The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team fell short in its first home matchup of the new year in 93-89 fashion dealt by the University of Sioux Falls.
Leading the charge for the Bulldogs was
Kole Hanson with his second 24-point outing of the season, shooting 70% (7-10) from the field, 50% (2-4) from the three-point line, and 88.9% (8-9) from the free throw line. Following close behind was
Noah Paulson, driving 17 points in.
Entering the match, neither team was able to break free from each other, settling into a determined 23-22 scoring run in the first 10 minutes with Sioux Falls claiming the one-point advantage.
In the next five minutes, UMD saw its largest lead of the half, claiming an eight-point lead (38-30) off the efforts of
Jackson Fowlkes,
Nick Katona,
Daniel Molhoek, Paulson, Hanson, and
Peyton Rogers on a 16-7 scoring run.
The final minutes before the halftime break saw the Cougars claw back within one point after outscoring the Bulldogs 10-3, narrowing the deficit to 41-40.
Coming out of halftime, the Bulldogs continued the pace alongside the Cougars as the teams put up an identical 26 points with UMD holding the lead at 67-66 with 10 minutes remaining. The Cougars then went on a 13-10 run, marking a 79-77 lead over the Bulldogs with 5:21 remaining as Hanson's nine points were unable to keep pace.
The match came down to the wire as Sioux Falls pulled away with 2:54 remaining on a 10-5 scoring run that left the Bulldogs on the back end of an 87-82 score. A layup from Paulson and a three-point play from Hanson's layup put UMD back within two at 89-87 with 58 seconds left. The Cougars were undeterred, holding off the Bulldogs with a final score of 93-89.
In all, the Bulldogs were out shot across the percentages, ending with a 51.8% (29-56) from the field, 27.8% (5-18) from beyond the arc, and 70.3% (26-37) in free throws. UMD was out rebounded by USF 32-28, with Paulson leading the individual total rebounds with eight (three offensive). UMD now falls to 6-3 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) competition and 10-5 overall.
The Bulldogs continue the homestand tomorrow, hosting the annual Sophie's Game against Southwest Minnesota State University at 3:30 p.m.
