The No.11 ranked University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team secured another championship berth this afternoon, powering past the Winona State Warriors 90-76 to send themselves to a third consecutive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) championship.
Halftime: UMD (42) - WSU (31)
The Bulldogs would set out to make a statement at the start of this afternoon's game, picking up the first four points of the matchup followed by a Andrews "and one" opportunity to kick off a 8-0 scoring run. Only a quick trip to the line for the Warriors would separate UMD from another six unanswered points giving the Bulldogs a 18-3 lead throughout the opening six minutes. The two teams would trade successful "and one" opportunities with each other before WSU would find a small sign of life with four unanswered points. However, that would be quickly responded to with back to back Siwek and Blair three pointers to close out the opening ten minutes.
Back to back Katona layups would kick off the latter block of the first half for the Bulldogs, holding a 31-10 lead with just over eight minutes left. A late WSU three pointer would help them go on a 11-8 scoring run to cut into the Bulldog lead, with another seven unanswered points to cut the lead from 21 to just 11 with two minutes left. The teams would go 3-3 in scoring to close out the half
The Bulldogs shot 17-31 (54.8%) from the field, 3-7 (42.9%) from outside the arc, and 5-8 (62.5%) from the charity line to close out the first half. UMD made a strong effort to pick up the boards, collecting a +9 rebound differential during the first half, and made use of their multiple options on the court to collect seven assists through the first twenty minutes.
Final Score: UMD (90) - WSU (76)
An opening three point bucket for the Warriors would help them open the half on a 7-2 scoring run, but would be swiftly canceled out by eight unanswered points for UMD and give the Bulldogs a 58-32 lead with 16 minutes left. UMD started firing on all cylinders on the offensive side of the ball, collecting three buckets from three point range from Blair and Middleton as well as a lob dunk from Meister to outscore the Warriors 18-14 over the next six minutes and create an 18 point lead for themselves.
WSU would not back down without a fight, using two three point shots of their own to outscore UMD 8-2 over the following two and a half minutes. Another Blair three pointer and seven collective attempts from the line would allow the Bulldogs to swing that lead right back to where it was, outscoring the Warriors 12-7 and putting the score line up to 84-67 with just three and a half minutes left. WSU would go on to score seven unanswered, but another pair of three point shots from Blair and Middleton in the final minute would all but end the game and send the Bulldogs back to the conference championship for the third season in a row.
UMD would end the semifinal round shooting 34-59 (57.6%) from the field, 9-17 (52.9%) from three point range, and 13-19 (68.4%) from the line. The Bulldogs utilized their aggressive interior playstyle well again today, going +16 in points in the paint and staying ahead on the board with +6 in total rebounds throughout the matchup.
"We knew that they were gonna come out with a fight and after watching their last game, we knew we had to bring it" - Senior forward Charlie Katona
Top Performers
Fifth year senior Drew Blair comes away with another monster of a game, shooting 12-21 (57.1%) from the field, 5-8 (62.5%) from three point range, and 9-11 (81.8%) from the line for a game high 38 points. Senior Charlie Katona shot 6-8 (75%) from the field and 1-3 (33.3%) from the line for 13 points tonight while also leading the team with nine rebounds.
Looking Ahead
Men's basketball will face the MSU Mankato Mavericks tomorrow afternoon in the NSIC championship game, set to tip off at 4:00 PM.
