ST. PAUL, Minn. - The University of Mary concluded their tour of the NSIC South Division this weekend with a game against Concordia University-St. Paul, and the Marauders came away empty handed after the Golden Bears (13-10, 9-8 NSIC) finished the game at the line to send U-Mary (8-16, 6-12 NSIC) to their fourth straight loss.
 
The game was punctuated by a multitude of ties as the teams traded baskets early in the first half with the score knotted up at 25 apiece with 9:17 left on the clock. The Golden Bears force the tie after Sloan Turner hit a layup to put the Marauders up 25-22.
 
Concordia-St. Paul fired off a 14-2 run to jump ahead of the Marauders 37-27 with 3:24 left on the clock, but U-Mary came roaring back with an 8-2 run of their own to close in on the lead at 39-35 with 1:28 remaining. Both teams traded one more basket before the half and the Marauders found themselves down 41-37 at the break.
 
Five ties highlighted the first half, but it only proved to be an appetizer as there were eight in the second half, coming as late as the 3:44 mark.
 
U-Mary hit the first two shots of the second half; another layup from Turner combined with a deep ball from Haley Hibbs gave the Marauders a 42-41 in the early goings.
 
Neither team could get the upper hand from that point, but when it seemed the game was getting out of hand, the law of averages would come crashing down and keep the score close.
 
The Golden Bears built up a seven-point lead at the 8:06 mark at 63-56, but the Marauders fired off a 9-0 run to jump right back in it at 65-63.
 
Concordia-St. Paul forced the final tie at 67-67 with 3:44 remaining on the clock and the Marauders offense hit a rough patch as the Golden Bears forced two turnovers in the next 35 seconds to climb back on top at 72-67 with 3:09 left in the game.
 
Hannah Larson drew a foul with less than three minutes remaining and her two free throws kept the Marauders close behind at 72-69. Brittney Dietz popped the clutch jumper to pull the score even closer at 72-71, but the Golden Bears responded with a layup to keep the Marauders at bay at 74-71.
 
Dietz did what she could and kept the Marauders close behind at 74-72 with a free throw, but U-Mary was forced to foul after that point.
 
The Golden Bears hit one free throw, but forced another Marauder turnover and U-Mary gave another foul to send Concordia-St. Paul back to the line. Two more free throws from the Golden Bears put the game on ice as the final score was 78-74.
 
Turner kept up her steady production as of late with 19 points on 5-for-11 shooting from the field. She also added six rebounds and 3 steals in her 34 minutes played.
 
Larson was a force to be reckoned with in every aspect on the floor as she finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal in 38 minutes played. Her fifth double double of the season came on 5-for-11 shooting from the field, 2-for-4 from the perimeter, and a perfect 4-for-4 from the line.
 
Hibbs provided the long-range threat as her 4-for-4 shooting from distance translated into 15 points for the Marauders. She also added two assists, one block, and one steal in 31 minutes on the floor.
 
Dani Clarke made her way back into the starting lineup tonight and she responded with seven points, three assists, two rebounds, and one steal in 31 minutes.
 
The Marauders will wrap up their regular season home schedule next week with games against Bemidji State University on Friday, February 13, and the University of Minnesota Crookston on Saturday, February 14.
 
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