Despite comeback efforts in the second half, Minnesota State University Moorhead held off the University of Minnesota Duluth 87-68 in a Friday night Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference battle.

UMD (4-15; 3-10 NSIC) shot 42.4 percent on the night, but it was the Dragon offense that pulled away by shooting 50.8 percent as the Bulldogs were unable to complete a comeback bid in Moorhead, Minn.

The Bulldogs were led in scoring by freshman guard Logan Rohrscheib, who picked up 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-9 from the three-point line. Senior forward Charles Benson continued to pose an offensive threat for UMD, scoring 12 points on a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor.

After UMD scored the opening two points on a field goal by junior guard Kyle Schalow, the Dragons responded with a 17-2 run in which the Bulldogs shot 1-for-10 from the field. Schalow would go on to score eight first half points. MSU Moorhead took a 41-27 lead into the locker room, while not committing a turnover in the opening 20 minutes.

UMD fought back in the second half, cutting the deficit to as few as nine points at the six minute mark of the second half, but were unable to pull any closer. After the opening 2-0 lead by the Bulldogs, the Dragons held a lead the remainder of the game. Rohrscheib connected on a layup with 53 seconds to play, ultimately concluding the scoring at a 87-68 mark.

The Bulldogs will look to rebound from the defeat as they face Northern State University on Saturday night in Aberdeen, S.D.