The University of Minnesota Duluth played out a thriller of a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) matchup against the Minnesota State University Mankato Mavericks tonight at Romano Gymnasium, cashing in on a slam dunk game winner from redshirt junior Mattie Thompson to secure a 75-74 win over the reigning DII national champions.
Final Score: UMD (75) - MSU (74)
After jumping out to an 11-8 advantage to open up the night, UMD went on an 8-0 run with 14:04 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Andrews, to increase its lead to 19-8. MSU then responded, out-scoring the Bulldogs 26-15 throughout the remainder of the period to tie things up at 34-34 heading into halftime. UMD got the job done in the paint in the first half, scoring 20 of its 34 points close to the basket.
Both teams came out swinging to open the second half, seeing six different ties building to a 47-47 draw with 15 minutes still left to go. MSU responded, out-scoring the Bulldogs 27-23 to take a 74-70 lead with just 24 seconds left in the game. A quick three points would get UMD back within one in the final ten seconds, before the Mavericks would get another shot from the foul line with just three seconds left to go. A miss from the MSU player on the one and one opportunity allowed the Bulldogs to regain possession and make it down court with just enough time for Thompson to slam the game away for the 75-74 victory. UMD took care of business in the paint, recording 30 of its 41 points in the lane throughout the second half.
Bulldog Notes vs. MSU
The Bulldogs had four players score in double figures, led by Charlie Katona, who had 20 points, five assists and two steals. Austin Andrews tacked on 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks and Joshua Brown helped out with 17 points and a team high nine rebounds.
UMD grabbed 33 rebounds in Tuesday's game compared to the Mavericks' 30, led by Brown's nine boards. The Bulldogs also did a great job disrupting MSU shots in the contest, coming away with five blocks. Andrews' two rejections led the way individually for the Bulldogs.
Looking Ahead
Bulldog men's basketball is back in action this weekend in Romano Gym to play out their final two home games of the 2024-25 regular season. UMD is set to tip-off against the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons on Friday at 5:30 PM.
