Minnesota Duluth got off to a fast start and stayed in front on Friday night to hand No. 15-ranked Northern Michigan its first loss of the season, 85-70, in a nonconference game in Marquette, Michigan.

Six first-half 3-pointers allowed the Bulldogs to jump out to a 43-26 halftime lead and though the previously unbeaten Wildcats cut the deficit from 17 to four in the third quarter, UMD never surrendered the advantage.

Claire Bjorge had the hottest hand for UMD, going 8-for-12 from the floor for a team-high 20 points. Myra Moorjani and Lexi Karge scored 19 apiece with Karge pulling down eight rebounds for a Bulldogs team that had a 38-28 edge on the boards.

UMD opened the game on a 6-0 run and never trailed, with Moorjani’s 3 capping a 25-point first quarter for her team. UMD finished 16-

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