The University of Minnesota Duluth opened up another week of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) action tonight at home in Romano Gymnasium, taking down the No. 17 ranked Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs 63-44.

Final Score: UMD (63) - SMSU (44)

UMD started out the scoring by going on a 13-0 run to take an early lead with 12:49 left in the first half. The Mustangs responded, out-scoring the Bulldogs 20-18 throughout the rest of the period, but UMD still entered the halftime break with a 31-20 advantage. UMD did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 16 of its 31 points close to the basket.

The Bulldogs continued to widen their lead following the intermission, expanding it to 43-28 before collecting another seven unanswered points to grow the lead to 50-28 with 10:56 to go in the contest. The Mustangs narrowed the margin before the game was over, but the Bulldogs still cruised the rest of the way for the 63-44 victory. UMD took care of business in the paint, recording 18 of its 32 points in the lane throughout the period.

Bulldog Notes vs. SMSU

The Bulldogs had three players score in double figures, led by Charlie Katona, who had 19 points and two steals. Joshua Brown added 14 points and Jayden Johnson helped out with 10 points off of the bench.

Led by Mattie Thompson's five offensive rebounds, UMD did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 10 boards that resulted in eight second chance points.

The Bulldog defense also caused its share of mistakes throughout the game, forcing 13 SMSU turnovers, turning into nine points on the offensive end of the floor. Katona's two steals led the way individually for the Bulldogs.

Looking Ahead

Bulldog men's basketball (15-7, 10-6 NSIC) will make the trip to South Dakota this weekend to take on the Augustana University Vikings on Saturday. Tip-off against the Vikings is currently set for 3:30 PM.