BISMARCK, N.D. - A furious comeback effort in the second half fell just short as the University of Mary Women's Basketball team took on Minnesota State University Moorhead this afternoon.
 
Brittney Dietz drove into the lane for the Marauders (5-4, 0-2 NSIC) with only seconds remaining but Morgan Banasik got a hand on the ball for the critical block at 1.5 seconds for the Dragons (6-0, 3-0 NSIC) to edge out U-Mary at 62-61.
 
U-Mary still felt the effects of yesterday's lack of scoring in the first half as the Dragons opened up the game with a 6-0 lead at 7:04 as the Marauders missed their first nine shots of the game. Rachel Weir finally stopped the scoring drought with a fastbreak layup at 4:26 followed by a Dietz layup at 4:00 to keep U-Mary close behind at 6-4. MSU Moorhead tried to pull away at the end of the half but the Marauders stayed within striking distance as the Dragons held a 17-11 lead heading into the second quarter.
 
U-Mary could not shake the shooting bug as they only shot 23.3% from the field in the half and the Dragons built an 11-point lead at 24-13 with 5:21 to go in the second frame and the Marauders could only manage six more points through the remainder of the quarter with MSU Moorhead holding the 30-19 lead at the break.
 
The Marauders could not close the gap in the third quarter as the Dragons traded baskets back in forth with neither team gaining the definitive advantage. U-Mary got as close as 47-40 with 1:42 left in the period after a 7-2 run thanks to five points from Dietz and two from Weir, but the Dragons closed out the quarter with a 7-0 run for a comfortable 54-40 lead heading into the fourth.
 
A solid offensive and defensive performance kept U-Mary in the game through the fourth quarter as the Marauders opened up the frame on a 10-3 run thanks to four points from Dietz, and a two points each from Dani Williams, Dani Clarke, and Hannah Larson, to narrow the deficit to 57-50 with 6:45 to go. MSU Moorhead's last basket came at the 2:53 mark of the quarter as U-Mary's defense went into lockdown mode, and the Marauders closed in on the lead with another layup from Larson at 2:39, followed by a perimeter shot from Clarke at 1:18 to go, and another layup from Dietz with 43 seconds left to put the score at 62-61 in favor of the Dragons.
 
U-Mary's defense forced a contested three-pointer from the Dragons as Dietz grabbed the layup, and she was billed as the one to take the final shot for the Marauders as she dribbled up court. Heading to the left side of the lane, Dietz went for the driving layup but was swatted away by Banasik with just enough time left on the clock for one more shot as U-Mary had the chance to inbound the ball.
 
The pass went to Larson but a stifling defense from the Dragons prevented a clean look as the Marauders were unable to cap off the comeback and fell 62-61, dropping their second game of the NSIC opening weekend.
 
Brittney Dietz took over the scoring for U-Mary as she finished with 31 points on 12-for-23 shooting, her fifth career game with at least 30 points, while adding nine rebounds, three steals and one assist in 39 minutes played.
 
Dani Clarke added 10 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 30 minutes on the court.
 
Hannah Larson had a hand in every phase of the game as she finished with four points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal in 29 minutes of action as she battled foul trouble through most of the second half.
 
The Marauders will host Valley City State University next Tuesday, December 8, starting at 7:00 PM, at the McDowell Activity Center.
 
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