The University of Minnesota Duluth women's basketball team overpowered Bemidji State University 78-50 in their first victory of 2026 and marked an 8-0 record in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).

Leading the scoring effort for the Bulldogs was Claire Bjorge with 18 points. She marked a 66.7% (8-12) accuracy from the field, and 100% (2-2) from the free throw line while earning one steal, one block, two assists, and three rebounds. Following close behind was Lexi Karge with 17 points, six rebounds (one offensive), and a team-leading four blocks.

Entering the first quarter, the Beavers were able to hold off the Bulldogs on a 13-11 scoring run, but a Maria Counts three-pointer finally put UMD on top with 3:32 to go. That put the Bulldogs on top for the duration, starting a 7-1 scoring run between Counts, Karge, and Bjorge that closed out the quarter at 18-14.

In the second quarter, UMD hit its stride on a 23-12 run with a combined scoring effort from Ashley Fritz, Grace Counts, Karly Jusczak, Bjorge, Torie Neubauer, and Karge for a dominant 41-26 lead into the halftime break.

Out of the halftime break, the offense continued to roll as Karge, Bjorge, Counts, Fritz, Vanessa Bickford, and Jusczak combined for a 27-point third quarter to overpower the Beavers' 13 points.

The fourth quarter saw the Bulldogs hold firm defensively, only allowing 11 points by BSU to close out the final score at 78-50 after a 10-point effort by UMD.

Overall, the Bulldogs outdid the Beavers in every shooting category, including 50% (31-62) from the field, 33.3% (7-21) from the three-point line, and 81.8% from the free throw line. The team outrebounded BSU 34-28, with Karge and Jusczak each earning six.

The Bulldogs return to Romano Gymnasium to host the University of Sioux Falls on Friday. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.