The University of Minnesota Duluth women's basketball team finished off the weekend series sweep over the Bemidji State University Beavers, securing another Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) win to celebrate Alumni Day.

Halftime: UMD (43) - BSU (19)

UMD pushed the tempo early, connecting for the first two successful buckets of the game and  holding onto a 10-9 lead through the first five minutes. A Gilbertson three pointer would kick off a seven point run would let the Bulldogs outscore BSU 14-2 to end the first quarter. They would carry the momentum into the second quarter to hold the Beavers to just buckets from the field and outscoring them 19-8, securing a 24 point lead going into the halftime intermission.

The Bulldogs shot 18-31 (58.1%) from the field, 2-10 (20%) from outside the arc, and 5-6 (83.3%) from the charity line throughout the first half this afternoon. UMD made an impressive effort to push for the boards, collecting three offensive rebounds in their 21 total first half rebounds compared to the Beavers 10 rebounds all half.

Final Score: UMD (71) - BSU (51)

The Bulldogs would start off the second half with a Counts free throw as the two teams would hold close to each other, both teams refusing to let a bucket go unanswered throughout the third quarter. A trio of three pointers from Moorjani, Granica, and Olson, along with the 25 point lead that UMD would carry with them into the fourth quarter, would be enough to hold off the small surge of momentum from the Beavers and close it out with a win on Alumni Night.

UMD closed out the afternoon shooting 30-58 (51.7%) from the field, 5-16 (31.3%) from three point range, and 6-8 (75%) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs stuck to the short range shots collecting 46 points in the paint and benefited off of 12 BSU turnovers despite being beaten in the steals and blocks count.

Top Performers

Player of the Game honors go to graduate student guard Madelyn Granica who shot 5-8 (62.5%) from the field, 1-1 from outside the arc, and 1-2 (50%) from the free throw line for a game high 12 points. Senior guard Ella Gilbertson shot 3-8 (37.5%) from the field, 2-4 (50%) from three point range, and 2-2 from the free throw line for 10 points as well as collecting game highs with eight rebounds and 2 steals.

Looking Ahead

Women's Basketball will host No.25 MSU Mankato next week for the final game of the homestand. The action for the Bulldogs will tip off on Tuesday, January 30, at 5:30 PM.