The University of Minnesota Duluth women's basketball team fell short today in their Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) matchup, losing 47-64 against the St. Cloud State University Huskies. 

Halftime: UMD (21) - SCSU (31)

Two successful jumpers each from Gilbertson and Karge started the Bulldogs off hot, pulling out to an 8-5 lead through the first five minutes of the game. The Huskies however would respond with a run of 10 unanswered points to outscore the Bulldogs 15-4 through the final minutes of the first quarter. UMD looked to respond, connecting on the first two buckets of the second quarter to close in on the SCSU lead, but would lose the ground they gained with another five unanswered by the Huskies. SCSU would outscore the Bulldogs 11-9 throughout the second quarter to hold onto a 10 point lead going into the intermission. 

UMD closed out the first half this afternoon shooting 9-27 (33.3%) from the field, 2-8 (25%) from outside the arc, and 1-2 (50%) from the charity line. The Bulldogs were able to establish strength in ball control, out rebounding the Huskies 18-16 through the first half, but struggled to get the ball to fall and gain offensive momentum. 

Final Score: UMD (47) - SCSU (64)

Six unanswered points for the Bulldogs to start off the second half would look promising, cutting the SCSU lead from double digits down to just four. However, SCSU would be quick to respond with eight unanswered of their own to grow the lead back to double digits with five minutes left in the third quarter. A Rhoades three pointer though would help chip away slowly, contributing to the Bulldogs being able to outscore the Huskies 13-12 through the third. The fourth quarter would start with back to back buckets for the Huskies and all but close things out for UMD, as they would get held to just four shots from the field through the fourth to end the game. 

The Bulldogs would close out the game shooting 18-50 (36%) from the field, 4-16 (25%) from three point range, and 7-12 (58.3%) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs would come out with a strong defensive showing, tallying five blocks and nine steals, but struggle to get something going offensively to keep up with the Huskie scoring.

Top Performers

Sophomore forward Lexi Karge led the scoring for the Bulldogs this afternoon, shooting 6-10 (60%) from the field and 1-2 (50%) from the free throw line for 13 points and collecting five rebounds and one assist. Senior guard Ella Gilbertson shot 4-9 (44.4%) from the field for 10 points tonight, while collecting a team best six rebounds and three assists.

Looking Ahead

Women's basketball returns next weekend on the road to take on the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons and the Northern State University Wolves. The action for the Bulldogs will tip off on Friday, Jan. 19, at 5:30 PM.