Fayette, IA – The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs traveled to face off against the Upper Iowa Peacocks on Saturday evening. Despite a off night on the offensive end, the Bulldogs leaned on their defense to win 55-42 on the road. The win puts the Bulldogs at 12-4 (10-2).  
 
The game started with a back and forth beginning as teams traded baskets to start the quarter. After a Madelyn Granica layup with 4:29 left in the quarter gave the Bulldogs a 8-7 lead, they began to pull away. From there, the Bulldogs went on a 8-2 run the remainder of the quarter to give them a 16-9 first quarter lead. The Bulldogs shot 6-16 (37.5%) from the field and 0-4 from three-point range in the first quarter. The Peacocks shot 4-18 (22.2%) from the field and 1-3 (33.3%) from three-point range in the first quarter.
 
The Bulldogs started the second period hot as they increased their lead. They got their lead to 13 points as they led 22-9 with 7:24 remaining in the quarter. From there, the Peacocks began to chip away at the Bulldogs lead as they managed to tie the game up at 24-24 with 2:21 remaining in the quarter. The Bulldogs responded by going on a 5-1 run to end the quarter and take a 29-25 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs shot 5-13 (38.5%) from the field and 0-4 from three-point range in the second quarter. The Peacocks shot 6-12 (50%) from the field and 1-3 (33.3%) from three-point range in the second quarter.
 
The third quarter began tightly contested as neither team could pull ahead. As the quarter went on, the Bulldogs offense heated up as they began to build their lead. A three pointer from Maesyn Thiesen gave the Bulldogs a 38-29 lead with 1:49 remaining in the quarter. From there, the Bulldogs held the Peacocks at the end of the quarter as Maesyn Theiesen hit another three at the buzzer to give UMD a 41-30 lead going into the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs shot 4-17 (23.5%) from the field and 2-6 (33.3%) from three-point range in the third quarter. The Peacocks shot 1-15 (6.7%) from the field and 0-1 from three-point range.
 
Teams began the fourth quarter by trading baskets as Upper Iowa was unable to cut into the Bulldog lead. The Bulldogs then managed to build their lead as a layup from Sarah Grow gave them a 14 point lead with 6:02 remaining. Upper Iowa made a comeback attempt but the Bulldog defense stepped up and shut down the comeback attempt as they went on to win 55-42. The Bulldogs shot 6-14 (42.9%) from the field and 0-2 from three-point range in the fourth quarter.  The Peacocks shot 3-11 (27.3%) from the field and 2-4 (50%) from three-point range in the fourth quarter.
 
The Bulldogs were led by Brooke Olson who had 16 points on the night. Maesyn Thiesen also added 12 points on the night. Olson led the team with 11 rebounds on the night for another double-double. Sarah Grow also added 9 rebounds on the night. Taytum Rhoades led the team with 3 assists. Rhoades and Grow both added 3 blocks each on the night. 8 different Bulldogs added a steal on the night as well. Overall, the Bulldogs shot 21-60 (35%) from the field and 2-16 (12.5%) from three-point range on the night. They also shot 11-12 (91.7%) from the foul line.
 
The Peacocks were led by Katie Tornstrom who had 13 points on the night. Lexie Lodermeier added 9 rebounds on the night as Lydia Haack added 3 assists on the night. Overall, the Peacocks shot 14-56 (36.4%) from the field and 4-11 (36.4%) from three-point range. They also shot 10-13 (76.9%) from the foul line.
 
Who's Next:
The Bulldogs will remain on the road next weekend as they travel to face Augustana on Friday January 21 at 5:30 PM. They will then travel to face Wayne State on Saturday January 22 at 3:30 PM.