BULLDOGS TOO MUCH FOR WOLVES IN DULUTH

Jan. 11, 2002

Northern State cut a 21-point second half deficit to seven points, but it was too little, too late in a 79-72 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference loss at Minnesota-Duluth Friday night.

Minnesota-Duluth (6-8, 4-2 NSIC) led virtually the entire game by out-hustling the Wolves and dominating the boards. The Wolves helped UMD post Jason Schneeweis look more like Moses Malone, with the 6-foot-9 center garnering 21 points and a whopping 16 rebounds (six offensive) on the night.

NSU (10-5, 5-2 NSIC) was led by senior post Brad Hansen (Tea), who came off a career-high 30-point effort to score 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Senior guard Drew Gruver (Scott City, Kan.) put up 12 points, while junior forward Sundance Wicks (Gillette, Wyo.) led the team in rebounding with eight boards to go with 11 points and four assists. Sophomore point guard Steve Smiley (Arvada, Colo.) had 10 points to go with five assists to round out NSU's double-digit scorers.

With Minnesota State-Moorhead and Bemidji State winning Friday, the Wolves lost the conference lead, as both the Dragons and Beavers stand with one NSIC loss. They will try to rebound Saturday night with what will be a pivotal game at Bemidji State.