Box Score

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University put four starters in double figures, but in the end had no answer for the hot-handed tandem of Ryan Rasmussen and Jake Hottenstine, who combined for 50 of the Bulldogs 89 points as the University of Minnesota-Duluth handed the Wolves their fifth straight loss in an 89-78 decision Saturday evening in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball action.

The Wolves slipped to an even 5-5 overall and 1-5 in conference play with Saturday night's set-back.  UMD, the surprise team of the NSIC to date, improved to 7-3 on the season and 5-1 in the league.  The Bulldogs were picked to finish 12th in the conference preseason coaches poll, but head into the new year tied with Minnesota State for the top spot in the league standings.

The Wolves fell victim to cold shooting inside and out, converting on just 1 of 13 three-point attempts and misfiring on 18 free throws throughout the night.  In contrast, the Bulldogs missed just six of their 30 free throw attempts and hit on 7 of 20 from long range.

NSU and its opponent combined to commit 58 fouls for the second night in a row, stepping to the free throw line 73 times.  The foul trouble plagued UMD's front court in particular, as starting Bulldog center Joe Paschka played just eight minutes of the contest before fouling out.  Back-up center Brett Ervin also fouled out of the game, while four other UMD players finished with four fouls apiece.

The Wolves had six players who finished with either three or four fouls, although several of those were committed in the waning minutes of the game.

The difference, however, was the double-edged sword of Hottenstine and Rasmussen, who combined for 36 of UMD's 48 second half points and thwarted a late NSU rally.  The Wolves had cut a 16-point hole into a 5-point deficit with 7:09 left to play before the Bulldog pair went on an 8-0 in less than three minutes run to push UMD's lead back to double digits.  Both players hit a trey in that run despite a defender in grill.

A Collin Pryor jumper from the left side made it 76-65 with just over four minutes to go, but the trail went cold for the Wolves from there.  NSU was held without a field goal for more than two and a half minutes and was forced to foul to stop the clock.  The Bulldogs converted on 14 of 17 free throws in the final 1:36 of the game to seal the victory.

Pryor finished with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double, while sophomore Dustin Tetzlaff finished with 13 points and eight boards in his first career start as a Wolf.  Senior Tom Parks and junior point guard David Lane finished with an even dozen points apiece.

Rasmussen paced the Bulldogs with 29 points, 22 of which came in the second stanza.  Hottenstine added 21 points and 11 rebounds.  Phil Homere came off the bench for 15 points, while Ervin put up 10 before fouling out of the game.

Saturday's contest marks the end of the 2010 portion of the schedule for both teams.  NSU resumes NSIC play on Jan. 1 at Upper Iowa and Winona State.