UMD Men Pummeled By St. Cloud State 97-68 in Conference Opener

Dec 1, 2012

Northland Sports Online

One particular Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foe has been a severe thorn in the side of the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs over the last several years — the Huskies of St. Cloud State University.

UMD did little in the way of stopping that trend in a 97-68 rout at the hands of St. Cloud State Saturday afternoon in the NSIC opener at Halenbeck Hall. The Bulldogs have now come up short in each of their last six outings against the Huskies, with their last win coming on Jan. 9, 2009.

The opening minutes of play saw UMD put itself in an early 11-3 hole, creating a deficit that would expand as the period wore on. St. Cloud State continued to pile it on with a couple big runs, ultimately taking a 48-28 lead into the break. The Huskies stayed hot in the second half and finished the game shooting 55 percent (35-of-64) from the floor. The Bulldogs struggled from the floor, shooting 37 percent on the afternoon against a tenacious St. Cloud State defense.

UMD (2-3 overall and 0-1 in the NSIC) committed 10 turnovers on the evening and combined for just six assisted baskets. The Huskies (4-0; 1-0), meanwhile, racked up 22 assists against four turnovers. Junior guard Jordan Reetz paced the Bulldogs on offense with 24 points and added six rebounds. Freshman guard Calahan Skogman (11 points) and sophomore guard Bryan Sprang (10 points) joined Reetz as the only other UMD players to score in double figures.

The Bulldogs return home next weekend and will try to get on the right track with a pair of NSIC engagements. UMD will play host to the University of Minnesota, Crookston and Bemidji State University next Friday (Dec. 7) and Saturday (Dec. 8).

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