The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball closed out their 2024-25 regular season on the road this afternoon, dominating the Bemidji State University Beavers 87-55 to close things out on a three game win streak and secure themselves the sixth seed heading into next week's Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) postseason tournament.

Final Score: UMD (87) - BSU (55)

After falling behind 25-22 to open the night, Minnesota-Duluth went on a 17-0 run with 7:51 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Nick Katona, to take a 39-25 lead. The Bulldogs maintained that lead throughout the rest of the period and entered halftime with a 41-27 advantage. UMD did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 24 of its 41 points close to the basket.

UMD started tacking on points in the second half almost immediately, going on an 8-0 run to grow the lead to 49-27 with 17:04 to go in the contest. The Bulldogs kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 87-55 win. UMD got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 18 of its 46 total points.

Bulldog Notes vs. BSU

Charlie Katona collected a 20 point effort to lead the Bulldogs in scoring tonight. Austin Andrews helped out with 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals and Kole Hanson chipped in with 17 points and two steals.

UMD grabbed 37 rebounds throughout the game compared to BSU's 29, led by eight boards from Andrews.

The Bulldog defense held Beaver shooters to just 38.5% from the field, including 30% from three-point range. The Beavers did not get many second opportunities on the offensive end either, as they grabbed only six offensive rebounds and scored two second chance points while UMD pulled down 28 defensive rebounds.

Looking Ahead

With the sixth seed in next week's tournament, Bulldog men's basketball (20-8, 15-7 NSIC) will host the Augustana University Vikings in the first round. Tip-off against the Vikings is currently set for Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 6:00 PM.