The No.21 University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team took on #3 Minnesota State University in tonight's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) matchup, falling short to the Mavericks in a hard fought overtime thriller.

Halftime: UMD (43) - MSU (42)

The Bulldogs would get off to a strong start, trading the splitting the opening two baskets with MSU and pulling out to a 18-16 lead through the first eight minutes. A three pointer and layup back to back from the Mavericks put them ahead, but not without a quick response from the Bulldogs where a Meister bucket would start off a run of seven unanswered to change the lead yet again. The Bulldogs would benefit from that four point lead going into the end of the half, getting outscored 21-18 within the last eight minutes but staying ahead by one before the intermission.

UMD finished off the first half shooting 18-36 (50%) from the field, 3-13 (23.1) from outside the arc, and 4-6 (66.7%) from the charity line. The back and forth game saw nine lead changes within the first half, but the Bulldog's quickness to pick up six offensive rebounds and power to collect 30 points in the paint would allow them to keep the edge going into the intermission.

End of Regulation: UMD (84) - MSU (84)

The two teams would start off the second half the same way they started the first, trading the opening two baskets with each other. The two teams would go back and forth with each other for a majority of the second half, with UMD scoring 29 of the 59 points over the first 14 minutes of the half and finding themselves tied at 72-72. A run of seven points for MSU would push them out ahead nearing the end of regulation, but the Bulldogs would battle back and force 10 free throw opportunities over the final three minutes of the half and take the Mavericks to UMD's first chance at overtime basketball this season.

UMD would head into overtime shooting 14-36 (38.9%) from the field, 1-10 (10%) from three point range, and 12-19 (63.2%) from the line through the second half. The Bulldogs would continue to benefit from their strength, collecting another nine offensive rebounds and seven steals to battle back and force extra time.

Final Score: UMD (96) - MSU (100)

The Bulldogs would get out to a slow start in their first overtime of the season, falling to a five point deficit through the first two and a half minutes. UMD would force out a few fouls from the Mavericks, gaining four free throw attempts and outsourcing MSU 6-1 to tie things up 94-94 with 50 seconds left. UMD's efforts to pressure for possession would unfortunately result in four successful free throws from the Mavericks in the final seconds and lead to their hard fought loss in their final game of the 2023 calendar year. 

The Bulldogs ended the night shooting 34-80 (42.5%) from the field, 5-27 (18.5%) from three point range, and 23-33 (69.7%) from the free throw line. UMD would come away with 14 extra rebounds and 20 extra points in the point over the Mavericks, but their uncharacteristic struggles from outside the arc would hold them back in this nationally ranked matchup.

Top Performers

Graduate student guard Drew Blair led the Bulldogs in scoring tonight posting a game high 34 points, shooting 12-28 (42.9%) from the field, 2-12 (16.7%) from three point range, and 8-12 (66.7%) from the free throw line. Senior forward Charlie Katona posted a double double performance tonight, slotting in at second for the Bulldogs in scoring with 20 points and collecting a game high and new career single game high 16 rebounds. 

Looking Ahead

Men's basketball returns after the holiday break to play host to the University of Mary and Minot State University. The action will tip off for the Bulldogs on Friday, Jan. 5, at 5:30 PM.