The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team got back into the win column in tonight's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) matchup with their win over the Concordia St. Paul Golden Bears.

Halftime: UMD (48) - CSP (28)

The Bulldogs started off the night hot, creating eight point and six point runs back to back to take a 23-9 lead through the opening nine minutes. A few fouls would briefly break up their offensive momentum, but they would return to it just as fast and string together 14 unanswered points to go up 37-12 with six minutes left in the half. The two teams would go bucket for bucket with each other to close out the first 20 minutes, leaving UMD a twenty point lead at the halftime intermission. 

UMD would shoot 20-40 (50%) from the field, 5-11 (45.4%) from three point range, and 3-4 from the free throw line to end the half. Despite giving up more from the line, the Bulldog defense would keep the Golden Bears to 37% from the field throughout the half to keep them ahead. 

Final Score: UMD (92) - CSP (69)

UMD would give up the first bucket of the second half, but respond with a layup of their own to match. The two teams would continue to match each other throughout the rest of the game, with the Bulldogs just barely outscoring CSP 44-41 throughout the next 20 minutes and benefiting from their previously established lead to secure another conference win and return to the victory column. 

The Bulldogs would end the night shooting 35-69 (50.7%) from the field, 6-16 (37.5%) from outside the arc, and 16-23 (69.6%) from the charity line. UMD's toughness to secure 46 rebounds, including 16 offensive rebounds, would allow them the opportunity to collect 16 second chance points and 26 points off of turnovers to let them walk away with the win. 

Middleton Secures 1,000th Career Point

Graduate student guard Jack Middleton secured his 1,000th career point on his 186th career three pointer. Middleton joined the Bulldogs in the 2019-20 season and currently leads the team in free throw percentage and assists. 

Top Performers

Graduate student guard Drew Blair led the Bulldogs with 26 total points after shooting 8-19 (42.1%) from the field, 2-6 (33.3%) from outside the arc, and a perfect 8-8 (100%) from the free throw line, all while collecting five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Senior forward Austin Andrews collected a second best 21 total points after shooting 9-13 (69.2%) from the field and 3-4 (75%) from the charity line, and tallied eight rebounds, one assist, and one steal. 

Looking Ahead

Men's basketball returns home to Romano Gymnasium to host the Winona State University Warriors in their final weekend before the holiday break. The Bulldogs will tip off on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 2:00 PM.