BISMARCK, N.D. - Facing another double-digit deficit in the first half, the University of Mary Women's Basketball team employed a stringent defense in the second and third quarters that limited Bemidji State University to a combined 17 points and helped snap a four-game losing streak.
 
The Marauders (8-8, 2-6 NSIC) were down 33-22 with 2:49 to play in the second quarter, but defense carried them through to the fourth quarter for a 54-44 lead over the Beavers (5-7, 1-7 NSIC) before closing out the game from the charity stripe en route to a 71-66 victory.
 
In eerily similar fashion to the previous night's matchup, the Beavers first two made baskets of the game came from beyond the arc as Bemidji State held a 6-2 lead in the early goings. U-Mary wasn't far behind through most of the quarter, but Bemidji State methodically pulled away with five made three-pointers in the frame for a 24-15 lead heading into the second.
 
The defense came to life for the Marauders in the second as the Beavers' first made field goal came off another three pointer from Aimee Pelzer at the 4:33 mark that ended a streak of eight straight misses by Bemidji State. U-Mary's offense still struggled to find a rhythm, however, as they only managed three field goals in the same span and faced a 29-21 disadvantage with four minutes left in the half.
 
Pelzer sunk the mid-range jumper at 2:49 to give Bemidji State their largest lead of the day at 33-22, and would subsequently be their last field goal of the half. U-Mary rode the defensive effort through the remainder of the quarter for a 7-0 run to close out the period and put the score at a manageable 33-29 at break.
 
The team traded baskets to start the third quarter as Bemidji State scored the first points of the frame on free throws, followed by a driving layup from Hannah Larson at 9:34 and a free throw from Brittney Dietz at 8:56 to keep U-Mary hot on the Beavers' tail at 35-32. Yet Bemidji State seemed as if they would pull away again as Tatum Sheley sunk a jumper at the 8:35 mark for a 37-32 lead.
 
Then the Marauder's defense took over.
 
Assembling a 13-1 run that lasted for nearly eight minutes of game time, the Marauders forced contested looks across the floor as Bemidji State missed 15 shots in a row from the field. Meanwhile, U-Mary got seven points from Dietz, three from Hayley Niles, two from Larson and one from Rachel Weir to seize control of the lead at 45-38 with 1:07 left in the quarter.
 
Bemidji State got another three pointer before the frame was up, this time from Hanna Zerr, but the Marauders capped off the impressive performance in the quarter with two free throws from Larson and a comfortable 47-41 lead.
 
What the defense started would be finished by the offense as Dietz, Larson, and Dani Clarke combined for the first seven points of the fourth quarter for U-Mary to build the lead up to 54-44 with 6:48 to play. However, the Beavers would not go quietly into the night as their defense stepped up and forced five missed shots from the Marauders over the next three minutes of play while closing the gap on an 8-0 run that cut U-Mary's lead down to 54-52 with 3:14 to play.
 
Dietz and Larson snapped the scoreless streak as Brittney made her trademark driving layup while Hannah added one of her own to put the score at 58-52 favoring the Marauders. Bemidji State added yet another perimeter shot from Zerr to close back in at 58-55 with 1:54 remaining, but U-Mary ended the game from the free throw line as they made 11 of the next 12 attempts to end the four-game skid with a 71-66 win.
 
Hannah Larson recorded her fifth double-double of the year with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting and 13 rebounds. She also added five assists, three blocks and one steal in 33 minutes of action.
 
Brittney Dietz will not be slowed on her trek through U-Mary's record books as she finished with 25 points on 9-for-19 shooting from the field to go with seven rebounds, two assists and one block in 38 minutes played.
 
Dani Williams provided a solid effort from the floor with nine points and seven rebounds in 33 minutes on the floor.
 
Rachel Weir continues to impress in the starting role as she added six points of her own to go with five rebounds and one assists in 27 minutes played.
 
Hayley Niles brought the spark off the bench with six points and four rebounds in 15 minutes played.
 
As a team, U-Mary held Bemidji State to 26.7% (20-for-75) shooting from the field while outrebounding the Beavers at a 51 to 46 clip.
 
The Marauders will spend next weekend on the road as they travel to Moorhead, Minn., on Friday, January 8, to take on Minnesota State University Moorhead starting at 6:00 PM CDT.
 
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