Dogs Topple Crookston

HIGHLIGHTS
• Senior center Brett Ervin continued to be a leading force for the Bulldog offense with 18 points and seven rebounds, but it was Lavery’s 22 points, including a 6-for-6 night from beyond the arc that gave UMD the edge.Junior guard Pierre Newton also added 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists on the night.
• Senior guard Tyler West, Jr. shot 5-of-17 for Crookston, leading the way with 11 points and eight rebounds. Tim Lubke added eight points off the bench.

UMD outscored the Eagles 28-8 over the final 11:23, including the aforementioned 25-3 run late in the second half to turn a defensive stand-off into a one-sided victory. Eight Bulldogs saw time off the bench, with junior forward Will Marshall netting five points and hauling in a pair of rebounds in reserve duty. UMD had taken a 34-28 edge to the locker room shooting 45.8 percent in the first half while Crookston was right with them at 42.3 percent. The Bulldogs only heated up from there, shooting 56.5 percent in the second half while the Eagles shot just 6-of-26 to finish at 32.7 percent for the game. “It was a typical Saturday night grinder. I thought two teams were tired but trying their hardest to fight. In the last ten minutes, Lavery got hot and we got seperated pretty quick. That was fun to watch, but it was a battle,” said head coach Matt Bowen after the game.

“I’d like to give our defense credit, but it’s tough to play on the road in the second half on Saturday night. We were fortunate to make some shots, shot the ball well from the perimeter. If we can get some consistency, we’ll be good. We showed some of that tonight.”

The Bulldogs continue their homestand next weekend with a pair of NSIC South Division foes coming to town in Wayne State (Neb.) College and Augustana (S.D.) College. Opening tip between the Bulldogs and Wildcats is set for Friday night at 8:00 p.m., following the women’s contest