Box Score Box Score

The University of Minnesota Duluth took the morning shift on Saturday, opening day two of the Missouri S&T tournament against Pittsburg State (Kan.), who held off UMD for an 82-75 victory in Rolla, Mo.

Scoring was at a premium in the opening minutes as the two teams combined for 25 points through the first eight minutes when the Gorillas' offense came alive, opening a nine-point lead. The Bulldogs (1-1) battled back into it, pulling within two before a last-second three by PSU's Alexa Bordewick made it a 44-38 halftime lead for the Gorillas (3-2). Senior center Hannah Rutten led the Bulldogs with 11 points at the half, finishing with 18 on the afternoon.

UMD came out of the break hot and pulled within two, but Pitt State re-opened its lead to ten at 69-59 with seven minutes remaining. The Bulldogs once again battled back into it, but a another late three by Bordewick sealed the win for the Gorillas as they held off UMD.

The Bulldogs continued to display a balanced offense with four players hitting double digits, led by Rutten. Senior forward Katrina Newman finished with 12 points, while junior guards Danielle Flood and Alyssa Kerkhoff added 11 and 10, respectively. Kerkhoff was five-of-eight from the floor with six boards, three assists, and three steals. Newman led the way with eight rebounds, five coming on the defensive end.

Sophomore guard Taylor Dillinger just missed cracking double-figures with nine points off the bench for UMD. Pitt State's bench scored 37 points tothe Bulldogs' 22. UMD returns home with a split on the weekend and will face the University of Wisconsin-Superior in a bridge rivalry match-up on Tuesday evening, with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 p.m.