The University of Minnesota Duluth fell in the final seconds of the fourth quarter in 57-56 fashion by Augustana University inside the Elmen Center Saturday.
Leading the effort for the Bulldogs was
Lexi Karge with 15 points while shooting 70% (7-10) from the field and 50% (1-2) from the free throw line. She also tallied three blocks, two assists, and eight total rebounds (four offensive). The only other Bulldog in double digits was
Grace Counts with 11 points, shooting 50% (4-8) from the field and 60% (3-5) beyond the arc.
Karge got the scoring started for UMD after a quick pass from
Claire Bjorge for a 2-0 lead 15 seconds in. The next nine minutes saw both teams battle up and down the court with UMD gaining a narrow 18-17 lead into the second quarter off the efforts of Karge (7), Counts (6),
Vanessa Bickford (3), and
Myra Moorjani (2).
The second quarter was a different story with the Bulldogs hitting 64.3% (9-14) from the field and 66.7% (4-6) beyond the arc. In the first five minutes, UMD went on a 10-5 run to break free from the Vikings at 28-22. Before halftime, the Bulldogs continued to expand the lead, outscoring the Vikings 12-10 from Counts (5),
Karly Jusczak (3), Karge (2), and Bjorge (2).
Entering the third quarter at 40-32, the Bulldogs would chip ahead to a 10-point lead on an 8-6 scoring run for a 48-38 lead with 5:06 remaining. AU would flip the script on a 10-4 run with Karge being the only scorer for UMD to get back to 52-48 into the fourth quarter.
The first five minutes of the final quarter saw the Vikings cut the lead to one off a 7-4 scoring run with Jusczak being the only scorer for the Bulldogs. With the Bulldog lead down to 56-55, a last-second jumper by the Vikings dealt UMD a 57-56 loss.
Overall, the Bulldogs faltered in the fourth quarter, shooting 20% (2-10) from the field and 0% (0-5) beyond the arc in one of their lowest accuracy ratings of the season. UMD did win the rebounding effort slightly, 28-26, with Karge leading the individual effort with eight.
The Bulldogs continue competing on the road Friday against the University of Mary inside the McDowell Activity Center. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
