Basketball - Men's - News

BULLDOGS HEAD HOME ON HIGH NOTE; THUMP WAYNE STATE 66-58

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Its tough to beat a basketball team when they shoot a better percentage from the field and behind the arc, while they collect more rebounds and commit less fouls.

But that's exactly what the University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team did to Wayne State College (Neb.) Sunday night.

In the final game of the 2008 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference HoopsFest, the Bulldogs knocked off the Wildcats 66-58 in barnburner in front of 425 fans at the Elmen Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The game started off quick, as each squad went back-and-fourth early on, where the score was tied at 16 midway through the first half. UMD (5-3) then turned the tables, as they went on a 13-4 run to take a 29-20 advantage with five minutes left.

Wayne State (3-3) answered back, scoring seven of the last 10 points of the half to close the gap to just five, as the Bulldogs walked into the locker room leading 32-27 at the break.

The second frame didn't slow down, as the Wildcats tied the game at 38 just seven minutes into the half. Both UMD and Wayne State battled throughout the half, where the Wildcats inched within just a bucket eight times; however, never took the lead, as the Bulldogs put Wayne State away.

When all was said and done, UMD shot an eye-popping 50 percent from downtown and 49 percent from the floor, as they out-rebounded the Wildcats 36-30 and committed just 11 turnovers on the night.

The Bulldogs were led by their top-scorer, junior forward Brian Sykora, who paced UMD in both points and rebounds, as the captain poured in 22 points and ripped down nine rebounds. The Bloomington, Minn. native shot notable 53 percent from the floor, while he sank six free-throws and added a pair of assists in the win.

Senior center John Vaudreuil followed Sykora, as he racked up 14 points and snagged six rebounds on the night. The native of Bloomington, Minn. shot 43 percent from the field, while the captain drained both attempts from the charity stripe in the victory.

Junior forward Steve Duncan also had a solid night, as he scored eight points, added three rebounds and a pair of assists, on a 60 percent shooting night from the field, while junior point guard Jordan Schade was perfect from both the floor and behind the arc, as he tallied six points.

Junior guard Ron White totaled six points, five rebounds and three helpers, as he shot 43 percent from the floor, while freshman point guard Ryan Rasmussen dispatched six points on a 4-of-5 night from the free-throw line.

The Bulldogs will hit the road again, as they are set to tango with the University of Minnesota, Crookston (2-4) Friday evening (Dec. 5) at 8:00 p.m., while they will clash with Minnesota State University-Moorhead (1-2) the following Saturday night (Dec. 6) again at 8:00 p.m.

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