Box Score Bismarck, ND – After a tremendous performance on both halves of the court in the opening half, the University of Mary was unable to keep up its early pace in an 81-71 loss to Northern State University. The Marauders held a 12 point lead at intermission but couldn't hold the Wolves at bay in the second half.
 
Entering the night the Marauders (2-4 overall, 1-1 Northern Sun) had won the last four meetings with the Wolves (6-2, 2-0).
 
Josh Turner led the Marauders with 19 points, hitting three three-pointers. He also added three assists. The senior has hit double figures in all five Marauders games this season.
 
Alex Dorr added 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds. The senior forward saw his streak of consecutive free throws end at 18. The nation's leading free throw shooter missed his first attempt of the night before making his next four.
 
Jalen Jaspers also connected for double figures, contributing 12 points.
 
Collin Pryor led the Wolves with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Geoffrey Firmin scored 17 points and Arvidson added 15.
 
A strong effort on both ends of the court propelled the Marauders to a 39-27 lead at intermission. U-Mary shot 48.4 per cent in the first half, including a 6-of-12 effort behind the arc, while limiting Northern State to a 40 per cent effort.
 
The Marauders stayed strong early in the second, pushing their advantage to 44-31 on a three-pointer by Dorr.
 
The Wolves soon began to chip away at the Marauders lead. A 13-0 run that featured eight free throws gave Northern State a 51-49 lead. Baskets by Turner and Marc Musungayi allowed U-Mary to retake the lead at 54-53 with over 10 minutes remaining. Geoffrey Firmin responded with a basket in the paint and then followed with a put back off his own miss and the Wolves would regain the lead for good.
 
Down by seven, the Marauders would make a late run. A basket and a free throw by Musungayi and two free throws by Dorr allowed U-Mary to close within 67-65 with three minutes remaining.
 
Mack Arvidson answered the Marauders run immediately with a three-pointer and the Wolves went 9-for-12 in the final 1:41 to preserve their lead.
 
After shooting just three free throws in the first half, the Wolves went 23-of-29 at the line in the final stanza and finished the game 26-of-32. The Marauders went 8-of-13 after intermission and went 11-of-17 overall.
 
Additionally Northern State shot 60.8 per cent from the field in the second half to 41.7 per cent for U-Mary.
 
The Wolves also held a 37-26 edge on the boards. The Marauders entered the game as one of the top rebounding teams in the conference with a margin of +7.3 entering the night.
 
The Marauders conclude a three-game home stand when MSU Moorhead arrives on Saturday, December 8. Game time is set for 6 PM.
 
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