Led by a 60.9% shooting performance from three-point range, the University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team beat the Southeastern Oklahoma State Savage Storm 115-81 at home Friday to open up their 2024-25 season.

Final Score: UMD (115) - SEOSU (81)

The Bulldogs got their season off to a hot start, picking up the opening tip-off and securing the first points of the game. A trio of three point shots from Caleb Siwek, Joshua Brown, and Mattie Thompson would help UMD secure a 15-9 lead through the opening four minutes, a lead that they continued to grow throughout the game. 

Seven unanswered points over a span of a minute and 20 seconds grew the UMD lead to 11 points as time continued to wind down in the first half, though SEOSU would eat into that lead by out-scoring the Bulldogs 18-15 over the next seven minutes. Still with a 42-34 advantage, UMD went on to score nine unanswered with 1:31 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Noah Paulson, to increase its lead to 51-34 right before the halftime intermission.

UMD started tacking on points in the second half almost immediately, going on a 12-0 run, finished off by a Charlie Katona layup, to grow the lead to 63-34 with 17:27 to go in the contest. The Bulldogs kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way, out-scoring the Savage Storm 52-47 throughout the final 17 minutes to secure the 115-81 win. The Bulldogs got a boost from its bench in the half, as non-starters accounted for 36 of its 64 total points.

Bulldog Notes vs. SEOSU

The Bulldogs shot 40-70 (57.1%) from the field and knocked down 14 of 23 three point attempts, never trailing on the way to their 115-81 victory.  The UMD bench made a significant impact, combining for 45 points throughout the game.

The Bulldogs had six players score in double figures, led by Charlie Katona, who had 17 points and eight rebounds. Mattie Thompson tacked on 15 points and two steals and Austin Andrews helped out with 13 points.

UMD out-rebounded Southeastern Oklahoma State 42-32 in Friday's game, led by nine boards from Noah Paulson. The Bulldogs also grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and scored 13 second chance points.

Looking Ahead

Bulldog men's basketball returns to Romano Gymnasium tomorrow for day two of the American Family Insurance Classic against the Oklahoma Baptist Bison. Tip-off against the Bison is currently scheduled for 3:00 PM.