UMD Men Hoops start Season with Loss

NSO – NEWS RELEASE

Despite a double-double by senior swing man Pierre Newton, the University of Minnesota Duluth suffered a setback in its 2015-16 debut as the University of Central Missouri knocked off the Bulldogs 78-60 at the NCAA II Central Region Crossover hosted by the Mules in Warrensburg, Missouri.

Newton posted a game-high 16 points and 12 rebounds for UMD (0-1), but it just was not enough as the Bulldogs shot just 25.8 percent (8-for-31) in the second half. Central Missouri (RV, 1-0) went 17-for-29 in the final frame, 58.6 percent, to pull away late. Newton and senior forward Brendon Pineda were the only players to reach double digits scoring for UMD, as the latter put down 11 points on 4-of-13 from the floor but the Bulldogs did have a well-rounded scoring output as nine players had a point and five scored at least seven.

UMD trailed by as much as 12 in the first half but scratched back into it, with a Newton jump shot pulling the Bulldogs within one at 32-31. Central’s Spencer Reaves dropped a three in the final minute of the first half to take a four-point lead to the locker room. He and Jakob Lowrance would tie for a team-high 13 points on the night for the Mules.

The second half simply got away from the Bulldogs as they trailed by 10 just as the clock ticked past the five-minute mark of the second half. After an 0-for-8 first half from three-point range, the Bulldogs went just 3-of-13 from beyond the arc after the break while Central Missouri sunk eight threes on 23 attempts.

FREE THROWS
Sophomore forward Jake Wilson returned from a redshirt season to score eight points off the bench for UMD … the Bulldogs got just 14 points off their bench while the Mules’ reserves scored 27 … four players reached double digits scoring for UCM, but Scott Roosevelt grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to go with eight points in a start.

UP NEXT
UMD won’t have long to make adjustments as the Bulldogs hit the court tomorrow afternoon in Warrensburg for a match-up against East Central (Okla.) University (R.V.). Opening tip on day two of the Crossover is set for 12 p.m.