It took a couple of extra days -- and two postponements, but the University of Minnesota Duluth finally got to make its 2019-20 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Intercollegiate Conference debut Monday afternoon.

The Bulldogs certainly made the wait worth it as they took down St. Cloud State University 71-59 in an intrastate rivalry clash which had been originally scheduled for Saturday and then rescheduled for Sunday due to a severe weekend storm that blasted the Twin Ports.

Sophomore forward Brooke Olson rolled up  20 points and eight rebounds (both game highs) for UMD, which hiked its winning streak to four games and improved to 4-3 on the year. Senior forward Katie Stark (15 points) and sophomore guard Ann Simonet (11 points) also finished in double figures while sophomore guard Maesyn Thiesen was credited with seven assists to lead both teams. The Bulldogs trailed only once the entire night (by two points late in first half) and went into halftime holding a 29-26 lead. UMD iced the victory by outscoring the Huskies (3-2 overall) 25-16 in the final period of play and shooting 64.3 percent from the floor during that stretch.

The Bulldogs cashed in on 17 of their 21 free throw attempts (81.0 percent) on the afternoon and 24 of their 57 field goals (42.1 percent). They also forced 16 turnovers.

UMD will remain at home to face Minot State University and the University of Mary this Friday and Saturday (Dec. 6-7) in a pair of NSIC matchups.