Box Score
MOORHEAD, Minn. -- A 15-7 run over the final 4:59 proved to be the difference as Minnesota State University Moorhead edged Minnesota-Duluth, 79-76, in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball thriller Friday night at Alex Nemzek Hall in Moorhead, Minn.

The Dragons, who have won three straight games, are now 8-1 overall and 3-1 in the NSIC, while UMD fell to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the league.

Senior Anthony Tucker sparked the Dragons' late run, scoring 11 of his team-high 26 points during the decisive closing run.  Sophomore Jordan Riewer added 17 points and two steals, while freshman Tyler Vaughan added 15 points in 26 minutes off the bench. Senior Eric Olson had 10 points and four rebounds off the bench for MSUM, while senior Alex Novak had eight rebounds and three blocks.

In a competitive game where the biggest lead for either team was six points, UMD held a 69-64 lead with 4:59 left.  That is when Tucker helped spark the Dragon surge, hitting back-to-back baskets to bring the Dragons within 69-68 with 3:32 left.

UMD led 71-68 after a Brett Ervin jumper, but a layup from Olson, followed by a three from Tucker, helped the Dragons take a 73-71 lead with 2:25 left in the contest.  Moments later, Vaughan hit a layup off of an assist from Tucker to stretch the MSUM lead to 75-71 -- which matched the Dragons' largest advantage of the night.

The Bulldogs got the gap to 77-76 with a three from Jordan Reetz, and Tucker -- who was 8-of-8 from the free-throw line -- calmly drained two free throws to push the lead to 79-76 with 10 seconds left.

The Dragons defended well in the closing seconds, forcing a pair of desperation threes by the Bulldogs that didn't fall, helping them hold on to a 79-76 win.

MSUM shot 46.6 percent (27-of-58) compared to 50 percent (29-of-58) for UMD. MSUM's big advantage came at the free-throw line, where the Dragons converted 19-of-26 attempts, compared to just 4-of-5 for the Bulldogs.

Tucker added three assists for MSUM, while freshman Brady Wohler had two assists and two steals. Novak had eight points.

MSUM plays host to No. 11-ranked St. Cloud State at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Moorhead.

Steve d'Eustachio Stat of the Game: The Dragons have now beaten Minnesota-Duluth five of the last seven times they've met dating back to the 2009-2010 season. The only two losses were both by one point and in Duluth (71-70 on Dec. 4, 2010 and 74-73 on Dec. 5, 2009).