Box Score Box Score

DULUTH, Minn. – Minnesota-Duluth came into the game with one of the top 3-point shooting guards in the league in Ryan Rasmussen.  Northern State held him to just three first-half points, but couldn't find an answer for his counterpart Jake Hottenstine, who drilled three of the Bulldogs' seven first half treys and led UMD to a sprinting 93-82 win over the Wolves in the final game of the 2011 calendar year for both teams.
 
The loss marks the third straight for the Wolves and their fourth in the last five games.  NSU slipped to 6-4 overall and 2-4 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, while UMD improved to 7-3 on the season and 4-2 in the loop.
 
The two teams battled through a back-and-forth start to Saturday evening's contest with the Wolves countering UMD's every move with an easy lay-up at the other end.  A 7-0 surge capped by reserve guard Riley Walker's second trey of the game, however, put the Bulldogs up by seven at the 10:32 mark, a deficit from which the Wolves never fully recovered.
 
UMD would stretch their lead to as many as 11 late in the half before a deep three from Jared Hannigan cut it back to single digits with just under a minute left in the half, sending both teams into the break with the host Bulldogs holding onto the 45-37 advantage.
 
NSU quickly cut the deficit to six with a pair of Goeffrey Firmin free throws in the first 12 seconds of the second half, but hovered in the 7-to-9-point deficit range for much of the remainder of the half.  The Wolves made a late push to get within four points with 4:06 left to play on one a Collin Pryor jumper that made it 80-76.
 
From that point on, however, the Bulldogs converted on 11 of 14 free throws that, combined with a Peter Crawford lay-up, helped counter two Michael Emge treys and keep the Bulldogs just out of reach on the scoreboard.
 
Hannigan had 18 points to lead the way for the Wolves, 15 of which came in the second half.  Pryor and front-court running mate Dustin Tetzlaff finished with 14 points apiece, while freshman Seth Bachand came off the bench for ten points.
 
Tetzlaff had seven rebounds – six on the offensive end of the floor – while Pryor and Hannigan came down with five each.  NSU, however, committed 19 turnovers in the game, which led to 27 Bulldog points.
 
After a slow start, UMD's Rasmussen came alive in the second half, scoring 18 of his 20 points in the final stanza.  Hottenstine led all scorers with 24 points, while Walker added 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench.  Brett Ervine added 12 points and Crawford, 10, to complete the double-digit posse for the Bulldogs.
 
NSU is now off for the Christmas holiday and will return to the court on Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 2-3, to host Upper Iowa and Winona State to bring in the new year.  Game time is set for 8 p.m. in Wachs Arena both nights.