The University of Minnesota Duluth (3-1) Men's Basketball Team was tripped up by No. 13 Michigan Tech, 57-48, in its opening game of the 2025 American Family Insurance Classic Friday night at Romano Gymnasium.
Caleb Siwek led the Bulldogs with 12 points and two steals, Jackson Fowlkes had 10 points and two assists and Noah Paulson added nine points, four assists and two blocks. Owen Leach contributed a career-high seven points, while Peyton Rogers had a team-best six rebounds.
As a team, the Bulldogs made 18-of-55 (.327) field goals, including 4-of-22 (.182) from beyond the arch, and were 8-of-17 (.471) from the free throw line. UMD held the advantage in offensive rebounds, 10-8. Michigan Tech shot 38.0 percent (19-of-50) from the field, including 3-of-14 from three-point range, and 16-of-20 at the line. The Huskies were led by Dawson Nordgaard's 15 points.
The Bulldogs went into halftime trailing the Huskies, 21-23, despite leading for 11:06 of the first half and by as many as four early on. Mattie Thompson paced the squad with seven points on 3-for-3 shooting in the half, with Fowlkes adding six points on 2-for-5 shooting. The two squads combined for 12 turnovers in the opening stanza, with the Huskies only holding the advantage thanks to the play of their bench, getting 11 of its 23 points from their reserves.
Michigan Tech (4-1) capitalized on a couple Bulldogs miscues to jump ahead by eight points early in the second half, 24-32, and extended its lead to 12 points, 26-38, at the 11:14 mark of the half. The Maroon and Gold continued to fight back, however, as a free throw from Wyatt McBeth, a layup from Paulson and a free throw from Fowlkes cut MTU's lead to eight with just over 10 minutes to play. A steal from Paulsen, back-to-back baskets from Siwek and a three-pointer from Leach brought the Maroon and Gold within one point, 37-38, and capped off an 11-0 run with 8:35 remaining.
At the 7:20 mark, MTU picked up its seventh team foul and put UMD in the bonus. Paulsen then picked up his fourth foul at the 6:27 mark and his fifth just a minute later and had to leave the game with the Bulldogs trailing by just one point, 42-43. The Maroon and Gold hung around within two points, but a jumper in the paint and a dagger three-pointer from Michigan Tech's Marcus Tomashek with 49.4 seconds to play put the home team down by seven, 46-53. UMD pulled within five on a layup from Siwek, but the Bulldogs were forced to foul the visitors, and they hit four-straight free throws to end the game.
The Bulldogs conclude play in the 2025 American Family Insurance Classic Saturday when they host Lake Superior State University at Romano Gymnasium at 3:30 p.m.
