Box Score The University of Minnesota Duluth won the final 35 minutes, but a 12-point first-half lead was enough as Minnesota State University-Moorhead hit free throws in the final seconds to close out the Bulldogs 80-78 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action on Saturday afternoon.

The opening half belonged to the home team, with MSU-Moorhead (14-8, 10-8 NSIC) opening up a 12-point lead with 4:32 to go after UMD (10-12, 7-11 NSIC) scored the game's first basket. The Bulldogs would shut out the Dragons until they hit the locker room, taking just a four-point deficit at 38-42 into the break, thanks in large part to a pair of three by senior forward Katrina Newman, who went 10-of-22 from the floor to finish with a team-high 26 points on the night.

UMD continued its run out of the locker room, and tied it up at 51-all just before the five-minute mark of the second half. A minute later, sophomore Taylor Meyer gave the Bulldogs just their second lead of the game with a lay-up. The forward would finish with 12 points and six rebounds on the night. The two teams were knotted back up at 61-61 just before the midpoint of the half, and it proved back-and-forth until the closing seconds: tied at 78 with just ten seconds to go, a foul call went the way of the Dragons, and Megan Strese dropped in a pair of free-throws to close out the game. Strese would finish with 20 points and a game-high nine rebounds on the night.

Freshman forward Kenzie Kane had her best night of the year with 10 points and a pair of rebounds. Senior center Hannah Rutten had eight boards to lead the Bulldogs. On the night, UMD shot 44.1 percent while MSU averaged 45.9 percent. The Bulldogs were 4-of-10 from beyond the arc while the Dragons went 9-of-18.

UMD stays on the road next week beginning with a trip to Fayette, Iowa to take on Upper Iowa University on Firday night. Opening tip is set for 6:00 p.m.