BISMARCK, ND – Damonta Henry may have led the University of Mary in scoring and Bryan Jefferson just missed a double double but the two most memorable baskets of the night belonged to Luke Scott as the Marauders opened Northern Sun play with an 81-72 home win over Minot State University.
 
Mary improved to 2-4 overall and is 1-0 in the NSIC. Minot State is 4-3 and 0-1.
 
"We had a will to win tonight and it showed in our effort," said Marauders head coach Joe Kittell. "On every possession our players did whatever was needed. I'm proud of our leadership responding after Tuesday's game and getting us off to a 1-0 start in the Northern Sun."
 
With the Marauders down one in he second half, Erron Collins found Scott on a back door cut on the right baseline, hitting the junior reserve at the apex of Scott's leap for a spectacular layup and a 42-41 Mary lead. The Marauders never trailed again.
 
On the Marauders next possession, Scott returned the favor by finding a wide-open Collins at the top of the arc. The senior guard from Mandan, ND, didn't hesitate and drained the 3-pointer for a four-point Marauders advantage.
 
With 30 seconds remaining in the game and the Marauders up by three, Scott sealed the Mary win with a 3-pointer of his own, sucking all the air out of Minot State's hopes of a rally. The Minneapolis, MN, native finished the night with five points and three assists.
 
The Beavers misfired on two subsequent 3-point attempts in the closing seconds. Defensive rebounds by the Marauders led to a pair of free throws from Pat Thomas and one by Trevor Zacher to extend the Marauders lead to their widest margin of the night.
 
As notable as Scott's baskets were for Mary, the Marauders rode the offensive output of Henry and Thomas down the stretch. The backcourt duo scored 20 of the Marauders final 28 points, with Henry accounting for 11 and Thomas nine.
 
Time and again Henry and Thomas found points for the Marauders. Twice the Beavers pulled within a point in the final seven minutes. First Thomas made a pair of free throws with 6:18 to go for a 62-59 Mary advantage. After another Beavers surge Henry connected on back-to-back layups to for a 66-61 lead with 5:48 remaining.
 
Three more times the Beavers pulled within a single possession. Each time the Marauders had a response. A spinning left-handed jumper in the lane by Thomas with 4:25 to play upped the Marauders lead to 68-64. Jefferson hit two free throws with 2:21 on the clock gave Mary a 72-68 advantage. And Scott's triple with 30 seconds left was the knockout punch.
 
Henry drained three treys and made 8-of-13 shots overall to finish with a team-high 19 points. He also added four rebounds and three assists.
 
Jefferson scored 17 points and hauled down a team-leading nine rebounds. The senior forward also went over 900 career points in the game and now sits at 906.
 
Thomas was 6-of-8 at the free throw line and made 2-of-3 field goals for 10 points. He also had four assists and didn't commit a turnover. Rickey Suggs chipped in eight points.
 
Luis Ricci Maia led the Beavers with 20 points. Tyler Rudolph had 15 points and 17 rebounds and Russ Davis scored 14 points using four treys.
 
The Marauders, who have trailed just once in six games this season, outscored the Beavers 53-44 in the second half after entering intermission tied 28-28. Mary shot 50 percent from the field, including a 9-of-15 mark behind the arc. Minot State made 41.4 percent of its shots with a 7-of-21 effort on treys.
 
After completing a three-game home stand, the Marauders next visit MSU Moorhead and Northern State on Dec. 2-3.
 
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