BISMARCK, N.D. - An second-half shootout was under way this evening between the University of Mary Women's Basketball team and #12 Winona State University, but the final possession came down to a defensive stop as Brittney Dietz swatted away the potential game-tying shot that put a stop to Winona State's comeback attempt.
 
The Marauders (9-10, 3-8 NSIC) shot 50% from the floor in the second half that matched their opponent's pace, and pulled off the upset win over the Warriors (16-2, 9-2 NSIC) with an 83-80 decision. This was U-Mary's first win over a nationally ranked opponent in three years, the last coming on January 13, 2013, where they stole a win on the road against the #22 Wayne State Wildcats.
 
The first quarter became a back-and-forth affair as Hannah Larson notched the first bucket of the game from beyond the arc, but the Warriors responded almost immediately with five quick points that indicated this game would be far from easy. Three lead changes punctuated the period as Winona State held the largest margin at 16-11 with 2:14 remaining on the clock, but U-Mary ensured the score would stay within one possession as Haley Hibbs sunk a trey of her own at the 1:30 mark to stay close behind the Warriors at 16-14 heading into the second frame.
 
Winona State extended their lead to 21-15 at the start of the stanza off a jumper from Kayla Timmerman and a three-pointer from Tara Roelofs, but Dani Williams kick-started an 11-0 U-Mary run over the next 2:38 of game time to put the score firmly in the Marauders' favor at 26-21 with 6:34 remaining in the half. Williams recorded the first two jumpers of the run, followed by back-to-back fast break layups from Dietz, and capped off with a perimeter shot from Dani Clarke.
 
The Marauders' lead disappeared instantly as Winona State tied the score at 26-26 by the 4:19 mark, but U-Mary never surrendered the lead as Williams added another three, Rachel Weir sunk two mid-range jumpers, and Dietz ended the half with a free throw to keep the Warriors at bay behind a 34-32 score at the break.
 
U-Mary appeared to have the momentum early in the third quarter as Dietz and Larson made consecutive layups for a 38-32 lead by the 8:42 mark, but the Warriors fired off a 15-3 run over the next five and a half minutes of play to swing score to 47-41 with 3:14 remaining in the period with the Marauders suddenly going cold on the floor with a 1-for-8 mark in the span.
 
Dietz snapped the scoring drought with a driving layup and completed the traditional three-point play after drawing the foul with 2:56 to go, that reenergized the offense as Larson and Williams sunk back-to-back threes, Larson nailed a mid-range jumper, and Clarke capitalized on a defensive stop with another three-pointer to retake the lead for U-Mary at 55-52 heading into the final quarter.
 
Winona State closed the gap and eventually regained the lead by the 8:36 mark of the fourth frame at 58-57, but a quick layup from Williams merely 20 seconds later jump-started a 15-2 U-Mary run that secured a 72-60 lead with 4:50 remaining in the game. Williams recorded five points in the run, Dietz added four of her own, Clarke sunk a trey, and Isabel Schmelzer added a layup in the paint during the stretch.
 
Proving their status as one of the top teams in the nation, the Warriors clawed their way back into the game, first cutting down the Marauders' lead to 76-69 with 3:19 to play, and inched even closer at 77-75 with 1:58 left on the clock. U-Mary persisted on the offensive half as Williams nailed a running jumper in the paint with 58 seconds left, only to be matched by a driving layup from Jenny Weiland at 38 ticks left on the clock to keep the margin at 79-77.
 
Larson took a pass from Clarke on the ensuing possession and sunk the driving layup while drawing the foul, and completed the clutch play as she nailed the free throw to give the Marauders a five-point advantage at 82-77 with only 11 seconds left.
 
U-Mary appeared to be in the clear but the Warriors wouldn't go away quietly as Roelofs drove home a deep three-pointer to close back within two at 82-80 with 9 seconds left in the game. Larson took the ensuing inbound pass and, after getting fouled, sunk one of two free throws to put the Marauders ahead at 83-80.
 
Like the head of the mythical hydra, Winona State still wasn't down and out as Connor Nagle missed a three-pointer with three seconds left, and the Marauders appeared to have the win in hand as Dietz secured the defensive rebound as time expired.
 
However, after reviewing the final play, the officials determined Dietz stepped out of bounds with .5 seconds remaining on the clock and Winona State had one final chance to send the game to overtime. Jenny Tuttle took the inbound for the Warriors at the top of the arc and Dietz made up for the turnover as she stuffed the final attempt, finally putting an end to the game and solidifying the 83-80 score in favor of U-Mary.
 
Dietz finished the contest with 26 points on 10-for-18 shooting from the floor, and grabbed eight rebounds on the night to go with three assists, one block and one steal in 34 minutes played.
 
Larson maintained her pace from the previous weeks as she ended up with 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the floor, along with six rebounds, five assists and one block in 30 minutes on the court.
 
Williams rounded out the scoring trio with 17 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the floor, to go with four rebounds, four assists, and one block in 35 minutes played.
 
Clarke sunk three shots from beyond the arc for nine points on the evening while Weir had a solid game with six points, eight rebounds, two blocks and one assist.
 
Schmelzer provided the spark off the bench for the Marauders as she grabbed seven rebounds in 17 minutes played.
 
The Marauders will take on Upper Iowa University tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 PM.
 
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