The University of Minnesota Duluth women's basketball team earned its 10th straight Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) victory after firing ahead in the final minutes to topple Southwest Minnesota State University 69-65.
Leading the victory for the Bulldogs was
Grace Counts with a multi-season high performance with 19 points, three rebounds, and two assists. She marked season highs, including points (19) and field goals made (7). Following close behind was
Ashley Fritz with season-highs in points (16) and field goals made (6).
Entering the first quarter, SMSU enjoyed a 6-2 score two minutes in as
Lexi Karge's pair of free throws was the only scoring for the Bulldogs. The next five minutes saw UMD turn the tables on a 13-4 scoring run between the efforts of
Claire Bjorge,
Myra Moorjani, Fritz, and
Maria Counts to lead 15-10. With two minutes remaining, the two teams deadlocked with an identical six points for a score of 21-16 in the second quarter.
The second quarter had SMSU open with an 8-2 scoring run to get ahead of UMD 24-23 with 7:54 to go. A three-pointer from Fritz would start a 14-point scoring run with help from
Lexi Karlen, Moorjani, and Counts to outpace the Mustangs 11 points to go into halftime at 37-35.
Coming out of halftime,
Vanessa Bickford was the first Bulldog to the net two minutes in, starting a 9-3 run to lead the Mustangs 46-38. The final five minutes saw both teams score an identical seven points to close the third quarter at 53-45.
The first score again didn't come until almost two minutes in as SMSU started a 10-6 scoring run to get back within four points of UMD. With the score at 59-55, the Mustangs found room to double the Bulldogs' four points from Fritz and Moorjani to tie the game at 63-63 with 2:29 left. UMD shut down SMSU in the final minutes with two three-pointers between Fritz and Counts to overcome a lone layup for a final score of 69-65.
Overall, the team scored 46.6% (27-58) from the field, 35.3% (6-17) beyond the arc, and 60% (9-15) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs dominated in points in the paint with 40 to the Mustangs' 28, with the UMD bench accounting for 38 points to SMSU's 10. The Bulldogs also owned the advantage in total rebounds with 33 to the Mustangs' 27, with Fritz leading individually with six.
UMD women's basketball heads back on the road to face Minnesota State University Mankato inside the Taylor Center. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
