The University of Minnesota Duluth will have to settle for a season split with Minot State University, as the Beavers shot over 50 percent for the game, knocking off the Bulldogs 77-56 in the regular season finale at Romano Gym on Saturday evening.

UMD (12-14, 10-12 NSIC) falls to the fifth seed in the NSIC North division and will travel to South Division fourth seed Augustana (S.D.) College in the first round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament on Wednesday (Feb. 25). With a victory, the Bulldogs would be in the right town as the remainder of the tournament will take place at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls next weekend. Minot State (12-16, 7-15 NSIC), too, will be on the road Wednesday to open the tournament.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Guard Jessica Newman walked off the court with her fellow seniors in the closing seconds of the game to a standing ovation for their four years of service. Newman finished with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-20 shooting, adding a pair of assists, two rebounds, and one steal. Sophomore forward Kenzie Kane put up a second-straight solid effort for the Bulldogs, scoring 14 points. Sophomore center Allyson Harris and freahman forward Ayo Porte finished tied for the team-lead with seven rebounds.
• Sophomore guard Alex Haley could hardly miss, finishing 8-of-11 from the floor, matching Newman for a game-high 20 as four players hit double figures with a fifth at nine for the hot-shooting Beavers. Senior forward Christina Boag finished with 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

A frustrating Minot State defense forced UMD into too many low-percentage shots, with the Bulldogs taking almost half of their 66 shots (31) from beyond the arc. UMD made just eight three-pointers, four in each half, and scored 16 of their 56 points in the paint, shooting 12-of-35 from inside the three-point arc. Inside, the Bulldogs drew fouls but didn't make good at the charity stripe, finishing 8-of-19 for the game and 4-of-13 in the second half. The teams were back-and-forth through the first 10 minutes of action, with Kane netting a three pointer to give UMD a 9-8 lead out of the first media timeout. The Beavers made a 10-0 run from the midpoint of the half and held the Bulldogs at bay the rest of the way.
 

The Bulldogs will open the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament next Wednesday, Feb. 25 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota against Augustana (S.D.). Time for the opening tip is yet to be officially announced, but likely 6:00 p.m. Stay tuned to umdbulldogs.com and Twitter for official updates.