Northland Sports Online

Newman Leads UMD Comeback

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NSO – NEWS RELEASE

 

Trailing by 11 with 15 minutes remaining, the University of Minnesota Duluth battled back to tie the score, but Michigan Tech University edged the Bulldogs out 59-58 in the closing minutes to pick up a season-opening victory.

UMD (0-1) had the ball in hand in the closing seconds, but a big block by Michigan Tech (1-0) senior forward Jilian Ritchie prevented the Bulldogs from coming all the way back.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Junior forward Taylor Meyer completed a double-double for UMD with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore center Allyson Harris narrowly missed joining her with 10 points and eight rebounds, all on the defensive end while also knocking back one block and grabbing a steal. Senior guard Jessica Newman led UMD with 14 points, while freshman forward Anna Monke had an impressive debut for the Bulldogs with eight points off the bench.

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• Tech had four players hit double digits scoring with Richie leading the way with 14 points and seven boards, tying junior guard Kerry Gardner for the team high in that category. The Huskies puled down 32 rebounds on the defensive end.

The Bulldogs held their largest lead, four points, just a minute and a half into the game held a lead of two with just over 17 minutes remaining, but a three-pointer by Ritchie put the Huskies up by one. Tech would not trail the rest of the way, building up a lead of nine points late in the first half before a three-pointer by Newman with seconds remaining on the clock cut the halftime score to 33-27. UMD shot just 31.0 percent in the first half, 9-of-29, but got eight points off free throws thanks to 11 fouls by Tech in the first frame.

After a 1-for-6 opening session from beyond the arc, the Bulldogs did not take a three-pointer in the second half but didn’t need it: battling back with tough defense that held Michigan Tech scoreless over five minutes with an 8-0 run beginning just past the six-minute mark of the second. Monke drove the lane for a lay-up, securing the and-one to knot the score at 52-52 with 6:33 remaining in the game.

The teams traded free throws and were still tied up a minute later, but junior center Kylie Moxley knocked down a jumper and one of two free throws to give them a three-point edge that the Bulldogs could not overcome in the closing minutes. UMD was just 10-for-33 in the second half but got the line 14 times for 11 points, finishing the game with just a 30.6 shooting percentage. Tech was 11-of-26 in the second half with just three free throws on five attempts to finish shooting 43.9 percent for the game.

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