The University of Minnesota Duluth ended the 2018 year on a high note as they shut down inter-state rival St. Cloud State University 75-60 to move back to .500 during its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference campaign. A dominant post-performance by senior forward Sean Burns highlighted the Bulldogs' offensive attack, with the Robbinsdale, Minn. native notching 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Junior forward Brandon Myer tacked on a game-high 24 points of his own to boost his team-leading scoring average to 20.3 points per game.

After a tightly-contested opening 11 minutes resulting in a 19-19 tie, UMD jumped out to an eight point lead following back-to-back three-pointers by senior guard Mamadou Ngam and junior guard Cody Tomlinson at 27-19 with 6:25 remaining in the first half. The Huskies would claw back to within a pair before ultimately surrendering a 36-32 lead to the Bulldogs at the half. Myer and Burns both notched 10 points in the initial 20 minutes while UMD collectively shot 48.4 percent from the field. In 13 minutes of playing time freshman guard Hunter Plamann sparked the Bulldog attack, tallying four assists in the first 20 minutes.

UMD controlled the lead for the entirety of the second half despite allowing SCSU to inch to within a point three minutes into the half. Sitting on just a 38-37 lead, the Bulldogs picked up the intensity on the defensive end by giving up just 10 points in the following 10 minutes, allowing UMD to pull away to a seven point lead at 54-47 with just under seven minutes to play. Burns then knocked down a couple of consecutive baskets and a pair of free throws for six straight Bulldog points to retain an eight point lead against the surging Huskies. In the final three minutes of play, Myer essentially locked up a Bulldog victory with three clutch baskets, including a three-pointer from the corner to push UMD to a 67-57 lead with just 1:36 remaining. The Bulldogs held SCSU to just three points in the final four minutes and just a 30.3 percent field goal percentage in the second half, resulting in a final score of 75-60.

Burns and Myer became the first UMD teammates to both record 20+ points in a single game since Jan. 19, 2018 when the duo also accomplished the feat, combining for 48 points in a victory over Minnesota State University Moorhead. With his Sunday evening performance, Myer tallied his fourth 20+ point performance of the season and has yet to score below 12 points in a contest on the season.

The Bulldogs will return to the court next weekend a road NSIC doubleheader against Bemidji State University and University of Minnesota Crookston.