DULUTH, Minn. -The University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball team came within five points of the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs with just over five minutes remaining but fell short 72-62 at Romano Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles played their closest game with the Bulldogs since a 75-68 loss December 4, 2021.

Minnesota Crookston dropped to 5-14 (2-11 NSIC) with Friday's loss. The Bulldogs improved to 14-5 (9-4 NSIC) with the win.

The Golden Eagles were led by 23 points from Blaize Sagna (Jr., G, London, England) on 9-of-21 from the field. Sagna has nine games with 20 or more points this season. Reid Grant (Jr.,G, Johnston, Iowa) added 19 points. Jordan Mitchell (R-Jr., F, Columbus, Ohio) finished with six points and 11 rebounds. Ben Hoverson (Jr., F, Grand Forks, N.D.) added six points.

Minnesota Crookston shot 25-of-61 for 41.0 percent from the field. They were 6-of-19 for 31.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 6-of-11 for 54.5 percent from the foul line. The Golden Eagles outrebounded the Bulldogs 39-28, including 15 offensive boards. Minnesota Crookston finished with 14 turnovers.

UMD shot 24-of-47 for 51.1 percent from the field. They went 2-of-9 for 22.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 22-of-32 for 68.8 percent. Minnesota Duluth was paced by 29 points from Drew Blair. Charlie Katona added 16 points, while Jack Middleton had 10 points. Matt Thompson finished with seven points.

The Bulldogs pulled out to an early 8-3 lead following a pair of Joshua Brown free throws. Minnesota Crookston came within three points (8-5) as Sagna responded with a bucket on the opposite end. The Bulldogs countered with a 6-0 run as a Charlie Katona jumper widened the gap to 14-5 with 13:07 left in the first half. Minnesota Duluth continued to extend their lead, moving the advantage to 21-8 after a Katona bucket. Minnesota Crookston pieced away at the lead and got it down to seven points (26-19) with a pair of Sagna free throws with 6:41 left in the half. The Golden Eagles trimmed the deficit to three points (26-23) on a Sagna bucket with 4:57 remaining in the stanza. UMD came back with a 4-0 run to widen the gap to 30-23. Grant hit a lay-up in the final seconds of the first half to cut the deficit to 34-27 going into the locker room.

Minnesota Duluth opened the second frame with a 4-0 run as a Blair bucket pushed the Bulldog advantage to 38-27. Minnesota Crookston responded with a 7-4 run, utilizing a Grant triple to cut the deficit to 42-35 with 16:16 remaining in the tilt. Blair connected with a pair of free throws to extend the UMD lead to 45-36 with just under 13 minutes left in the game. The U of M Crookston countered with a 4-0 run, as a Sagna jumper pulled the Golden Eagles within five. Blair came back on the other end with a trey to push the UMD lead to 48-40 with 12:27 left in the game. Minnesota Crookston was able to get the deficit back down to five (52-47) after a Deng dunk off a Grant assist. The Bulldogs were able to push their lead back out to eight with a Blair triple to make it 55-47. Grant had an answer on the opposite end to trim the Bulldog lead to five (55-50) with 5:40 remaining in the game. The Bulldogs responded with a 7-3 run to go ahead 62-53 on a pair of Blair free throws with 3:58 to go in the game. The Golden Eagles pulled within seven on a Hoverson bucket with 3:30 left in the tilt, but Jack Middleton had the response on the other end to make it 64-55. UMD helped seal their victory with a Blair basket off a Katona steal and assist with 1:32 remaining in the tilt. The Golden Eagles were able to get the deficit back down to eight on a Sagna trey, but it wouldn't be enough as they were defeated 

Minnesota Crookston treks to St. Paul, Minn., to face Concordia University-St. Paul at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, January 27.