The University of Minnesota Duluth is certainly no stranger to close contests this season -- 11 of its 16 games have been decided by 10 points or fewer. After a missed free throw by the Bulldogs with just six seconds remaining, senior guard Isaiah Gray of Winona State University drove down the court to convert a game-tying layup as the buzzer sounded, forcing an overtime. UMD would fall short in the extra five minutes, as the Warriors pulled away for a 78-70 victory.
The Bulldogs collectively shot just over 40 percent from the field and from three-point range, while WSU topped them in both categories by connecting on 50 percent from the floor and 47.1 percent from long range. Although UMD turned the ball over only 11 times, the Warriors took advantage of the Bulldog miscues by scoring 19 points.
Freshman guard
Logan Rohrscheib led the way for the UMD offense, scoring 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting. In the paint, senior forward
Charles Benson had his way, scoring 12 points while adding seven rebounds in 25 minutes of action. JuniorsÂ
Jake Wilson and
Kyle Schalow also picked up double-digit points, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Winona State held the lead for nearly 10 straight minutes to open play until Rohrscheib connected on one of his five three-pointers with 9:49 remaining to give UMD a 23-22 advantage. The Bulldogs would remain on top until the Warriors grabbed back a lead with under three minutes to play, eventually taking a 38-35 lead into the break.
Facing a 42-38 deficit with 16:03 remaining, UMD embarked on a costly run without a field goal lasting over five minutes, surrendering a 51-40 lead to WSU. The Bulldogs remained poised to fight back, knocking down three three-pointers in just over two minutes to get within four points. UMD finally found themselves in front with 3:15 to play after a Rohrscheib made good on a layup. With the Bulldogs ahead 63-61, neither team notched a point until Gray forced overtime with his buzzer-beating shot.
It was all Winona State in the extra session, outscoring UMD 15-7. Tied at 67-67, the Warriors went on an 11-1 run to seal a 78-70 victory.
