ABERDEEN, S.D. - Clinging to a four-point lead late in the fourth quarter, the University of Mary Women's Basketball team needed only one bucket in the final two minutes to walk out of Wachs Arena with an win over Northern State University.
 
Unfortunately, the Marauders' (8-10, 2-8 NSIC) last-second attempt was squandered on a turnover and the Wolves (12-3, 8-2 NSIC) took control in overtime to hand U-Mary their sixth loss in seven games on the heels of a 73-70 decision.
 
The contest featured 19 lead changes and 11 ties as both teams were evenly matched throughout the afternoon. U-Mary took the first lead of the game as Dani Williams sunk the first basket from beyond the arc while Brittney Dietz added two free throws by the 9:04 mark of the opening quarter, but Northern State responded with eight straight points, all jumpers, to take over the scoreboard at 8-5 with 5:26 left in the frame.
 
The teams matched baskets through the rest of the period as the Marauders clinged to a 16-14 lead heading into the second.
 
The back-and-forth affair continued at the start of the quarter as Dietz gave U-Mary a 23-21 lead off a trey with 6:23 to play in the half, but the drought made it's way from last night's game in Moorhead, Minn., as the Marauders missed their next five shots over four minutes while the Wolves pulled ahead on a 10-0 run for a 31-23 lead at the 2:51 mark.
 
Rachel Weir and Hannah Larson teamed up to stop the scoring famine as Weir sunk a three-pointer with 2:36 left on the clock and Larson added a driving layup only 39 seconds later to keep the Marauders within striking distance while facing a 31-28 deficit late in the half.
 
Northern State added three more points before the break while Weir gave U-Mary two made free throws to put the score at 34-30 in favor of the home team at halftime.
 
The Marauders came out cannons blazing in the opening minutes of the third quarter on a 9-3 run thanks to a Dietz jumper, a Williams trey, and back-to-back jumpers from Larson to retake the lead at 39-37 by the 6:48 mark of the frame. The Wolves countered with a 12-3 run of their own over the next four and a half minutes for a 49-42 lead, but Williams ended the period with consecutive perimeter shots to keep U-Mary right behind at 49-48 heading into the final stanza.
 
The fourth quarter was another game of tit-for-tat as neither squad could build a cushion greater than four points until the Marauders held a 63-59 lead on the tail end of a 7-2 run with 2:06 remaining in the game. Alas, U-Mary was faced with another scarcity of scoring as the Wolves tied the game on four free throws with 16 ticks left on the clock. The Marauders had one last shot to prevent the contest from going into the extra period, but a turnover on the ensuing possession gave Northern State the final say of the game. The Wolves wouldn't get a clean look off as Lauren Deadrick missed the potential game-winning shot and both teams went into preparation mode for overtime with the score set at 63-63.
 
Wier and Dietz gave the Marauders a 67-63 advantage by the 3:47 mark of the extra frame, but U-Mary would be done in by missed opportunities as they made only one of their next four shots while the Wolves methodically took over on a 9-3 run for the 72-70 lead with 1:14 remaining.
 
The Marauders had one last shot with 13 seconds left as Weir secured the defensive rebound on the missed jumper from Deadrick, but a Bethany Crosswait steal on the subsequent possession sunk any hope for a comeback attempt as U-Mary left the arena with a 73-70 loss.
 
Hannah Larson took over the scoring role for the Marauders as she earned her sixth double-double of the season with 27 points and 11 rebounds on 9-for-16 shooting from the floor, 7-for-10 from the line, to go with three steals, two assists and a block in 41 minutes played.
 
Dani Williams sunk all four of her attempts from beyond the arc as she finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes of action.
 
Brittney Dietz was uncharacteristically quiet through most of the game but made up for it in other aspects of the game as she ended up with 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals in 44 minutes on the court.
 
Rachel Weir was active on both ends as she earned seven points and seven rebounds to go with two steals in 39 minutes played.
 
The Marauders will return to Bismarck next week as they host #12 Winona State University and Upper Iowa University starting on Friday, January 15, at 6:00 PM CDT in the McDowell Activity Center.
 
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