A late-game push by the University of Minnesota Duluth would come up short as it fell 80-66 to Wayne State College in the quarterfinals of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The Bulldogs (14-14 overall), who at at one point trailed by as many as 27 points, pulled within six points with 3:26 left in the game. But that's as close as they would be as WSC (23-6 overall) closed out the game on a 10-2 run.

The Wildcats jumped out to a hot start against the Bulldogs the first half thanks in large part to junior forward Paige Ballinger's effort. Ballinger finished the first half with 18 points on 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) shooting, three steals, and a pair of rebounds and blocks. UMD was outscored 29-9 in the first quarter, its largest such deficit in a quarter this season. The Bulldogs shot 10-of-30 in the first half for 26 points, while the Wildcats would shoot 18-of-30 (60.0 percent) for 49 points. 49 points are the most UMD had allowed in a single half on the year. 

Senior forward Taylor Meyer and sophomore guard Emma Boehm combined for 25 of the Bulldogs' 40 second-half points on 9-of-15 shooting. Boehm, coming off the bench, would finish with career highs in points with 20 (connecting on 8 of 11 field goals  -- 4-of-5 from beyond the arc) and steals with four.

WSC dominated down low, scoring 46 points in the paint. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, used three-pointers to their advantage, going 8-of-17 from downtown. Perhaps the most lopsided differential came at the charity stripe, where WSC would head to the line 26 times compared UMD going just 13 times. 

The Bulldogs conclude their 2016-17 season with a 14-14 overall record and 11-11 in NSIC play. UMD made their first trip to the NSIC Tournament quarterfinals since the 2009-10 season.