The University of Minnesota Duluth women's basketball team held off Minot State University's fourth-quarter surge for a 74-71 victory on the road Saturday.

Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Lexi Karge, matching her career high of 22 points. She hit 70% (7-10) from the field and 72.7% (8-11) from the free-throw line. Karge also blocked a shot and gathered five rebounds (three offensive).

Entering the match, Karge (5), Maria Counts (3), Grace Counts (3), and Claire Bjorge (2) combined for an unanswered 13 points in the first four minutes to seal a Bulldog lead for the duration. Minot found room for 13 points but couldn't overcome a 17-point effort by UMD to close out the first quarter.

The Bulldog scoring dominance continued in the second quarter with Myra Moorjani, Karge, Maria Counts, and Grace Counts combining for eight points to outscore the Beavers' six. With under five minutes remaining before the halftime break, the scoring remained even with six points on each side of the court, setting the score at 44-25.

After the break, Minot began to chip the lead down on an opening 19-12 scoring run in the first six minutes. The Beavers continued to finish the third quarter, hitting 76.9% from the field, bringing the Bulldog lead down to 61-51 by the end.

UMD held on to a 10-point lead with three minutes remaining, but a nine-point run by MSU brought the game within one at 72-71 with 60 seconds to go. Maria Counts scored the final two points of the game on a pair of free throws to seal the Bulldog victory 74-71.

Overall, the team hit 40.6% (26-64) from the field, 29% (9-31) beyond the arc, and 68.4% (13-19) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs dominated in points off turnover with 29 to the Beavers' 11.

UMD returns to Romano Gymnasium on Thursday to host the University of Jamestown for their second matchup of the season. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.