory for UMD.
White's crucial shot accounted for just two of his 13 points on the night, while the 6-foot-5-inch transfer student shot an impressive 63 percent (5-of-8) from the floor. White also hit three of his four free-throws, as he grabbed eight rebounds and handed out a game-high five assists.
Though White's game-winner put him in the spotlight, Sykora and Bulldog senior center John Vaudreuil again put up big numbers to guide UMD to the win.
Sykora, who ranks third in the NSIC in scoring and fourth in rebounding, poured in 17 points and ripped down a game-leading 10 rebounds, as he posted another double-double for the Bulldogs. The captain also shot a stellar 88 percent (7-of-8) from the charity stripe and 42 percent (5-of-12) from the field, while he accounted for a team-high 36 minutes played.
Vaudreuil used his 6-foot-8-inch frame to muscle out a game-leading 18 points and five rebounds for UMD, as the Bloomington, Minn. native shot a solid 57 percent (8-of-14) from the floor and dished out three assists in the victory.
The Bulldogs will continue to take their winning ways to the road, as they are set for another NSIC engagement tomorrow night (Dec. 6) at 8:00 p.m., when they lace their shoes up against a Minnesota State-Moorhead (2-2; 1-0) club who opened up their conference action with a 71-67 win over winless Bemidji State.
The game can be viewed free of charge from www.northernsun.tv.
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