After facing a deficit as much as 16 points, the University of Minnesota Duluth pushed back to within four before ultimately falling short to Northern State University.

The Wolves wasted little time jumping out to a lead, holding a 13-5 advantage just three minutes into the game. UMD responded by rattling off a 12-3 run to capture a 17-16 lead, capped off by a three-pointer by sophomore guard Cody Tomlinson. Northern State was able to one-up the Bulldogs' run however, scoring 18 of the next 19 points to lead by 14. Five minutes later, the Wolves took a 45-32 lead into halftime.

With NSU leading 49-33 two minutes into the second half, UMD quickly stormed back to cut the deficit to just eight. The Bulldogs hung around and, with just over two minutes to play, pulled within four points after senior forward Charles Benson knocked down a pair of free throws. UMD was unable to push any closer in the final minutes, falling by a 73-64 mark.

Junior forward Jake Wilson led the Bulldogs in scoring, shooting 6-of-9 on his way to 17 points. Benson concluded the night with nine points of his own while adding seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Jake Larkin scored a career-high seven points on 2-of-5 from the field.

UMD narrowly out-shot NSU, connecting on 42 percent of field goals compared to the Wolves' 41 percent. The Bulldogs also shot an impressive 55 percent (11-for-20) from three-point range, but it was points off turnovers that gave Northern State the edge -- outscoring UMD 18-2 in that department.

The Bulldogs return to Romano Gymnasium next weekend to host Augustana (S.D.) University and Wayne State (Neb.) College.