Head coach Mandy Pearson earned her first victory at the University of Minnesota Duluth a little later than she would have liked, but it provided the outline for the Bulldogs' success this season with a full-team effort to knock off Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division rival the University of Minnesota Crookston 71-65 as the team's three-game homestand at Romano Gym continues.

UMD (1-4, 1-1 NSIC) had seven players score at least eight points and all nine players who saw the court contribute at least one point as the team held off Minnesota Crookston (4-2, 1-1) in the closing minutes after scoring 25 points in the final quarter. The Bulldogs took a four-point lead to the locker room at 31-27, but both offenses came alive in the second half. UMD went 15-of-35 in the second half including 9-of-15 in the fourth quarter while also making good on 10-of-14 free throws. Crookston shot 12-of-29 in the second half but went 4-for-4 from beyond the arc in the third quarter, outscoring UMD 22-15 to take a 49-46 lead headed into the final period. The team continued to trade points until the Bulldogs knotted the game at 59-all with just under six minutes remaining. Sophomore forward Allison Olley scored a pair of buckets and also added a free throw score in the final moments of the game, while UMD made 4-of-6 free throws as a team to edge out Minnesota Crookston.

Olley had nine points and six rebounds on the game. Sophomore forward Ayo Porte had a team-high eight rebounds for the Bulldogs. Junior center Allyson Harris and senior guard Taylor Dillinger each tied with a team-high 12 points for UMD. Senior guard Alexa Thielman and senior forward Katrina Nordick tied for a game-high 17 for Minnesota Crookston. Sophomore center Emily Gruber had a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Bulldogs will be back in action tomorrow afternoon as the team plays host to Bemidji State University in the home finale of 2015 for UMD. Opening tip is set for 4:00 p.m. preceding the men's contest.