The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team opened the inaugural St. Louis County Basketball Classic tonight, cashing in on a 20 point game from veteran star Joshua Brown to power past the Michigan Tech Huskies 80-70.

Final Score: UMD (80) - MTU (70)

After falling behind 2-0 to open the evening, UMD collected eight unanswered points with 19:14 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Brown, to take an early 8-2 lead. With the help of a Nick Katona three pointer and seven successful shots from the foul line, the Bulldogs added five points to their lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 34-23 advantage. UMD did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 22 of their 34 points close to the basket.

The Bulldogs kept their lead intact to open the second half before going on a 10 point run, growing the lead to 63-43 with 7:54 to go in the contest. The Huskies narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, out-scoring UMD 27-17 throughout the final seven and a half minutes, but the Bulldogs were able to outlast MTU the rest of the way for the 80-70 win. The Bulldogs found success in the paint much like they did in the first half, recording 24 of their 46 second half points in the lane.

Bulldog Notes vs. MTU

Brown collected 20 points to help lead the Bulldogs, adding five rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Austin Andrews helped out with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Charlie Katona chipped in with 15 points and two steals.

UMD collected 32 rebounds throughout the game compared to Michigan Tech's 30, led by Andrews' eight boards.

The Bulldogs forced 15 Michigan Tech turnovers while only committing 10 themselves. The Bulldogs turned those takeaways into 20 points on the other end of the floor, with Katona's two steals leading the way for UMD.

Looking Ahead

Bulldog men's basketball turns to Day Two of the St. Louis County Basketball Classic tomorrow, taking on the Northern Michigan Wildcats in the final game of the tournament. Tip-off against the Wildcats is currently set for 4:00 PM.