To say that University of Minnesota Duluth senior guard Steve Klass plays well at Romano Gymnasium would be putting it lightly.
In his two games on his home floor this season, the captain has poured in an eye-popping 49 points - nearly 25 points per contest - in leading the Bulldogs to a pair of victories.
One of the wins came Friday night, as UMD knocked off Upper Iowa University 78-61 in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference clash before 427 fans.
The Bulldogs (8-3 overall; 3-0 NSIC), who are currently on a four-game winning streak and undefeated in the conference, started the game quick, as they came out scoring eight of the first ten points of the contest, while they jumped out to an early 26-14 lead roughly halfway through the first frame.
However, the Peacocks (1-7; 0-3) used a 12-2 run of their own within the next four minutes to inch within just a bucket of UMD, but the Bulldogs tallied nine of the last 14 points to take a 37-31 advantage in at the break.
To no one's surprise, Klass led all scorers at halftime with 11 points, as he was 3-of-5 from downtown to give UMD the six point advantage.
The Bulldogs, who had five players score in double figures, continued their success in the second half, as they went on an impressive 21-8 run to increase their lead to 58-39 with just 11 minutes to play.
UMD's largest lead of the game came with just three-and-a-half minutes left on the clock, as they opened the gap to 23, en route to their third-straight conference victory.
In total, UMD controlled the glass, as they out-rebounded Upper Iowa 33-26, while they shot a remarkable 55 percent (28-of-51) from the field, 47 percent (7-of-15) from behind the arc and committed just 12 turnovers on the night.
Klass led all scorers, as the Seymour, Wis. native paced the Bulldogs to the win by racking up 19 points, while shooting 70 percent (7-of-10) from the floor and a jaw-dropping 57 percent (4-of-7) from downtown. Klass also nabbed a pair of rebounds and added an assist on the evening.
Junior forward Brian Sykora posted another stellar night on the hardwood, as the captain totaled 15 points and game-high seven rebounds, while the Bloomington, Minn. native hit 55 percent (6-of-11) of his shots from the field and was a perfect on all three of his attempts from the charity stripe.
Junior guard Ron White caught the fans attention, as the native of Chicago, Ill. dispatched 11 points, a game-high seven rebounds and four assists in the win, while senior center John Vaudreuil scored 10 points, dished off four helpers, grabbed three rebounds and shot a solid 89 percent (8-of-9) from the free-throw line in the victory.
Sophomore forward Marcus Helland was nothing short of spectacular on the night, as he was perfect from both the floor and downtown, scoring 10 points, while freshman guard Ryan Rasmussen added seven points and handed out a game-high seven assists.
"Teams are going out looking to shut down Sykora and Vaurdreuil," said head coach Gary Holquist. "And tonight, as they drew some double teams, our guys went out and hit the shots."
No doubt, Klass was one of those guys hitting the shots.
The Bulldogs will now look to take their winning ways against the defending Division II National Champions, as they are set to do battle with Winona State (5-4; 1-2) Saturday night (Dec. 13), with the tip set at 8:00 p.m.
