Duluth, Minn. – The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs hosted the Southwest Minnesota Mustangs on Friday night. After a slow start, the Bulldogs used a big run in the second quarter to give them the lead and they did not look back. The Bulldogs won 65-49 as they extend their win streak to 7 games. The Bulldogs improve to 15-4 (13-2) on the season.
The game began with a fast-paced start as teams were running up and down the court. The Bulldogs struggled to gain a rhythm on the offensive end of the floor as the Mustangs took a 9-4 lead at the first media timeout. Coming out of the media timeout, the Bulldogs defense stepped up as they managed to get some big stops. They also were able to build some momentum on the offensive end to break into the Mustang lead. The Mustangs managed to respond with a couple of three-pointers down the stretch as they took a 16-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs shot 5-14 (25.7%) from the field and 1-5 (20%) from three-point range in the quarter. The Mustangs shot 6-17 (35.3%) from the field and 3-6 (50%) from three-point range in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Mustangs started the scoring with a three-pointer to push their lead to 19-11. After another Mustangs basket, the Bulldogs managed to get a few consecutive stops on the defensive end as they were able to cut into the Mustang lead and eventually took a 23-22 lead thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from
Maesyn Thiesen. In all, the Bulldogs used a 19-5 run to propel themselves to a 30-24 lead with 1:36 remaining in the half. From there, the Bulldogs scored two baskets before halftime to take a 35-26 lead. The Bulldogs used a balanced first half scoring as they shot 10-17 (58.8%) from the field and 4-7 (57.1%) from three-point range in the second quarter. The Mustangs struggled form the field in the quarter as they shot 4-12 (33.3%) from the field and 1-4 (25%) from three-point range.
The second half began with a
Brooke Olson three-pointer early in the third quarter. From there, both offenses struggled to get a basket as both teams went scoreless for over three minutes until the Mustangs hit a jump shot with 6:16 remaining to cut the Bulldog lead to 38-29. From there, the Bulldogs once again went on a big run as they went on a 13-5 run over the next five minutes to take a 51-35 lead with :51 seconds remaining. From there, the Bulldogs managed to get a couple stops to end the quarter as they took a 51-35 lead into the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs shot 6-11 (54.5%) from the field and 2-2 (100%) from three-point range in the quarter. The Mustangs once again struggled from the field as they shot 3-15 (20%) from the field and 1-5 (20%) from three-point range in the quarter.
The Bulldogs began the fourth quarter with a pair of baskets as they managed to extend their lead. From there, both defenses stepped up as neither team had much success from the offensive end of the floor. The Bulldogs managed to slowly build up there lead throughout the quarter as they took a 60-43 lead with 3:44 remaining thanks to a
Brooke Olson three-point play. The rest of the game, the Bulldogs defense once again stepped up and closed out the Mustangs and kept them out of reach. The Bulldogs went on to win the game 65-49.
The Bulldogs were led by
Brooke Olson who had 18 points on the night as Maesyn thiesen added 13 points.
Sarah Grow filled the stat sheet tonight as she had 8 points, while also leading the team with 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 blocks on the night. Overall, the Bulldogs shot 26-57 (45.6%) from the field and 8-17 (47.1%) from three-point range.
The Mustangs were led by Meleah Reinhart and Sadie Stelter who both had 10 points on the night. Stelter also added 6 rebounds to lead the Mustangs. Overall, the Mustangs shot 18-57 (31.6%) from the field and 5-19 (26.3%) from three-point range.
Who's Next:
The Bulldogs will be back at home tomorrow as they will host Sioux Falls at 3:30 PM.
