The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team entered the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament field as the No. 8 seed and found a way to hold on to a narrow lead in the final minutes of the first round to down No. 1-seeded Washburn University 64-62.
The Bulldogs found success shutting down the fourth-best field goal shooting team in the nation, which was on pace for 50.9% until UMD held them to 42.6%. The Ichabods were also leading the nation in scoring margin with a 25.1 gap, but could not overcome the Bulldogs by more than three points.
Leading the effort for UMD was
Caleb Siwek and
Mattie Thompson, who scored 13 points each. Thompson,
Noah Paulson, and
Nick Katona had colossal days under the net, combining for 19 rebounds of the team's 32.
Entering the first half, Siwek and
Kole Hanson combined to earn the Bulldogs their first three-point lead of the game at 5-2 three minutes in. UMD continued to hold the lead as Hanson (5),
Wyatt McBeth (4), Thompson (2), and Paulson (2) put up 13 points to hold the Ichabods at 18-14 with 10:48 to go.
Washburn kept with the Bulldogs on an 8-4 run as their shots began to land on a 4-6 effort from the field. With the score at 22 all, Thompson put the Ichabods back behind with a three-pointer, followed up by another from Katona to force a 28-22 lead with 3:33 before halftime. Washburn clawed back on a 7-4 scoring run to trail UMD 32-29 into the halftime break.
Coming out of halftime, the Bulldogs fired on all cylinders, opening the lead to 43-31 just five minutes in. This was the point where Washburn went on a 15-0 scoring run to retake a lead at 46-43 with 9:15 remaining.
UMD found a way to keep pace over the next eight minutes as a pair of free throws from Paulson put the Bulldogs closer to the Ichabods at 58-57 with 1:31 remaining. A foul put Paulson out of the game for the duration, as a missed free throw kept them in striking distance at 59-57 with a minute to go. A well-timed three-pointer from Siwek put the Bulldogs back on top to allow
Owen Leach, who stepped in for Paulson, to score a pair of free throws to hold a 62-59 advantage.
As the clock ticked below 10 seconds, a foul put Washburn back on the line for three attempts, but one would bounce out to allow UMD to reclaim possession. A foul on Hanson helped seal the score at 64-61 as a final two-second free throw from the Ichabods was not enough.
UMD now awaits the completion of the first-round matchup between St. Cloud State University and Missouri Western State University.
