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NSIC THRILLER SEES BULLDOGS EDGED BY MUSTANGS 56-55

Friday, January 30, 2009

Bulldog senior center John Vaudreuil's game-leading 16-point, eight-rebound performance wasn't enough in Friday night's 56-55 loss to SMSU.

Coming into Friday night’s Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men’s basketball clash between the University of Minnesota Duluth and Southwest Minnesota State University, fans were expecting one of the most exciting contests of the year.

The audience got their moneys worth to say the least, as the conference battle was nothing short of spectacular.

By using their fast-paced offensive attack and their solid defense, SMSU pulled off a nail-biting 56-55 victory over UMD, before a packed house of 843 fans at Romano Gymnasium.

The highly-anticipated affair between the two second-ranked conference clubs started quickly in favor of the Mustangs (16-5 overall; 9-3 NSIC), as they jumped out to a 19-8 advantage after the first 10 minutes of play. However, within the next five minutes, the Bulldogs (14-8; 8-4) battled back with a 9-2 run of their own to cut the deficit to 21-17.

Over the next five minutes of play, SMSU scores six of the last nine points of the frame, as they racked up a 27-20 lead as both teams headed for the locker rooms.

Although it was already halftime, the conference-thriller was just getting started.

The second half just as quick as the first for the Mustangs, as they scored the first five points, en route to darting on a 10-2 run and grabbing a 37-22 lead early in the half. SMSU continued to pour it on the host Bulldogs, as with just 13 minutes to go, the Mustangs had increased their advantage to a game-high 19 points, leading 45-26.

Yet within those last 13 minutes, it was all UMD.

Using their hard-nosed inside style of play, the Bulldogs stormed back on an eye-popping 29-11 run to make the score 56-55 in favor of the SMSU with just 36 seconds on the clock.

After a missed free-throw by the Mustangs, UMD snagged the rebound and controlled the final possession of the game; however, their comeback ran out of gas as they never got a shot off, allowing SMSU to earn their sixth-straight conference victory.

The Bulldogs were guided by their senior center John Vaudreuil, as the big man poured in a game-leading 16 points, while he ripped down a game-high eight rebounds in the tough conference loss. The captain also shot an impressive 60 percent (6-for-10) from the floor, while he tallied a pair of assists, a steal, a blocked shot and committed just one turnover in his game-leading 33 minutes on the floor.

Junior guard Ron White also played solid in the loss for UMD, as he posted 10 points and handed off a game-high three assists, while he drained five of his 12 (42 percent) shots from the field for the Maroon and Gold.

Bulldog senior guard Steve Klass played great on the night as well, hitting a game-leading two of his three (67 percent) of his attempts from behind the arc, while the captain collected eight points and three boards.

SMSU's solid defense locked down on UMD’s leading scorer – junior forward Brian Sykora – as the captain scored just six points and six rebounds, 10 points below his season average.

All in all, the exciting contest saw the Bulldogs, who now fall to a tie for fourth in the conference, shot 60 percent (6-for-10) from the charity stripe, a solid 50 percent (5-for-10) from downtown and a stellar 48 percent (22-for-46) from the field. However, it wasn’t enough, as UMD committed 15 turnovers compared to just seven by the visiting Mustangs and were out-rebounded on the glass 34-29 in the defeat.

The Bulldogs will hit the hardwood again tomorrow night, Saturday (Jan. 31), when they welcome in another NSIC colleague, in No. 13-ranked and conference-leading Minnesota State University-Mankato (18-4; 9-3) at 8:00 p.m. from Romano Gymnasium.

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