DULUTH, Minn. -- Minnesota Duluth played tough defense and got 33 points from Lindsay Dietz to defeat Michigan Tech, 54-40, in a non-conference women's basketball game at Romano Gymnasium.

Tech held the Bulldogs to 24 percent shooting in the first half, but trailed 23-21 at the intermission. The lead changed hands seven times in the opening 20 minutes. Catherine Rottier's three-pointer at 5:12 gave the Huskies an 18-14 advantage. The Bulldogs answered with a 9-3 run to end the half.

Four straight points from Maria Schneider kept the Huskies within two, 27-25, at the 15 minute mark of the second stanza. UMD then went on a 11-1 run behind seven consecutive points from Dietz. Another Schneider jumper with 2:37 left made the score 49-40, but Tech couldn't cut it any closer.

Neither team shot well from the field, with UMD finishing at 35 percent and the Huskies at 31. The Bulldogs gained an advantage in rebounding with a 42-27 advantage. The hosts pulled down 17 offensive boards and coverted those into 15 second-chance points.

Amanda Sieja led the Huskies in both scoring and rebounding with 11 points and seven rebounds. Rottier added 10 points and six boards. Schneider finished with six points.

Michigan Tech (8-2) will take a 11-day hiatus from competition over the holidays and return to action Monday, Jan. 2, when it hosts arch rival Northern Michigan for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.%$#*&^