The University of Minnesota Duluth opened it's 2019-2020 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference campaign with a home victory Monday evening, defeating St. Cloud State University 95-74 at Romano Gymnasium in Duluth, Minn. 

The Bulldogs got off to a quick 7-0 advantage with a three-pointer from the right-wing courtesy of senior guard Trevor Entwisle and easy lay-ins from senior forward Brandon Myer and redshirt freshman guard Drew Blair. UMD (1-0 NSIC; 6-1 overall) would begin the game with a 13-2 run that spanned over the first three minutes and twenty seconds of the contest. A three-pointer and then an and-one conversion from Trevon Marshall on the next possession for St. Cloud State (0-1 NSIC; 3-4 overall) cut the Bulldog lead to 21-14. Myer would already hit double digits with 12 points, a game-high for both teams in the first half, on a three from the top of the key with about ten minutes to go. Blair also added 10 points and senior forward Alex Illikainen chipped in nine during the opening 20 minutes. The Huskies would keep pace with another three, this time form Diamond Onwuka to pull within two points of the Bulldog lead. A couple minutes later, a hook shot from Illikainen pushed UMD's lead back to eight points. UMD took a five-point lead into the break at 46-41 as both teams traded three-pointers in the final seconds of the first half. The three-ball was key for the Bulldogs as they converted on 6-of-13 (46.2%) attempts from beyond the arc in the first half. The Bulldogs also forced seven turnovers in the first half in which they turned into 11 points.

The Bulldogs got rolling in the second half when Illikainen found Myer racing to the basket on a backdoor cut, Myer would proceed to hit the layup and convert the extra free throw after being fouled on the shot. A couple of possessions later, Blair hit a contested lay-in with his left hand to push UMD's lead back to 10 points. With 12:53 remaining, Entwisle hit Illikainen in stride on his way through the paint for a lay-in and a foul. Illikainen converted the extra free throw to stretch UMD's lead to 66-50. Senior guard Logan Rohrscheib pushed UMD's lead to 20 points at 73-53 halfway through the second half with a crafty fake to the left and spin back to the right for an open layup. The Bulldogs used a 24-7 run that lasted just under eight minutes through the middle of the second half to take command of the Monday's contest.

Notables:
UMD led for the entire game with their largest advantage at 27 points with six-and-a-half minutes remaining in the game ... Four Bulldogs landed in double figures in points on Monday: Myer (25 points, 10-14 FG), freshman guard Jack Middleton (16 points, 6-10 FG), Illikainen (12 points, 5-11 FG), Blair (12 points, 5-9 FG) ... In a tight battle on the glass, the Bulldogs edged Huskies 32-30 in rebounds.

Up Next:
The Bulldogs will continue NSIC action and their three-game home stand when they take on Minot State University on Friday (Dec. 6) at Romano Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.