UMD Sweeps in Basketball

NSO-NEWS RELEASE

Up three in the game’s final seconds, junior guard Reece Zoelle fouled St. Cloud State University leading scorer Jordan Poydras to put him on the line for two, allowing the University of Minnesota Duluth to hold on for a 79-78 victory over its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference rival at Romano Gym.

The Bulldogs (5-5, 3-3 NSIC) bounce back to .500 with the win and knock the Huskies to 8-2 overall and 4-2 in league play. UMD controlled play inside in the opening half, going 15 of 28 from the floor and just three of five from beyond the arch. Zoelle and freshman Justin Byrd served as the catalysts hitting double-digits in the opening frame as the Bulldogs opened up a 13-point halftime lead at 43-30.

St. Cloud State controlled the pace of play in the second half and had UMD on its heels, but the Bulldogs dug in and held on, never trailing in the game. Zoelle finished with a game-high 22 points. Byrd had 12 while UMD senior guards Peter Crawford and Jordan Reetz added 14 and 11, respectively. Freshman forward Lane Olson came off the bench for the Bulldogs with nine rebounds, a game-high.

UMD shot 49.0 percent for the game and St. Cloud closed at 45.0 percent. Poydras finished with 21 points for the Huskies.

The Bulldogs return to action in two weeks as they tip-off the second half against Concordia University, St. Paul and Minnesota State University Mankato. UMD and CU is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 3, following the women’s contest.

The University of Minnesota Duluth continued its strong play at Romano Gym and knocked off St. Cloud State University by a 75-66 final on Saturday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (7-3, 4-2 NSIC) avenged a road defeat at the hands of the Huskies (8-2, 4-2 NSIC) earlier this season and closed the season’s first half of the winning end.

St. Cloud State led early, but when UMD took the lead with a Jessica Newman (Jr.) three-pointer at 15:28, the Bulldogs never looked back, building up a nine-point lead in the opening frame and entering the locker room up six. Senior Katrina Newman gave the Bulldogs their largest lead with a three at the 13:35 mark of the second half, and UMD held serve the rest of the way to escape with a season split versus the Huskies.

The elder Newman led all scorers with 27 points on the afternoon. Junior guard Alyssa Kerkhoff finished with a double-double, notching 11 points and 10 rebounds. Jessica Newman finished with 12 points while also leading the way with seven assists. For St. Cloud, junior Jessica Benson had 21 points and game-high 17 boards, including 11 on the defensive end.

UMD will return to action in two weeks, tipping off the new year against Concordia University, St. Paul and Minnesota State University Mankato. The Bulldogs and Golden Bears start the second half on Friday, Jan. 3 at 6:00 p.m.