The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team faltered in the second half for its third straight loss after a narrow 80-77 loss to Minnesota State University Mankato on the road.

Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Kole Hanson with his fourth over 20-point outing of the season. In the match, he totaled 22 points, three steals, three assists, and two rebounds while shooting 53.3% from the field and 57.1% from the three-point line.

Entering the first half, MSU had the advantage three minutes in after an 8-4 scoring run. By the 10-minute mark, Caleb Siwek, Noah Paulson, Peyton Rogers, Jackson Fowlkes, and Kole Hanson combined to outscore the Mavericks 16-6 to earn a 20-14 lead.

UMD continued to hold the lead until the 4:27 mark after MSU went on a 15-9 scoring run to outpace Daniel Molhoek's seven points. The final four minutes saw the Mavericks jump out ahead by three points, but a three-pointer from Nick Katona in the final seconds tied it up at 37-37 at halftime.

Coming out of the halftime break, the Bulldogs and Mavericks remained neck and neck with 10:18 remaining after an even 19-19 scoring run for a 56-56 score. MSU would score 10 points to bring a 66-58 lead with seven minutes to go. Hanson fired off eight points to tie the game with 5:29 remaining. The remainder of the match saw the Mavericks take the lead with a 13-11 run, holding off the Bulldogs for the duration to secure a final score of 80-77.

Overall, UMD shot 41.9% (26-62) from the field, 34.5% (10-29) from beyond the arc, and 83.3% (15-18) from the free-throw line. The Bulldogs earned the advantage in points in the paint (26-24) and points off turnovers (19-13). UMD won the rebound battle with 37 compared to MSU's total of 33. Leading the rebound effort was Katona with 11 rebounds (two offensive).

The Bulldogs continue battling on the road tomorrow against St. Cloud State University at 2:00 p.m. inside Halenbeck Hall.