The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team was dealt its second straight loss inside Romano Gymnasium by Southwest Minnesota State University in 71-62 fashion Saturday.

Leading the scoring effort for the Bulldogs was Noah Paulson with 13 points, two steals, three assists, and four rebounds.

Entering the match, the Bulldogs found themselves down 8-0 two minutes in. By the 14:14 mark, Jackson Fowlkes hit two three-pointers along with Mattie Thompson's layup to tie the score.

With 11 minutes left, the Mustangs had the advantage after a 10-7 run, forcing UMD on the back foot for the duration of the half. UMD ended the final 10 minutes of the quarter trailing 37-31 into halftime after a combined 16-point effort from Caleb Siwek, Kole Hanson, Nick Katona, and Thompson.

After the halftime break, the defenses continued to battle, not allowing a single point on either side for the first three minutes. Fowlkes would be the first to score with his third three-pointer of the game, and a Paulson layup under 60 seconds later put the Bulldogs within one. SMSU capped off an unanswered six points by the 15-minute mark to get fully in front of UMD at 43-36.

The next five minutes, Katona, Paulson, Thompson, and Hanson combined for a 10-8 scoring run to get back within five points of the Mustangs. In the final 10 minutes, the Mustangs remained in charge, holding off UMD on a 20-16 scoring run to deal the Bulldogs their second straight loss at 71-62.

Overall, UMD was outshot across the board, making only 39% (23-59) of its field goals and 28% (7-25) of its three-pointers.  The Bulldogs ended with an advantage on free throw percentage with 81.8% (9-11) but were outrebounded 41-32, with Katona leading the effort with eight total rebounds (one offensive).

The Bulldogs head back on the road to face Minnesota State University Mankato inside the Taylor Center. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. on Friday.