The No.12 ranked University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team closed out their regular season schedule tonight in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) matchup against St. Cloud State University at Romano Gym, securing a 80-69 win in regulation.

Halftime: UMD (40) - SCSU (33)

UMD would get out to a slow start tonight, giving up the first score of the night and falling to an early 7-11 deficit with thirteen minutes left in the half. Seven unanswered for the Bulldogs would put UMD back in the lead, but the Huskies would respond with a 6-3 scoring run and tie things up at 17-17 with just under nine minutes to go. A Siwek three pointer followed by an 8-0 run for the Bulldogs would put them back ahead by eight points, and give them a comfortable enough lead even though they would get outscored 12-13 to end the half.

The Bulldogs shot 14-29 (48.3%) from the field, 4-12 (33.3%) from outside the arc, and 8-12 (66.7%) from the charity line to open up the night. Seven personal fouls from the Huskies would give 12 opportunities from the line for the Bulldogs, compared to the zero attempts for SCSU, and give UMD a seven point edge heading into the second half. 

Final Score: UMD (80) - SCSU (69)

The Huskies created a 7-0 scoring run for themselves to open the second half, tying things up at 40-40 early into the half. A Blair three pointer would help UMD go on a 7-3 run to put them back in the lead, and it would be a lead that they would hold onto for the rest of the game. Runs of seven unanswered and nine answered would offset the 8-2 scoring run by the Huskies in the middle minutes, helping the Bulldogs to outscore SCSU 33-26 through the final fifteen minutes of regulation and end the regular season with a win.

UMD closed out the win shooting 28-52 (53.8%) from the field, 7-19 (36.8%) from three point range, and 17-27 (63%) from the line. By the end of regulation the Bulldogs held total control of the game, collecting 12 more rebounds, double the points in the paint (40-20), and benefiting off of 17 additional attempts from the line.

Top Performers

The graduating class for the Bulldogs, graduate student Jack Middleton and Drew Blair, share the Player of the Game honors tonight. Blair shot 10-14 (71.4%) from the field, 4-7 (57.1%) from three point range, and 7-9 (77.8%) from the line for a game high 31 points while also collecting four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Middleton shot 1-5 (20%) from the field, 1-4 (25%) from three point range, and 4-4 from the line for seven points while also collecting one rebounds, one assist, and one block.

Looking Ahead

Men's basketball will await the conclusion of the rest of the scheduled NSIC games to see their final seeding as they head into the postseason conference tournament. The top four teams in the conference will receive a first round bye with the quarterfinal round starting on Saturday, Mar. 2, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD.