Box Score

DULUTH, Minn. – Minnesota Duluth's Jheri Booker scored 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead her Bulldogs to a 57-53 conference victory over the Southwest Minnesota State women's basketball team Friday night in Duluth.

UMD improves to 11-8 (8-4 NSIC), while SMSU drops to 10-12 (2-10 NSIC).

Sara Leidall led SMSU with 15 points and six rebounds.  Tori Fink was also in double figures, netting 13 points off three-of-five shooting from behind the arc.

Kelsey Hewitt and Jacquie Hartman also had 13 and 11 points, respectively, for UMD.

SMSU and UMD battled neck and neck the opening ten minutes, stalemating at a 16 all tie at 9:43.  After another tie just two minutes later at 19-19, the host Bulldogs would open it up, putting together a 9-0 run capped by a pair of Booker free throws.

Fink, however, would answer and spark SMSU, converting a lay-up that was the first of a 10-4 run for the Mustangs to end the half.  After the rally, SMSU nursed a one-point advantage heading into the locker room.

Leidall was tops in the scoring column in the first half for the Mustangs, netting 12 points off five-of-eight shooting from the field.

Booker nailed a three-pointer to christen the second half, but that was quickly countered by a Leidall three ball that put the SMSU up by one again at 35-34.  Leidall's trey was quickly followed by one by Fink that put the Mustangs up by four.

Leidall hit another short bucket to finish a 7-0 run for SMSU, giving the Mustangs a six-point advantage.  The lead was the biggest SMSU could build all night.

The momentum shifted when Booker managed to break up a pass intended for Oakland, finish the steal, run the length of the floor and nail a lay-up to tie the game at 42-42 with 12:23 remaining.

With 6:30 left in the contest, a brief six point surge by the Mustangs did get SMSU within one at 52-51.  The scoring didn't happen often enough for SMSU in the closing minutes, however, as the Bulldogs were able to hold the Mustangs to just one bucket for the rest of the game.

UMD also nailed three free throws down the stretch.

The loss was SMSU's fifth straight.

The Mustangs finish the weekend road set tomorrow at Bemidji State.  Tip-off is set for  6 p.m.