BISMARCK, N.D. - Sloan Turner blocked the potential go-ahead shot, Brittney Dietz played all 40 minutes, and the Marauders upset their rivals from the north in a thrilling 57-56 victory over the Minot State University Beavers.
 
The Marauders faced an undefeated Beaver team that was receiving votes in the top 25 of the NCAA D-II Women's Basketball Rankings, and were looking to avenge both losses to Minot State from the previous year.
 
The Beavers held an early 3-0 advantage, but it wouldn't last long as the Marauders forced a bit of back-and-forth between the squads and eventually took a firm grasp on the lead coming off the first media timeout at 14:28 with a 10-9 advantage. From there the Marauders built a comfortable cushion on Minot State with the Beavers never getting closer than five throughout the remained of the first half.
 
The Marauders fired off an 11-2 run to surge ahead at 20-11, but the Beavers fought back and narrowed it to 20-15 with 7:22 remaining in the half. Another 7-2 run from U-Mary kept the Beavers at bay at 27-17 with 3:30 remaining and the Marauders defense forced some contested shots from Minot State as the Beavers only shot 21% from the floor.
 
The Marauders went into halftime with a 31-23 lead with Dietz spearheading the offense with 15 points.
 
After some adjustments, the Marauders came back onto the court looking to maintain their momentum from the first half. Minot State had other ideas though, forcing the Marauders to find some help on the inside for the majority of the half. Turner was more than happy to answer the call, however, as she was active on both ends of the court.
 
U-Mary kept the pressure up and held a 39-24 with 16:00 left in the game. The Beavers started chipping away at the lead, though, and got the score down to 42-41 in favor of the Marauders after a 17-3 run carried Minot State to the 10:42 mark of the second half.
 
U-Mary held onto the lead thanks to some key free throws from Dietz and Hannah Larson, and a clutch three-pointer from Dani Clarke kept the Marauders on top 49-45 with 7:39 remaining.
 
The Beavers responded with a three-pointer of their own to keep the game close at 49-48, but back-to-back layups from Turner kept Minot State at bay 53-48. The Beavers wouldn't go away quietly as they finally tied the score at 54-54 off a critical layup with 2:09 left in the game.
 
Clarke proved to be reliable after another three-point bucket put the Marauders ahead 57-54 with 1:53 remaining, but the Beavers stayed close behind off another layup put the score at 57-56 with 1:28 on the clock.
 
Minot State forced a turnover with 15 seconds left and the Beavers called a quick timeout, setting up a final play. After inbounding the ball, the Beavers drained what time they could, leaving just enough for one shot and Diondra Denton got the call as she drove into the lane. Turner was there to greet her, swatted the shot away, and U-Mary handed Minot State their first loss of the year.
 
Turner finished the game with five blocks, eight points, and three rebounds in 26 minutes on the court.
 
Dietz led all scorers with 17 points, two rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block of her own in 40 minutes of action. She shot 6-14 from the field and was a perfect 4-4 from the line.
 
Larson recorded her second straight double double with 11 points and 11 rebounds; she also added two blocks and two steals while shooting 4-10 from the field in 31 minutes.
 
The Marauders got production out of all five starters as Haley Hibbs finished with six points, 11 rebounds, and six assists; while Clarke finished with 10 points, two rebounds and two assists.
 
Dani Williams got the call from the bench and she proved to be an asset with eight rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes played.
 
The Marauders (3-4, 1-0 NSIC) will head out on the road next week for games against Northern State University on Friday, Dec. 5, and Minnesota State University-Moorhead on Saturday, Dec. 6.
 
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