BISMARCK, N.D. – After clinching a home playoff berth for the first time in five seasons on Friday night, today's game was more a celebration of three University of Mary men's basketball seniors and how far the Marauders program advanced this season.
 
Picked to finish 14^th overall in the Northern Sun prior to the season, the Marauders finished seventh and third in the NSIC North, despite an 80-73 loss to visiting St. Cloud State University in the regular season finale.
 
The Marauders will host Concordia-St. Paul in the opening round of the NSIC / Sanford Health men's basketball tournament on Wednesday, February 24. Game time is 7 p.m. at the McDowell Activity Center.
 
After winning a combined 16 games the previous two seasons, Marauders first year head coach Joe Kittell led the Marauders to a 17-11 record overall and a 12-10 mark in NSIC play. It is U-Mary's first winning season since 2011 and just the Marauders third winning mark since beginning NCAA and NSIC competition in the 2006-07 season. It is also just U-Mary's third winning campaign in ten years of NSIC play.
 
Entering the night with a chance to claim the second seed in the NSIC North with a win, the Marauders chances looked good early. Behind another big night by junior forward Bryan Jefferson, the Marauders led by as many as seven points in the first half before entering intermission leading 37-33.
 
After both teams traded a pair of treys to open the second half, Gage Davis scored five points in an 11-0 SCSU run to give the Huskies a 52-45 lead. It was the first time St. Cloud State had led since a 3-2 advantage in the opening minutes of play.
 
A basket by Jefferson halted the Huskies run only momentarily as SCSU rattled off another six straight to build a double digit advantage at 58-47. Twice U-Mary closed within six points but the Marauders had no answer for Davis and Scottie Stone, who combined for 50 points in the game while pushing the Huskies lead to as many as 14 points.
 
Jefferson poured in a game-high 18 points for U-Mary. He was 8-of-11 at the free throw line and led the squad with six rebounds.
 
Senior guard Brandon Tyler hit four treys in the game and scored 12 points. He also had four assists. Devan Douglas and Marquealis Edwards, the other two U-Mary seniors, each contributed nine points. Edwards also had seven assists and four steals.
 
Also in double figures was Isaac Lindquist with 11 points. Damonta Henry chipped in nine off the bench.
 
Davis and Stone hit three treys and scored 25 points apiece for SCSU. Davis also had 11 rebounds. Jon Averkamp added 14 points and Nebojsa Stanojevic had 11 rebounds.
 
One of the top rebounding teams in the conference, the Marauders were unable to keep the Huskies off the boards. SCSU held a 40-28 rebounding advantage, allowing the Huskies to have a 17-9 edge in second chance points and a 30-24 edge in points in the paint. And despite U-Mary committing just one more turnover than SCSU (15-14), the Huskies produced a 20-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
The Marauders home playoff contest against the Golden Bears will be a rematch from a February 6 meeting between the two teams at the McDowell Activity Center, where Concordia-St. Paul rallied late past U-Mary for a 76-72 win by the visitor.

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