No. 9 UMD women’s basketball team rally to win their third consecutive NSIC tournament championship

The University of Minnesota Duluth women’s basketball team shined bright in South Dakota on Tuesday in search of their fourth NSIC title in five seasons. The Bulldogs did just that by winning their third straight NSIC tournament championship, beating Minnesota State 80-74.

The Bulldogs are the first women’s team to have three consecutive tournament championships. The game was a back-and-forth battle, even down to the wire, but the Bulldogs gave it all they got to get past the Mavericks.

Brooke Olson led the team in points with 26 and she was also named tournament MVP for the third year in a row. Ella Gilbertson followed Olson in points with 13 and Maesyn Thiesen added 11.

“We have a great group of girls and we know we aren’t done yet, and that’s what’s really exciting. This is a great thing and we love being here, we love winning, but now looking forward to the NCAA is the thing we’re really excited and this gives us a lot of energy going in,” said Olson.

With the win, the Bulldogs have earned an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. The selection show will take place on Sunday, March 5 at 9:00 pm central time.