BISMARCK, ND – Keyed by a smothering defensive effort and a career-high 26 points by Damonta Henry, the University of Mary men's basketball team raced past Yellowstone Christian College 85-53 for the Marauders first win of the season.
 
Henry scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half. He hit five 3-pointers and made 8-of-16 shots from the floor while hitting 5-of-6 free throws. Three of the treys came after intermission. The senior also had six rebounds and added four steals and three assists.
 
Four Marauders reached double figures, including Pat Thomas with the team's first double double of the year. The Marauders senior point guard finished one shy of the school's NCAA-era record for assists with 10. He also scored 10 points and had six rebounds.
 
Playing at home for the first time this season, the Marauders trailed just once in the second half and it proved to be the turning point of the game
 
Down 39-37 after the Centurions scored back-to-back baskets, the Marauders turned up the pressure and outpaced YCC 48-14 the remainder of the game.
 
Erron Collins started a 10-0 run for the Marauders by turning a steal into a fast break basket. Isaac Lindquist followed with a steal on Yellowstone Christian's next possession and found Henry for a fast break layup for a 41-39 Mary advantage. The Marauders never trailed again.
 
Another steal, this one by Henry, resulted in a three-point play for the Chicago, IL, native as he was fouled going to the basket and sank the subsequent free throw.
 
Not yet done, a Bryan Jefferson block led to another three-point play by Henry, capping a 10-0 run for Mary to give the Marauders a 47-39 lead with 13:09 left to play.
 
The Marauders put the game away with 15 straight points a short time later. Collins started the run with a free throw and Henry followed with a 3-pointer. A steal by Henry led to Trevor Zacher emphatically finishing the fast break with an alley-oop dunk. Rickey Suggs added another fast break slam dunk moments later to seal the Mary victory.
 
Zacher scored 16 points for the Marauders. In his first home game for the Marauders, the junior forward drilled 3-pointers on the Marauders first four possessions of the game, all off assists from Thomas. He hit 4-of-5 treys and 6-of-8 shots overall and grabbed four rebounds.
 
Jefferson added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds. He also chipped in two assists and two steals.
 
Collins added six points and Suggs four assists off the bench for Mary.
 
Yellowstone Christian was paced by Abraham Nyok with 16 points and eight rebounds. Steffan Tellis added nine points.
 
The Marauders defense forced 22 turnovers and limited the Centurions to a 29.6 field goal percentage. YCC did have a 38-36 rebounding edge.
 
Mary shot 52.6 percent from the floor, including a 14-of-26 effort behind the arc, but finished just 11-of-23 at the free throw line.
 
A three-game home stand continues for the Marauders when Mary hosts South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in a non-conference game at 7 pm on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
 
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