The University of Minnesota Duluth got a career high 34 points from junior forward Brandon Myer but foul trouble and poor three-point shooting allowed Northern State University to hang on for a 72-70 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory Friday night. The Wolves held serve at Wachs Arena to split the season series after converting on its last 12 free throws including the go-ahead pair with 20 seconds remaining. 

Twenty-four fouls were called in the second half alone and five Bulldogs were charged with at least three fouls as Northern State got into the bonus early and often in the second half. The Wolves got the benefit of 15 UMD fouls in that choppy second half and converted 17 of 22 at the charity stripe including the aforementioned final 12, all with under five minutes left. Northern State had nine fouls themselves but it got into the bonus with over eight minutes to go.

UMD shot better overall than Northern State (47.4-43.4) but the Bulldogs struggled beyond the arc. UMD made only two triples, one in each half, and shot a painstaking 12.5 percent from the outside. The Bulldogs made their living in the paint tonight as they scored 42 points inside. Senior forward Sean Burns collected all 10 of his points in the interior and his backup, sophomore Jake Paper, chipped in 12 as well. Paper shot 6-for-8 from the floor and hit on over 88 percent from the paint. 

Myer also did damage from inside. He shot 13-for-22 overall but was a lethal 12-for-15 inside the arc. The Superior, Wis., native had 10 of UMD's last 12 points down the stretch as the Bulldogs relied on his hot hand to keep the conference-leading Wolves close of the upset. It was the sixth 30-point game by Myer and the most a Bulldog has scored since Pierre Newton dropped 42 on Southwest Minnesota State University back on Jan. 30, 2016.

Myer also pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds for his NSIC-leading 10th double-double of the season. 

UMD trailed at the half for the third straight outing but it made another comeback. Northern State led by six at the half but the Wolves fumbled the lead briefly with a 14-6 run by the Bulldogs. UMD had seized the momentum in its direction after junior guard Trevor Entwisle drained a corner three to put the Bulldogs ahead 47-46. UMD led by three before the Wolves crawled back to regain the advantage but never had a comfortable lead. The Bulldogs   
held the deficit to under four the rest of the night as both teams traded buckets and free throws.

The Wolves' Ian Smith gave Northern State the lead at 70-68 after being bumped on the baseline with 20 ticks left. UMD missed on the ensuing possession and Andrew Kallman doubled the lead at the line before Myer go it back to a single possession but with only 1.0 showing on the clock. The Wolves were able to inbound the ball and run off the last second.

Northern State (20-5;16-3 NSIC) is one win away from clinching the conference regular season title. The Bulldogs (14-9; 11-8 NSIC) received some help in their bid to secure a first-round home playoff spot. The University of Mary and the University of Minnesota Crookston both lost tonight giving UMD the right to host if it wins one of the remaining three games on its schedule.

Minnesota State University Moorhead is up next for the Bulldogs tomorrow evening. Tip of UMD's final road game of the season is at 5:30 p.m.