Duluth, Minn. – The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs hosted the Minnesota State Mavericks tonight in Duluth. In what was a back-and-forth defensive battle, the Bulldogs defense controlled the NSIC's top scoring offense as they went on to win the game 61-52 to improve to 9-4 (7-2).
 
Head Coach Mandy Pearson had this to say about her team's performance: "I thought our athletes did a really good job of taking care of the ball and creating/finding great shots against their pressure. We played tough defense for 40 minutes and really battled on the boards!"
 
In the first quarter, the Bulldogs defense came out strong. The Bulldogs defense held the Mavericks to just 2 points through the first 7 minutes of play as the Bulldogs took a 10-2 lead with 2:47 remaining in the first quarter. The Bulldogs kept up the pressure as they jumped out to an early 15-2 lead. The Mavericks managed to score a basket before the end of the quarter as the Bulldogs took a 15-4 first quarter lead. Sarah Grow had 6 first quarter points to lead the Bulldogs as they shot 7-18 (38.9%) from the field and 1-7 (14.3%) from three-point range. The Mavericks struggled in the first quarter as they shot 2-17 (11.8%) from the field and 0-7 from three-point range.
 
In the second quarter, the Mavericks offense found their stroke as they quickly battled their way back into the game. They cut their deficit down to two points with 5:02 left in the half as the Bulldogs led 19-17. From there, teams began to trade baskets down the stretch as neither team could pull ahead. After a 3-point play by Joey Batt, the Mavericks finished their 2nd quarter comeback as they took a 30-28 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs struggled from the field as they shot just 5-18 (27.8%) from the field and 0-6 from three-point range. The Mavericks however shot 11-18 (61.1%) from the field and 2-4 (50%) from three-point range in the second quarter.
 
The third quarter was once again highly contested as neither team could pull away from the other. After teams traded baskets to begin the quarter, teams found themselves tied up at 37-37 with 4:07 left in the third quarter. The Bulldogs managed to pull slightly ahead at the end of the third quarter thanks to a pair of baskets from Maesyn Thiesen and Brooke Olson. The Bulldogs took a 43-40 lead into the fourth quarter. Brooke Olson led the way in the third quarter with 9 points in the quarter as the bulldogs shot 7-18 (38.9%) from the field and 0-4 from three-point range. The Mavericks once again struggled from the field as they shot just 4-12 (33.3%) from the field and 1-5 (20%) from three-point range.
 
The Bulldogs came out in the fourth quarter and managed to maintain their small lead despite the Mavericks attempting a comeback. After a Kaylee Nelson three pointer, the Bulldogs took a 49-44 lead with 6:01 left in the quarter. From there, the Bulldogs managed to maintain their lead as there defense came up big down the stretch. Whenever the Mavericks got the game to within one possession, they would look for the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year Brooke Olson. Olson played her best basketball down the stretch as she had three straight baskets for the Bulldogs, followed by a nice assist to Taytum Rhoades to give the Bulldogs a 57-52 lead with :58 seconds left. From there, the Bulldogs closed out the Mavericks as they went on to win 61-52.
 
The Bulldogs were led by Brooke Olson who had 20 points on the night. Sarah Grow and Taytum Rhoades also contributed 12 points on the night. Sarah Grow led the team with 9 rebounds on the night as Tatyum Rhoades also grabbed 8 rebounds. Maesyn Thiesen led the team with 5 assists. Ann Simonet had 3 steals on the night while Grow also had 3 blocks on the night. Overall, the Bulldogs shot 25-68 (36.8%) from the field and 2-23 (8.7%) from three-point range. They also shot 9-12 (75%) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs went deep into their bench tonight as 9 players played at least 12 minutes.
 
Head Coach Mandy Pearson on the depth of the Bulldogs; "What I like most about our depth is the intense focus everyone has. Whoever we go to knows the game plan and does a great job of working hard every second they are on the floor."
 
The Mavericks were led by Maddy Olson who had 23 points on the night. Joey Batt also added 13 points. Emily Russo led the team with 8 rebounds while Batt led the team with 4 assists. The Mavericks shot 20-65 (30.8Z%) from the field and 4-24 (16.7%) from three-point range. They also shot 8-11 (72.7%) from the free throw line.
 
Who's Next:
The Bulldogs will be back in action with another big NSIC matchup as they host the Concordia St. Paul Golden Bears at 5:30 pm in Romano Gym. Come out and support your Bulldogs!