The University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team trounced St. Cloud State University to secure the program's third Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Tournament Champion title and first since 2003.

"This whole tournament was a team effort, defensively, the intensity, the rebounding, and just the grit that every coach hopes their team has all the time," said head coach Justin Wieck. "Couldn't be prouder of this entire group."

The match had begun with the Huskies getting on the board first at 2-0. The Bulldogs responded quickly as Kole Hanson and Caleb Siwek kept pace with SCSU with a layup each to hold a 4-4 score with 17:50 to go. This was the last time the Huskies were tied up with the Bulldogs as Hanson followed for his first three-pointer of the day to give the determining lead.

From then on, Siwek lit up the scoreboard with 19 points to close the half, including a 5-6 effort from the three-point line.

"This guy to my right," said Wieck, referring to the NSIC Championship Most Valuable Player, Siwek. "I'm so proud of him for what he did tonight, and really what he's done all year. Fighting through injury last year, coming back, and doing that on this stage was awesome."

Jackson Fowlkes (7), Hanson (4), Mattie Thompson (2), Noah Paulson (2), and Daniel Molhoek (2) combined with Siwek's effort to hold a 43-32 lead into halftime. The second half saw the dominance continue as Siwek added another 13 points, which included him going 2-3 beyond the arc, keeping the Huskies' defense off balance. Hanson also kept SCSU guessing, putting up 2-3 three pointers of his own.

Paulson (6), Molhoek (2), Fowlkes (2), and Nick Katona (1) combined with Siwek and Hanson to keep the Huskies well out of reach on a 33-33 scoring effort to seal the match at 76-65.

"We made enough shots, made enough stops, made enough free throws, held that team to 39% overall and 41% in the first half," said Wieck. "That's how you win this time of the year, really guarding people and having that toughness."

Overall, UMD held SCSU to 39.3% (24-61) from the field, a team that had reached 46% (29-63) earlier this season to deal the Bulldogs a 92-87 loss. In a career game for Siwek, he made the team's most three pointers of the season with a 75% (6-8) accuracy. Siwek earned the NSIC Tournament Most Valuable Player award while Hanson and Paulson took home All Tournament team awards.

The Bulldogs have punched their ticket to the 2026 NCAA DII postseason and await the selection show on Sunday, March 8^th.