MANKATO, MN – A balanced scoring attack and the team's best defensive effort of the season led the University of Mary men's basketball team to a convincing 75-61 road win over Minnesota State University. The victory is the first-ever for the Marauders over the Mavericks at the Taylor Center.
Five different Marauders reached double digits in points, led by
Isaac Lindquist with 16. The senior center was 6-of-8 at the free throw line and added two blocks.
Damonta Henry came of the bench to score 15 points, hitting all four of his 3-point attempts.
Rickey Suggs added 12 points and five boards,
Bryan Jefferson contributed 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds and
Trevor Zacher made both 3-point attempts and all four field goals to chip in 10 points.
Pat Thomas added eight points and four assists.
Defensively the Marauders harassed the Mavericks shooters all night, limiting Minnesota State to a 36.5 shooting percentage and an 8-of-23 effort on 3-point attempts. The Marauders entered the weekend at the bottom of the Northern Sun in field goal defense.
The 61 points is the fewest the Marauders have allowed this season to an NCAA Division II opponent.
Mary led from tipoff to the final buzzer.
Erron Collins hit a 3-pointer to score the first points of the game on the Marauders opening possession. The senior guard's lone basket of the game gave the Marauders a lead they never relinquished.
Leading 30-27 late in the opening half, Henry and Lindquist spearheaded a 10-0 Marauders run to break the game open. After hitting a jumper and a free throw, Henry then drained a trey. Lindquist followed with baskets on back-to-back possessions for a 13-point lead. At intermission the Marauders led 42-31.
Eventually the Marauders built a 17-point advantage in the second half before the Mavericks closed the game to single digits on a Jon Fuqua tip-in with 4:16 left in the game. After Zacher and Fuqua exchanged baskets, Mary dominated the final 3:40, scoring eight straight points before Minnesota State hit a meaningless trey with 26 seconds left on the clock.
Fuqua led the Mavericks with 24 points and seven rebounds.
The win is the second straight for the Marauders over the Mavericks. Mary defeated MSU 96-91 in the NSIC tournament quarterfinals last spring. Mary is now 3-9 all-time against Minnesota State.
Combined with the Marauders 87-75 win at Concordia-St. Paul on Friday, the Marauders gained their first weekend sweep of the season. Mary improves to 7-11 overall and 5-7 in the Northern Sun to improve to fourth in the NSIC North division at the start of the second half of the league schedule. MSU is 12-6 and 7-5.
After playing five of seven games on the road, the Marauders return home to host Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 21-22.
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