The University of Minnesota Duluth rebounded after a tough loss Friday night, picking up a much-needed Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference interdivisional victory over Augustana (S.D.) College on Saturday evening by an 73-68 final at Romano Gymnasium.
UMD (8-8, 6-6 NSIC) pulled back even on the season, finishing out its homestand with a 3-1 record, while the Vikings (11-7, 5-7 NSIC) head home with a split on the weekend.
HIGHLIGHTS• Junior forward
Taylor Meyer and senior guard
Danielle Flood netted 24, and 22 points respectively, combining for 25-of-27 from the free throw line. Flood rounded out a double-double with 10 rebounds, while Meyer hauled in nine boards. Senior guard
Jessica Newman also tallied 14 points for UMD.
• Five players hit double figures for Augie, led by junior forward Nicole Kerkhoff's 18 and 17 rebounds. Senior guard Shaunteva Ashley netted 10 points but added five assists, a pair of steals, and three boards against UMD.
A series of miscues set the Bulldogs back in the early going, as Augustana led by five, 34-29 at the break, having forced 14 UMD turnovers, including eight steals. Drawing fouls helped the Bulldogs stay within reach, making good on 14-of-17 free throw attempts in the first half while giving up nothing at the line for the Vikings. An early three-pointer by Ashley stretched Augie's lead to eight when UMD started to battle back with Meyer scoring the game's next seven points to pull the Bulldogs within one. She'd make a pair of free throws later, before Newman finally gave UMD the lead at 41-40 just 5:22 into the half.
After the Vikings tied the game and took the lead on a pair of free throws at 56-54, Newman again answered with a three that gave UMD an edge they would never relinquish, leading by as many as eight in the second half before holding on for the five-point victory. The Bulldogs shot just 28.3 percent for the game, but took 42 trips to the charity stripe, adding 35 points. Augustana shot 38.5 percent but made good on just 13-of-19 free throws. After a 14-8 turnover edge in the first half for the Vikings, UMD would actually grab 11 steals on 19 turnovers in the game while giving up the ball just twice in the seocnd half.
Â
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will now set out on the road for the rest of the month of January, beginning with an NSIC North division weekend in North Dakota next week, taking on Minot State University and the University of Mary. UMD and the Beavers will hit the court in Minot at 6:00 p.m. Friday night.
