The UMD men's basketball team was handed their first loss of the season on Saturday. In the Bulldogs' second and final matchup in the inaugural Small College Basketball Champions Classic, they fell short to Ferris State with a final score of 71-64.

Saturday's loss started off slow, with neither team displaying total control throughout the entire first half. A Joshua Brown three-pointer gave the Bulldogs their first lead, 7-4, at just over the 17-minute mark. Shortly after, Ferris State responded with a 6-0 run to give itself a three-point lead. Next came back-and-forth action until UMD closed the half on a 10-2 run,  the largest scoring run of the half by either team. All UMD buckets were scored by Joshua Strong, Charlie Katona and Drew Blair throughout this run. These three led the way at the end of the half and provided the energy needed to endure a frame that had six ties and four lead changes. UMD was able to head into the locker room at the halfway point with a five-point lead, 25-20.

Despite first-half shooting woes, the Bulldogs were able to gain their halftime lead due to seven players contributing to the scoring column. Katona led the way with a total of seven points to go along with three rebounds. Blair pitched in five points and five rebounds of his own, and Jack Middleton scored four points. Austin Andrews was able to make an impact on the glass, racking up five rebounds.

Ferris State came out hot to start the second half, going on a quick 8-0 run to retake the lead 28-25 just two minutes into the second frame. UMD battled back with their own 8-0 run led by Middleton, who contributed half of the Bulldog points in this stretch. Just when the Bulldogs regained their lead, Ferris State took off on a 23-11 run, giving them a 51-44 advantage with just under ten minutes remaining in the game.

 Ferris State was running a full-court, trapping press all game long, swarming ball handlers in the backcourt and forcing turnovers. This was enough for the momentum to swing in their favor and allow them to take control of the game in the second half. Now, in the final stretch, UMD needed to make a run. With six and a half minutes remaining, Brown assisted Andrews to cut the lead to one, 53-52. Ferris State responded again with a 6-0 run, adding insurance to their lead and pushing the score to 59-52. Every time UMD got within striking distance, Ferris State was able to respond. At the two-and-a-half-minute mark, UMD found itself down 10. A Middleton steal with 46 seconds left led to a Joshua Brown lay-up, and suddenly the deficit was cut in half at 69-65 - this is before Deng Reng sealed it at the free throw line for Ferris State.

UMD's shooting struggles played a role in the loss. However, UMD still saw four players score in double figures. Katona and Middleton each scored 15 points. Andrews picked up yet another double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Blair scored 12 to go along with nine rebounds and two assists. 

Ferris State played 11 players and displayed an evenly spread scoring night across the board. Ben Davidson was the only FSU player to score in double digits, providing 10 for his team. Solomon Oraegbu scored nine, and four Ferris State players contributed 8 points. Reece Hazelton and Dolapo Olayinka led the way on the glass with nine rebounds apiece. 

WORDS FROM WIECK
This UMD squad is one with mighty offensive potential. Saturday, it encountered a team of a similar prowess on the defensive end of the ball. The secret was simple to pinpoint but hard to crack: the press. 

UMD head coach Justin Wieck gave props to Ferris State for their efforts in pushing the Bulldogs' tempo with this defensive employment.

"No doubt their pressure bothered us in stretches," Wieck said. "Especially In the 2nd half. They press all game long, and give them credit for making us uncomfortable." 

The fact that one of UMD's bigger woes throughout the contest isn't too hard to identify doesn't soften the loss. Still, it does make it so that this game can be a huge learning opportunity for the Bulldogs- all they have to do is capitalize on it.

"We need to run better offense to get better shots against good defensive teams," Wieck said. "This game will be great for us moving forward if we are willing to change."

It wasn't just Saturday that provided lessons for this UMD team- there were things to be learned across the entire tournament weekend. Splitting against some of the strongest competition in Division II basketball instills no shame, but it does show that there is work that can be done. When you have the kinds of season expectations that these Bulldogs do, that's work that they'll gladly do.

"No doubt this was a big time tournament for us to compete in," Wieck said. "We went 1-1 against great competition. Great competition exposes your warts and what you need to get better at. We have struggled offensively all season, and that's not something I was expecting. We have plenty of talent- we need to keep working at being great at the things we need to do on both ends."

UP NEXT: 
The Bulldogs travel to St. Cloud to battle the Huskies in their first conference game of the season. That game will be played on Tuesday, November 22 at 5:30 P.M. The Bulldogs then return to Romano Gym, facing Michigan Tech at 1:00 P.M. on Saturday, November 26, and Northern Michigan on Sunday, November 27 at 1:00 P.M.