Great Lakes Wire

DULUTH, Minn. - The Northern Wildcats faced a challenging game against the No. 6 ranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, ultimately losing 79-67. Despite a strong performance by Julien Smith, who scored a season-high of 27 points, the Wildcats could not overcome the Bulldogs' offensive power.

Julien Smith led all scorers with his impressive shooting statistics: hitting 7 out of 13 shots (53.8%) from the floor, sinking 5 out of 9 three-pointers (55.6%), and making all eight free throws. The rest of the Northern team contributed a combined total of 40 points on a less effective shooting percentage of 39.0%. On the opposing side, Matt Thompson from UMD made an impactful first half with his 22 points contribution while Caleb Siwek added another 20 and Charlie Katona provided an additional 18 points for their team.

Northern held a slight advantage in rebounding with a margin of one at 34-33 and also led in scoring within the paint at 26-18. However, Duluth's success came from outside as they hit fourteen three-pointers compared to Northern's eight and also dominated in capitalizing on turnovers with sixteen points to Northern's five.

The game began with NMU struggling against UMD’s defensive strategy leading to five turnovers early on and hitting only three out of ten shots in the first ten minutes. Matt Thompson’s outstanding shooting performance included scoring all his points within nine minutes and connecting six out of seven attempts from beyond the arc during that period, which helped push UMD ahead to a significant lead.

In response, Julien Smith attempted to rally his team back into contention during both halves but despite closing some gaps through key plays including three-point shots, UMD maintained control by extending their lead once more through efficient scoring runs and securing victory through late-game free throws.

Following this defeat, Northern now holds a record of three wins and two losses whereas Minnesota Duluth remains undefeated with five consecutive victories.

The Wildcats are scheduled for their next game against Concordia (WI) on Saturday, November 30th at Vandament Arena starting at 3 p.m.