The University of Minnesota Duluth beat East Central (Okla University at its own game on Saturday afternoon, using the three-point shot to its advantage to pick up a much-needed regional victory at the NCAA II Central Region crossover in Warrensburg, Missouri.

UMD (1-1) made a strong debut on the weekend, splitting a pair of games against teams ranked just outside ofthe National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Top 25. East Central (1-1), known for its three-point scoring, went quiet from beyond the arc against the Bulldogs while UMD, led by senior guard Taylor Lavery, went off from range to knock off the Tigers.

Lavery went 5-for-9 in the first half, including 3-for-5 from distance, for 15 points in the opening half. The Bulldogs shot 48.4 percent as a team in the opening 20 minutes while holding ECU to just 38.5 percent (10-of-26). UMD opened a lead of as much as six and got a three from Lavery at the break to hold a 40-35 advantage into the locker room. Senior forward Brendon Pineda scored 12 of his 18 points after the break as much as 15 in the second half. The Tigers clawed back into it, but UMD was able to make enough free throws late, despite being 16-of-28 from the line after the half, to hold on for the victory.

FREE THROWS
Senior swing guard Pierre Newton fell just one board short of his second-straight double-double, scoring 19 points and a team-high nine rebounds for UMD ... ECU's answer to the "Splash Bros.", guards Stirling Thomas (Sr.) and Braxton Reeves (Jr.), combined for just 5-of-21 from three-point range after finishing among the best in the nation a season ago and leading the Tigers to victory on Friday night. Thomas still netted a team-high 20 points for East Central, while junior reserve forward Ben Brown-White put up a double-double off the bench with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Tigers ... sophomore forward Jake Wilson got the start for UMD and again impressed offensively dropping a trio of three-pointers for 10 points on the night.

UP NEXT
The string of six games in ten days continues for UMD as the Bulldogs will be home for the only time in the non-conference schedule as they play host to Northern Michigan University on Tuesday night at Romano Gym. Opening tip is set for 7:00 p.m.