With the Bulldogs win tonight and Minot State losing, the Bulldogs clinched the North Division title tonight! This is the Bulldogs first NSIC North Division title!
 
Duluth, Minn. – The No. 7 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs hosted the Minnesota State Moorhead Dragons Friday night. The Bulldogs managed to overcome just their fourth halftime deficit as they went on to win the game; 80-70. The win improves the Bulldogs to 20-2 (13-2) on the season.
 
To start the game, the Dragons started off hot from the offensive end as they jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead. From there, the Bulldogs battled back quickly as a Joshua Brown three-pointer tied up the game at 7-7. The Bulldogs continued to play well on the offensive end as a Jack Middleton three-pointer capped off a 9-0 run to give the Bulldogs a 11-7 lead. The Bulldogs were able to extend their run to 13-0 thanks to a Austin Andrews and Charlie Katona layup. Both teams struggled offensively for the next few possessions as neither team could find rhythm on the offensive end. Another Joshua Brown three-pointer got the Bulldogs offense back on the board as they Bulldogs led 20-15 with 8:57 remaining in the first half. Brown followed up the three-pointer with another basket on the next possession to extend the Bulldogs lead to 7 points. Coming out of the media timeout, the Dragons battled back from their deficit and thanks to a three-pointer, took a 24-22 lead. Drew Blair followed up the Dragons run with a step back three-pointer to give the Bulldogs the lead once again. Down the stretch teams battled and traded points as neither team could pull away late in the first half. Teams once again traded baskets to end the half as the Dragons hit a three-pointer to end the half as they took a 36-34 halftime lead. Austin Andrews led the Bulldogs with 11 points in the half as they Bulldogs shot 14-31 (45.2%) from the field as they also shot 4-10 (40%) from three-point range. The Dragons shot 14-33 (42.4%) from the field and 4-10 (40%) from three-point range.
 
 Drew Blair started off the second half for the Bulldogs with a pair of free throws. A combination of Drew Blair and Austin Andrews baskets to begin the half gave the Bulldogs a 46-43 lead with 15:17 remaining in the second half. Teams continued to battle as neither team could pull ahead in the game. Back-to-back baskets from Joshua Brown gave the Bulldogs their largest lead of the half as they led the Dragons 52-46 with 11:35 remaining in the half. The Bulldogs continued to stay hot as a Joshua Brown three-pointer gave the Bulldogs a 59-46 lead with 9:22 remaining. Charlie Katona followed that up with a three-point play to extend the Bulldog lead. The Dragons battled back however and managed to get the Bulldog lead down to 7 points, but Jack Middleton answered with a big three-pointer to get the Bulldog lead back to 10 points as they led 65-55 with 7:00 minutes remaining. The Bulldogs defense came up big down the stretch as they managed to keep the Dragons out of reach. Drew Blair kept up his hot shooting from last weekend as he knocked in a big three-pointer to extend the Bulldog led to 14 points. The Dragons once again responded as the cut the Bulldog lead to within 10 points as they trailed 72-63 with 3:23 remaining in the game. Thanks to a shooting foul and a pair of technical fouls, Drew Blair hit 6 straight free throws to push the game out of reach down the stretch. The Bulldogs went on to win the game 80-70. The Bulldogs shot 14-29 (48.3%) from the field and shot 3-10 (30%) from three-point range in the second half. The Dragons shot 13-32 (40.6%) from the field and 5-10 (50%) from three-point range.
 
The Bulldogs were led by Drew Blair as he continued his hot streak as he scored 28 points on the night. Austin Andrews added 20 points on the night while Joshua Brown added 17 points.  Charlie Katona led the team with 10 rebounds on the night while Drew Blair led the team with 4 assists. Overall, the Bulldogs shot 28-60 (46.7%) from the field and 7-20 (35%) from three-point range. They also shot 17-18 (94.4%) from the free throw line.
The Dragons were led by Lorenzo McGhee who had 16 points on the night. McGhee also led the team with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Overall, the Dragons shot 27-65 (41.5%) from the field and 9-20 (45%) from three-point range. They also shot 7-9 from the foul line.
 
Who's Next:
The No. 7 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs are back in action tomorrow as they will host Northern State for senior day! Come out and support your Bulldog seniors tomorrow!