All this team has done time and time again this season is surpass expectations. 

Placed with a 10th-place finish in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, and fifth in the North Division, according to the coaches' preseason poll, the University of Minnesota Duluth has officially staked its claim to a home playoff game -- its first since 2016 -- on Wednesday, Feb. 27.

The Bulldogs fought off the University of Minnesota Crookston to the tune of a 76-67 win Friday night at Romano Gymnasium for the season split with the Golden Eagles.

UMD (16-9; 13-8 NSIC) has won five of its last six games while Minnesota Crookston (16-14; 9-12 NSIC) is still winless on the road in conference play (0-10).

The Bulldogs, who are currently tied for the third in the division with Minnesota State University Moorhead, will host either Southwest Minnesota State University or Winona State University depending on the outcome of tomorrow's games. UMD has the tiebreaker over MSU Moorhead (19-10; 13-8 NSIC) if the two teams finish with the same conference record.

Five Bulldogs registered double figures as it was the most balanced UMD has been all season. The only other time the Bulldogs placed five players with at least 10 points was in the season opener against the College of St. Scholastica. The total offensive team effort garnered junior guard Logan Rohrscheib and senior guard Mamadou Ngom with both a team-high 13 points. UMD's top two scorers this season, junior forward Brandon Myer and senior forward Sean Burns, were held to 10 points each on the night. Myer did notch his NSIC-leading 12th double-double with 10 rebounds before fouling out and Burns collected a career high four assists. Sophomore forward Jake Paper reached double figures for the third time this season with a 10-point outing off the bench shooting 80 percent from the field.

UMD was physical again in the interior as it outmuscled the Golden Eagles. The Bulldogs won the battle on the glass 41-29 and had a sizeable advantage in the paint 32-24. UMD shot above 50 percent for the 10th time this season and fourth time in the last six. It was a slow-moving first half and that pace dictated just 54 points between the two squads in what has normally been a up-and-down offensive showdown in two of the last three games between one-another.

Both offenses heated up in the second half but it was the Bulldogs who benefited more. UMD shot 60 percent in the second half and pushed its four-point halftime lead up to a game-high 14 with six minutes and change left. The Golden Eagles shot 45 percent in the final 20 minutes but just 38.7 percent for the game, their fourth-lowest shooting percentage this season.

UMD finishes the regular season with Senior Day tomorrow with Bemidji State University making a visit to Romano Gymnasium. The festivities and the opening tip will begin around 5:30 p.m.

Postgame Reaction:


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