Box Score Up three in the game's final seconds, junior guard Reece Zoelle fouled St. Cloud State University leading scorer Jordan Poydras to put him on the line for two, allowing the University of Minnesota Duluth to hold on for a 79-78 victory over its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference rival at Romano Gym.

The Bulldogs (5-5, 3-3 NSIC) bounce back to .500 with the win and knock the Huskies to 8-2 overall and 4-2 in league play. UMD controlled play inside in the opening half, going 15 of 28 from the floor and just three of five from beyond the arch. Zoelle and freshman Justin Byrd served as the catalysts hitting double-digits in the opening frame as the Bulldogs opened up a 13-point halftime lead at 43-30.

St. Cloud State controlled the pace of play in the second half and had UMD on its heels, but the Bulldogs dug in and held on, never trailing in the game. Zoelle finished with a game-high 22 points. Byrd had 12 while UMD senior guards Peter Crawford and Jordan Reetz added 14 and 11, respectively. Freshman forward Lane Olson came off the bench for the Bulldogs with nine rebounds, a game-high.

UMD shot 49.0 percent for the game and St. Cloud closed at 45.0 percent. Poydras finished with 21 points for the Huskies.

The Bulldogs return to action in two weeks as they tip-off the second half against Concordia University, St. Paul and Minnesota State University Mankato. UMD and CU is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 3, following the women's contest.