The No. 8 University of Minnesota Duluth women's basketball team outlasted the No. 2-seeded Concordia University St. Paul through two overtime periods to earn the program another victory in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Central Region Championship and advance to the Elite Eight field.

Overall, the team scored 94 points, which is the Bulldog's greatest scoring effort since the 2022-23 season that saw UMD advance to the NCAA Championship. This scoring effort was led by a colossal career game from Maria Counts, earning a double-double with 25 points and 13 rebounds. She hit 60% (9-15) from the field, earning a 71.4% (5-7) beyond the arc, and 100% (2-2) from the free throw line. Following close behind in double digits was Myra Moorjani with 21 points and Lexi Karge with 20 points. Karge earned the NCAA Central Region All-Tournament Most Valued Player selection and Counts earned a spot on the All-Tournament team.



Entering the first quarter, Karge put the first basket of the game in 55 seconds, giving the Bulldogs their first lead. The Golden Bears responded, taking the lead and expanding it to an 8-2 score with just under five minutes remaining. UMD did not take it lightly, breaking out on a 14-5 scoring run between Maria Counts (5), Karge (4), Ashley Fritz (3), and Claire Bjorge for a 16-13 lead. CSP was able to score two free throws, marking a 16-15 score to end the first quarter.

After CSP pulled ahead by seven coming into the second quarter, Moorjani led the way with seven unanswered points, along with Karge's three points, to force a 26-23 lead with six minutes before halftime. The Bulldogs were able to expand the lead by two to hold a 34-29 advantage with 2:53 remaining. CSP attempted to claw back in a final 6-5 run, which sent the two teams into the halftime break with UMD leading 39-35.

After halftime, CSP pulled ahead on a 12-7 scoring run in the first five minutes. The lead only grew as the Golden Bears found room for another 15 points to mark a 62-54 lead into the final quarter.

The Golden Bears widened the gap to 12 points at 66-54 with 7:37 remaining in regulation. A 15-5 scoring run between Maria Counts (5), Grace Counts (4), Fritz (4), and Bjorge (2) brought the Bulldogs back within reach at 71-69 with 2:52 to go. Moorjani and Maria Counts combined for six points to tie the game up at 75-75 to force the game into overtime.

CSP entering the first five-minute overtime broke out to a five-point lead as Karge was the lone Bulldog to score a layup to trail 82-77. A heroic effort from Maria Counts with a jumper and Vanessa Bickford tied the game with two minutes remaining.

With two seconds remaining, Lydia Haack was sent to the free-throw line. Before the game, she was on track for a 79.7% from the free-throw line, but both attempts would bounce out. An offensive rebound by CSP gave them a three-point attempt, but Fritz laid out the block to force another overtime period.

The Golden Bears looked to regroup, forcing the first layup 29 seconds in, but from then on, CSP would only score three more free throws. Maria Counts and Karly Jusczak rattled off the next five points for the Bulldogs to put the Bears behind 87-84 with 3:06 remaining. Haack and Lauren Wilson then scored the last free throws for CSP to tie the game over the next minute. Maria Counts and Moorjani combined for an unanswered seven points to seal UMD's 94-87 double overtime NCAA Central Region Championship victory. This marks the first time since the 2011 tournament (Shaw University) that a No. 8 seed has advanced out of their region.

UMD heads to the NCAA Elite Eight hosted at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 24^th.