Bulldogs report: UMD men's basketball starts fast, takes out Mary

DULUTH — Minnesota Duluth had its shots falling in the first half, which allowed them to fell Mary 83-68 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball on Friday at Romano Gym.

The Bulldogs made seven 3-pointers and shot nearly 60% from the field (19 of 32) to break out to a 48-39 halftime lead. An 11-3 run over the middle of the period allowed them to get up 30-21 before Drew Blair drilled back-to-back triples to put UMD up 38-27, its first double-digit lead of the night. After scoring the first bucket of the second half to make it an 11-point game, the Bulldogs only allowed the Marauders to close within single digits for a single possession early in the half before finishing off the win.

Blair ended up with a game-high 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while Jack Middleton was 7-for-13 for 19 points and Austin Andrews 8-for-10 and scored 16.

Zyon Smith led Mary (11-12, 7-12 NSIC) with 14 points.

The Bulldogs (13-6, 8-3 NSIC) host Minot State on Saturday afternoon.

After they had an overtime slugfest in their first meeting of the year in North Dakota, No. 12 Minnesota Duluth did not mess around with Mary on Friday, dispatching the Marauders 72-52 at Romano Gym.

UMD, already crowned NSIC North Division champions, took control of the game early with a 14-2 run in the first quarter, holding the Marauders to one field goal in the frame's last 9:11, then had a 16-5 run in the second quarter that helped make it a 39-22 game at the half. The Bulldogs cruised through the second half, leading by as many as 30.

Maesyn Thiesen led all scorers with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, and also added a team-best eight rebounds. Brooke Olson got one of her lightest workloads of the season, being called upon for 22 minutes during which she had 13 points and eight boards. Olson played a season-high 36 minutes when UMD beat Mary 69-66 on Dec. 10 in Bismarck.

Taya Hakamaki (Cronwell-Wright) kicked in 13 points off the bench for UMD, which was 27 for 56 (48% from the field) and held Mary to 39.2% and without a scorer in double figures.

The Bulldogs (21-3, 18-1 NSIC) host Minot State on Saturday night.