COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UMD beats Bemidji State in 4OT
The Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team rallied with the final six points of a fourth overtime Wednesday night to defeat Bemidji State 126-124 in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's game at the Bemidji State Gym in Bemidji, Minn.
Bemidji State (8-18 overall, 6-13 NSIC) led 124-120 with 1:39 to play before the Bulldogs (19-10, 13-6) came back. Steve Klass hit a field goal with 1:28 left, Brian Sykora converted two free throws with 48 seconds remaining and then stole the ball to set up the winning shot. John Vaudreuil's jumper with four seconds to go gave UMD the victory.
Sykora led the Bulldogs with 37 points, Vaudreuil had 33 and Klass 27. Sykora had 20 rebounds and Vaudreuil 14.
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Bemidji State's top scorers were Patrick Cassidy with 26, Brady Fairbanks with 25 and Taylor Hall with 21. The 124 points was the most by an opponent in UMD history, breaking the mark of 114 by Bradley University in 1969.
The game was tied 81-81 at the end of regulation and 94-94 after one overtime, 105-105 after two and 115-115 after three. Bemidji State led by as many as 17 points in regulation play.
- Kelsey Hewitt scored 15 points as Minnesota Duluth breezed to a 74-41 victory at Bemidji State on Wednesday in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women's basketball.
Emma Van Winkle came off the bench to add 13 points and six rebounds for UMD (15-11 overall, 12-7 NSIC).
The UMD women remain eighth in the latest Central Region rankings that determine that teams make the NCAA tournament, released Wednesday, while the UMD men were bounced from the top 10. Teams are vying to get in the top 8.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Saints sweep La Crosse
Hours after St. Scholastica baseball coach John Baggs died of cancer, the Saints swept Wisconsin-La Crosse by identical 6-3 scores late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.
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Only the first game of the doubleheader counted toward the Saints' record (2-0), however, as the second game was halted in the sixth inning due to time limit rules at the Metrodome.
The No. 14-ranked Saints return to the Metrodome on Sunday for a doubleheader with No. 22 St. Thomas that begins at 6:30 p.m.
Visitation for family and friends of John Baggs is 5-8 p.m. Friday at Holy Rosary in Duluth.
An additional visitation will take place from noon-1 p.m. Saturday, with the funeral service to begin at 1 p.m., followed by burial at Calvary cemetery. A reception at Holy Rosary will follow the burial.
CURLING
George rink clinches first
Tyler George of Duluth won both his draws Wednesday to clinch first place in the round-robin portion of the U.S. Olympic Curling Trials and a berth in the semifinal round at Broomfield, Colo.
George, a 2001 Duluth Marshall graduate, topped fellow Duluth Curling Club member Chris Plys 9-5 in the morning, then downed Mike Farbelow's rink 8-5 in the afternoon to improve to 7-1 with one draw remaining.
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Plys' rink also fell to DCC member John Shuster 8-7 in extra ends and was eliminated from the competition. Shuster's bronze-medal winning 2006 contingent, which also defeated Craig Brown 9-6, remained alive for a final-four spot with a 5-3 mark.
- Amy Wright of Duluth beat Cristin Clark's rink 8-7 Wednesday, one day after edging fellow DCC member Norma O'Leary by the same score, to improve to 6-2 and advance to the semifinals. Wright's placement was to be decided by a late match against Gillian Gervais.
Duluthian Aileen Sormunen defeated Clark 10-3 and Cassie Potter 8-5 to even her mark at 4-4, but it's not enough to advance. O'Leary stands at 3-5.
