The University of Minnesota Duluth fell at the buzzer for the second time in three games, as Northern Michigan University held on to win 56-53 as the Bulldogs opened the game with a nearly-silent shooting effort in the opening half.

UMD (3-3) falls to .500 in non-conference play while Northern Michigan (2-2) raises its mark to even tide. The Bulldogs put the ball in the hands of senior center Brett Ervin at the buzzer with the chance to tie with a three-pointer, but the Wildcats gave UMD just three seconds - not enough, as Northern held on for a victory.

TOP SCORERS
• Ervin, and senior guard Reece Zoelle tied for the team lead with 12 points. Junior forward Brendon Pineda fell just one point short of a double-double as he hauled in 11 rebounds for UMD.
• Junior guard Terry Nash had 11 points to lead Northern Michigan, while freshman forward Cooper Radtke hauled in a team-high 11 boards for the Wildcats.

The Bulldogs gave no help to Northern as they held on in the second half, and it showed as UMD needed to foul the Wildcats three times in the closing seconds just to send NMU to the line once and give themselves a chance to take a shot at the buzzer, but the quiet first half offensively put the Bulldogs behind from the start. UMD shot just 6-of-24 (25.0 percent) in the first 20 minutes. "The entire game, our shooting was abysmal. I feel bad for our guys, I feel bad for everybody. We played well enough to win, but we did not make shots when the opportunity presented itself," said head coach Matt Bowen after the game.

Still, Northern Michigan took just a 25-23 lead to the locker room as they sent the Bulldogs to the line nine times in the first half and 24 times in the game, giving UMD 19 points from the charity stripe. "We ran good offense, didn't turn the ball over, didn't commit fouls. I really like our team, but they have been presented with a challenge in that things haven't gone the way they anticipated maybe in practice this summer, and they haven't reacted well. Obviously, shooting as been the problem for the last three games. If I had an answer, I'd be a world-class psychologist." The Bulldogs battled back, outscoring the Wildcats through the first 19:47 of the second half, with a pair of free throws giving NMU the 31-30 edge in the closing seconds before holding UMD to a desperation three at the buzzer. The Bulldogs were 1-of-9 from beyond the arc in the second half and 4-of-21 overall. UMD shot just 28.3 percent for the game but did hold NMU to 42.3 percent shooting mark.

Northern Michigan built up an eight-point lead at 25-17 with four minutes left in the first half, with UMD out-scoring the Wildcats 36-31 the rest of the way, but they just dug too big of a hole in the early going. "We have to find some confidence. As a coaching staff, maybe we need to find a way to manufacture some easy ones early, but it comes down to, at this level of basketball, when it's your time to make a play, you need to find a way to do it."

UP NEXT
After a brief break for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Bulldogs will open the conference slate on Saturday afternoon when they take on St. Cloud State University. Opening tip is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. in St. Cloud.