Jan. 16, 1999

In a slugfest of perennial NSIC powerhouses, Minnesota-Duluth defended its homecourt with a 73-72 win over Northern State Saturday.

The teams traded leads 10 times and shared seven ties in the second half, with NSU's five-point advantage several times in the first half and at 8 minutes, 54 seconds in the second half representing the largest lead held by either team. The Bulldogs hit more free throws down the stretch to come out with the narrow win. In all, UMD knocked down 29-of-37 from the charity stripe compared to NSU's 15-of-21. Throughout the competitive, back-and-forth nature of the game, 50 fouls were called; three players fouled out.

The junior guard tandem of Amanda Mikuska (Platte, S.D.) and Jammie Coyle (Belle Fourche, S.D.) led NSU once again in scoring with 16 points apiece. Mikuska added five assists. Sophomore center Jennifer Murphy (Aberdeen, S.D.) and senior forward/center Crystal Bonnichsen (Highmore, S.D.) led NSU in rebounding with seven boards apiece. Bonnichsen added 12 points to round out NSU's double-digit scorers along with sophomore forward Memory Johannsen (Tolstoy, S.D.), who netted 10.