Box Score It was a tale of two halves and, unfortunately, the University of Minnesota Duluth was on the wrong side of it in the second half. After upsetting St. Cloud State on Dec. 21, the Bulldogs were hoping to use their momentum off a three-game winning streak to get their first win of the season away from Romano Gym. However, UMD will have to wait another day to get their first road win after being tripped up 69-60 in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference contest versus Concordia University, St. Paul at the Gangelhoff Center on Friday night.

The two-week vacation from the hardwood caused both teams to be rusty throughout the game. It was an ugly game offensively as scoring at either end of the hoop was a challenge. The Bulldogs knocked down a mere 29 percent of their shots (19-65) compared to their counterparts, who shot 34 percent (22-65).

Senior guard Peter Crawford led the Bulldogs with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting including 7-of-9 at the charity stripe. Junior guard Reece Zoelle and senior guard Jordan Reetz each put in 15 apiece to help out. The dynamic scoring trio hit only 14 of their 47 shot attempts. Zoelle, the native of De Pere, Wis., nearly missed his second double-double of the season coming up one rebound shy.

UMD controlled the game early, building a 14-point lead with 6:39 remaining in the first half. The Bulldogs managed to carry a 33-26 lead into halftime, but the lead evaporated once the second half started. The Golden Bears used a 43-point second half, including an 18-6 run to take the lead.
UMD trailed by as much as 11 points but roared back to make it a two-point game with two minutes remaining.

Zoelle flashed in front of a pass, intercepted it at the wing, and flushed it down at the other end to cut the lead to seven. A minute later Crawford started a fast break off a rebound and Reetz drained an open three to slash the Golden Bear lead to four. Crawford later sunk a pair of free throws after being fouled driving to the rim. Concordia-St. Paul called a timeout and regained their composure.

The late charge by the Bulldogs came up short as the Golden Bears converted their attempts at the line and held on for their first conference victory. Terez VanPelt helped fend off the Bulldogs by knocking down 19 of his 24 points in the second half.

"It's tough get back into the swing of things," said UMD head coach Matt Bowen. "We were on the road and we couldn't make our shots tonight. I can't fault their effort. With everything considered tonight, we fought back and had the game within two. Sometimes games come down to made or missed shots and we just couldn't get the shots to go tonight. It was a rough night for everyone but we hope to rebound for tomorrow."

The Bulldogs are back in action with a clash against No.14 Minnesota State-Mankato at the Taylor Center tomorrow. The first tip is set for 6:00 p.m.