Duluth, Minn. – The No. Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs hosted the Minot State Beavers Friday night in Duluth. After a strong first half, the Bulldogs were able to hold off the Beavers as they won their third straight game 72-54.
 
In the first quarter, the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 10-2 lead with 4:56 left in the quarter. The Bulldogs defense gave the Beavers issues throughout the first quarter as they held them to just 3-14 (21.4%) shooting in the first quarter. The Bulldogs strong defensive play continued in the second quarter as once again the Bulldogs held them to just three made field goals as the Beavers shot 3-20 (15%) from the field in the second quarter. The Bulldogs offense was clicking as well throughout the first half as they were able to dominate in the paint as they scored 32 of 40 points in the paint in the first half. The Bulldogs ended the half with an 40-17 advantage. Overall, the Bulldogs shot 18-34 (52.9%) from the field and 1-10 (10%) from three-point range. The Beavers struggled to get anything going on offensively as they shot 6-34 (17.6%) from the field and 1-5 (20%) from three-point range.
 
In the third quarter, the Bulldogs picked up where they left off. Thanks to a three-point play from Ann Simonet, the Bulldogs built up to a 23-point lead. The Beavers attempted to claw their way back into the game, but the Bulldogs kept the game out of reach as they ended the third quarter with a 22-point lead. The Bulldogs lead proved to be too big to come back for the Beavers as the Bulldogs maintained a 20-point lead for much of the quarter. Two three-pointers from Taya Hakamaki in the fourth quarter were the exclamation point on what was a full team win.
 
The Bulldogs were led by Sarah Grow who led the team with 16 points on the night. Maesyn Thiesen added 11 points on the night while Brooke Olson added 10 points. Grow added 10 rebounds on the night for her first double-double of the season. Thiesen added 6 assists on the night while Taytum Rhoades added 5 assists of her own. Grow also added 6 blocks on the night while Thiesen and Simonet added 2 steals on the night. Overall, the Bulldogs shot 31-69 (44.9%) from the field as they shot 4-20 (20%) from three-point range. They also shot 6-8 (75%) from the foul line.
 
The Beavers were led by Amber Stevahn who had 16 points on the night. Anna Counts, Janie Wunderlich and Calli Delsman all added 11 points on the night. Emma Mogen added 7 rebounds on the night while Kate Head added 6 assists. Mogen added 3 blocks while Stevahn added 3 steals on the night. Overall, the Beavers shot 22-70 (31.4%) from the field and 5-17 (29.4%) from three-point range. They also shot 5-9 (55.6%) from the foul line.
 
Who's Next:
The Bulldogs will host the University of Mary Marauders tomorrow at 5:30 pm for their last home game of the calendar year.