BEMIDJI, Minn. - With a seemingly comfortable four-point lead with less than a minute remaining in the game, the University of Mary Women's Basketball team was stunned after Bemidji State University rattled off six unanswered points in the final minute, resulting in a 72-70 Marauder loss at the hands of the Beavers.
 
The Beavers got on the board early to begin the first half with a 4-0 lead, but the theme with this Marauder team is pulling off the big runs and that's exactly what they did. U-Mary fired off a 19-4 run that lasted to the second media break of the first half and held a commanding 19-8 lead over Bemidji State. The Beavers whittled away at the lead but couldn't find solid ground as the Marauders held the advantage 24-15 at the final break. Unfortunately for U-Mary, the Beavers kept the game close going into halftime as they scored 10 of the final 13 points to narrow the Marauder lead to 27-25.
 
The Marauders were not deterred, however, and came out firing in the beginning of the second half, building their lead back up to 38-29 with 16:26 left in the game. From this point, the Beavers seemingly flipped a switch and netted 11 unanswered points to jump ahead of U-Mary 40-38 with 14:17 left in the game.
 
It became a back-and-forth affair between the teams, something the Marauders are familiar with as well, as there were eight ties and eight lead changes in the final 14 minutes. The Marauders held 66-64 lead with 2:17 left on the clock but couldn't find the magic combination to put Bemidji State away for good.
 
The trouble started with 59 seconds remaining. After two free throws from Brittney Dietz, the Marauders held a 70-66 lead, but were done in by a slew of Bemidji State free throws. The Beavers got off four made shots from the charity stripe and tied the game at 70-70 with 32 seconds left. After U-Mary inbounded the ball, the Beavers forced a turnover and got the go-ahead layup with 12 seconds left.
 
The Marauders had an opportunity to tie the game with one second left, but the shot couldn't find the bottom of the net and the Marauders fell 72-70.
 
Dietz was a force to be reckoned with in every aspect of the game as she finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists, one block and three steals in 38 minutes played. She shots 6-for-11 from the field and 7-for-9 from the line.
 
Dani Clarke showcased her perimeter shooting skills with 14 points on 4-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc. She also earned seven rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes on the floor.
 
Sloan Turner got the start tonight in the post and finished with 10 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes of action.
 
Haley Hibbs paced the Marauders with eight points, four rebounds and one assist in 34 minutes on the court. She finished shooting 3-for-7 from the field including 2-for-5 from long range.
 
Hannah Larson was limited on the offense with two points but translated her game to other facets on the floor with seven rebounds, seven assists, one block and one steal. She finished the game with 37 minutes played.
 
Rachel Weir got billed from the bench and responded with 11 points, three rebounds, one block and one steal in 22 minutes played.
 
The Marauders (6-8, 4-4 NSIC) look to avenge two early season road losses next week when they host Minnesota State University Moorhead on Friday, January 9, and Northern State University on Saturday, January 10, at the McDowell Activity Center.
 
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