Sioux Falls, SD – The No. 12 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs faced off against the No. 14 Upper Iowa Peacocks on Monday morning. In what was a back-and-forth battle throughout, the Bulldogs managed to close out the Peacocks late as they went on to win 76-73. The Bulldogs advance to their first NSIC Tournament championship game in 18 years!
The Peacocks started the game hot from the offensive end of the floor as they managed to jump out to a quick 10-2 lead early in the first half. From there, the Bulldogs managed to slowly work their way back into the game. Teams continued to trade baskets as the Bulldogs could not cut more into the Peacock lead. A big part of the first half was North Division Player of the Year
Austin Andrews went down with a injury that kept him out of the remainder of the game. Despite the big loss, the Bulldogs continued to battle and kept the Peacocks within 5 points. Teams continued to trade baskets down the stretch as a fast break jump shot from
Drew Blair cut the Bulldogs deficit down to 36-33 going into halftime. The Bulldogs shot 15-33 (45.5%) from the field and 2-11 (18.2%) from three-point range in the first half. The Peacocks shot 14-26 (53.9%) from the field and 3-8 (37.5%) from three-point range.
The Bulldogs began the second with a renewed energy as they went on an 8-0 run to take a 41-36 lead. During the run,
Lincoln Meister had two big baskets for the Bulldogs as he was filling in for Andrews. From there, teams once again continued to battle as a free-throw from
Drew Blair tied the game up at 44-44 with 14:26 remaining in the second half. The rest of the half was tightly contested as whenever the Bulldogs went on a short run, the Peacocks answered with a run of their own. The Peacocks' Jareese Williams hit a three-pointer to take a 63-58 Peacock lead with 7:14 left in the game. But, the Bulldogs answered quickly as back-to-back baskets from
Joshua Brown and
Jack Middleton gave the Bulldogs the lead once again. Teams continued to trade baskets down the stretch as another
Joshua Brown floater gave the Bulldogs a 70-65 lead with 1:09 left in the half. The Peacocks responded with a pair of free throws to cut the Bulldogs lead down to 3 points.
Joshua Brown responded on the next possession with possibly the biggest shot of his career as he hit a three-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 73-67 lead with :36 seconds remaining. The Peacocks Joe Smoldt would hit two three pointers in the last couple minutes, but the Bulldogs managed to close out the game from the foul line as they went on to win 76-73. The Bulldogs shot 15-32 (46.9%) from the field and 1-8 (12.5%) from three-point range in the second half. The Peacocks shot 12-31 (38.7%) from the field and 7-16 (43.8%) from three-point range in the second half.
The Bulldogs were led by
Drew Blair who had 29 points on the night.
Joshua Brown was the only other Bulldog in double-figures as he had 16 points.
Lincoln Meister added 8 points off the bench for the Bulldogs.
Charlie Katona led the team with 7 rebounds on the night. Katona also led the team with 3 assists.
Joshua Strong added 2 steals on the night off the bench. Overall, the Bulldogs shot 30-65 (46.3%) from the field and 3-19 (15.8%) from three-point range. They also shot 13-14 from the foul line.
The Peacocks were led by Joe Smoldt who had 19 points on the night. Smoldt also led the team with 9 rebounds on the night. Jake Hilmer led the team with 6 assists. Overall, the Peacocks shot 26-57 (45.6%) from the field and 10-24 (41.7%) from three-point range in the game. They also went 11-15 from the foul line.
Who's Next:
The Bulldogs will face the winner of MSU Moorhead and Augustana in the Championship game tomorrow at 4:00 PM.
