MARSHALL, Minn. – The Southwest Minnesota State men's basketball team stunned the No. 12 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs inside the SMSU R/A Facility on Saturday afternoon by a score of 85-72.
 
SMSU jumps to a 2-3 league mark and moves to 5-4 overall. UMD, the preseason favorite in the NSIC, drops to 8-2 overall, 3-1 NSIC.
 
Jake Phipps had a big game for the Mustangs, recording a double-double with 22 points, making 10 of 13 shots, while grabbing 11 rebounds. It was Phipps 13th-20 point scoring performance. Aeron Stevens chipped in with 17 points,  a career-high six rebounds, while shooting 9 of 10 from the free throw line. Cliff Cofield collected a team-high five assists in the affair in addition to his 14 points and three rebounds.
 
SMSU shot 58 percent (30 of 52) from the field with three 3-pointers while matching the Bulldogs 33 rebounds. UMD closed the game shooting 39 percent (25 of 65), while making 11 of 29 from 3-point range. Joshua Brown led the Bulldogs with 23 points, making five of eight 3-pointers.
 
SMSU scored the game's first points but eventually fell to a 14-8 disadvantage with just under 14 minutes left in the half following a jumper by the Bulldogs' Matt Thompson.
 
SMSU cut the deficit to 21-16 midway through the half before a lay-up by Matt Thompson pushed the UMD lead to 23-16.
 
The Bulldogs wouldn't go away, using a 13-7 run to move the score to 36-23. SMSU went on a run of its own scoring 11 of the next 18 points en route to closing the half down eight points at 42-34.
 
Mason Lund drilled a three to score the first field goal of the second half, but the glory didn't last for long as Joshua Brown hit a 3-pointer to put UMD back in control. Down 56-50 with just over 12 minutes left in the game, the Mustangs went on a 13-0 run to take their first lead of the game since early in the first half, with just 9:31 remaining.

SMSU would maintain the lead deep into the game, pushing its advantage to 10 points with just over four minutes left to play.
 
UMD would try its best to inch back with just over two minutes to go, scoring three straight points. The Mustangs would not go away however, forcing the Bulldogs to foul to close the game.

The Mustangs shot over 70 percent in the second half, the first time shooting that well in one half since playing at Winona State on Feb. 12, 2022.

UP NEXT
 
SMSU hosts the University of Sioux Falls (3-6, 1-3 NSIC) on Thursday, Dec. 14, with tip-off slated for 5:30 p.m. inside the SMSU R/A Facility

The Mustangs are back on the road on Dec. 16, facing off against Augustana (5-5, 1-4 NSIC), with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m. inside the Sanford Pentagon.