Box Score Minot, ND – Free throw failings felled the University of Mary men's basketball team 96-87 at Minot State University in the Marauders Northern Sun opener. U-Mary was 12-of-27 at the free throw line while MSU made 40-of-46.
 
In a game that featured nine ties and 20 lead changes, the Marauders (2-4 overall, 0-1 Northern Sun) made just 5-of-15 free throws in the final 4:31 of regulation and overtime. The Beavers (5-0, 1-0) went 18-of-20 during the same stretch, including 14-of-16 in overtime.
 
Damonta Henry, a freshman guard from Chicago, IL, scored 18 points to tie for the Marauders team lead. Making his second career start, Henry was 4-of-6 on three pointers and 7-of-11 overall.
 
In a reserve role, Devan Douglas also posted 18 points for U-Mary. The junior guard was 7-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 at the free throw line. He also had five rebounds and two assists before fouling out after 18 minutes of play.   
 
Three other Marauders reached double figures. Brandon Tyler hit four treys and scored 12 points. Chis Mason scored 12 points and Germain Decoste added ten points and eight rebounds off the bench. Marc Musungayi had eight points and eight rebounds.
 
E.J. Williams scored a game-high 30 points for Minot State. He was 15-of-17 at the free throw line and had four assists and three steals. Samuel Johnson had 19 points, Dominique McDonald 12 and six assists and Adam Randall 10 with eight rebounds.
 
Down five with five minutes left in regulation, Douglas keyed an 8-0 run to push U-Mary in front. Off a feed from Douglas, Henry hit a three. Douglas then tied the game at 69-69 on a layup. After a Jalen Jaspers free throw, Douglas hit another layup for a 72-69 U-Mary lead. Right after scoring his 18^th point, Douglas fouled out on the defensive end of the court with 3:39 remaining.
 
The Beavers battled back to take the lead but a Tyler three-pointer at the 1:12 mark provided the Marauders a 78-76 advantage. Two Randall free throws with 53 seconds left evened the contest. The Marauders had two more possessions but couldn't find the winning points.
 
Minot State slowly puled away in overtime. Mason scored the first point in overtime on a free throw before Williams took over the game. Williams scored the next six points – four on free throws before knocking down a jumper – and the Beavers held their lead the rest of the game.
 
The Marauders shot 49.2 per cent from the floor, including an 11-for-22 effort behind the arc. The Beavers made 44.6 per cent of their shots and were 6-of-16 on trey attempts. U-Mary's bench had a 34-21 scoring advantage.
 
This was the Marauders fifth straight loss in Minot. The last time the Marauders won in the Magic City was February 2004. The Beavers have won seven of the last eight meetings between North Dakota's only two NCAA Division II colleges.
 
The Marauders return home to host MSU Moorhead on Friday, Dec. 7, at 8 PM.
 
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