The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team forced a 79-62 victory on the road over Northern State University in their fourth Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) matchup.
Leading the way for the Bulldogs was
Kole Hanson, who earned a total of 21 points for his second over-20-point game this season. Hanson shot an overall 50% (6-12) from the field and 50% (3-6) beyond the arc with a perfect six-for-six in free throws. Following close behind was
Jackson Fowlkes with 16 points and
Noah Paulson with 10.
After Paulson put up the first layup of the match over a minute in, the Bulldogs found themselves trailing 11-7 after the first five minutes. UMD would take the lead on an unanswered eight-point run between Hanson, Paulson, and
Mattie Thompson to take a 15-11 lead. This put the Bulldogs over the Wolves for the duration, as the final ten minutes saw UMD pull ahead by double digits on a 29-19 scoring run. This run was headlined by a colossal nine-point effort from Hanson and two six-point efforts from
Nick Katona and
Daniel Molhoek.
Entering the second half with a 44-30 lead, the Bulldogs continued to hold off the Wolves with a near equal 18-19 scoring run that put the score at 62-49 with 9:59 to go. In that time, Fowlkes led the way with 13 of UMD's 18-point effort. Over the next five minutes, the Bulldogs pulled further ahead, scoring 14 points to Northern State's seven. With 4:05 remaining, an 8-3 run by the Wolves proved not enough as the score settled in the Bulldogs' favor at 79-62.
UMD in total shot 45.6% (26-57) from the field and 38.5% (10-26) from the three-point line. They clobbered the paint with 30 points, along with 22 points off turnovers. Northern State was held to only 12 points in the paint and five points off turnovers. The
Bulldogs out-rebounded the Wolves 45 to 29, with
Caleb Siwek leading the effort with eight rebounds.
The Bulldogs continue competing on the road in their first NSIC matchup with the University of Jamestown this Saturday. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. inside Harold Newman Arena.
