DULUTH — Minnesota Duluth watched a 12-point fourth-quarter lead slip to just two but held on for a 62-56 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference women’s basketball win over Wayne State on Saturday at Romano Gym.
UMD finished off a 22-point first quarter with a 3-pointer by Myra Moorjani and never trailed. The Bulldogs expanded a 32-27 halftime lead into double digits by scoring the first three baskets of the second half and remained up 53-41 with 8:50 to play.
From there, the Wildcats went on a 13-3 run, closing to within 56-54 on a Kylah vanDonkersgoed 3-pointer with 4:05 remaining, but after a timeout, the Bulldogs righted the ship. Johanna Miller and Lexi Karlen scored inside in the last two minutes and Wayne State missed its last five field-goal attempts.
Miller had a particularly strong game for UMD as the graduate transfer from Augustana recorded 19 points (a season best) and eight rebounds. Claire Bjorge had 16 points, while Moorjani added 11 points and eight boards. The Bulldogs held a sizable 45-32 advantage on the glass.
vanDonkersgoed scored 21 to lead Wayne State, though no other Wildcat had more than 10.
The Bulldogs (4-6, 2-3 NSIC) will go for a third straight home win vs. Winona State at Romano Gym on Wednesday night.
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