RAPID CITY, SD – A balanced scoring effort featuring five players in double digits allowed the visiting University of Mary men's basketball team to pull away from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and grab a 92-81 win over the Hardrockers. It is the first win of the season for the Marauders.
"I am proud of our effort and focus as we beat a very good team tonight on the road," said Marauders head coach
Joe Kittell. "We have to continue to get better and grow our team as we move into conference play against Minot State this weekend."
Keith Hunter came off the bench to score a team-high 17 points. In addition to hitting 4-of-6 from the field, the junior guard went 8-of-10 at the free throw line. He also had four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Forwards
Trevor Zacher and
Tom Kubank both added 16 points. Zacher knocked down four treys in seven attempts and added five rebounds. Kubank made 5-of-6 field goals and all five of his free throw attempts. Additionally the junior snared a team-leading seven rebounds.
Joining Hunter with a big night off the bench was freshman
Wyatt Carr. He scored a career-best 14 points in just his third college game. He made two treys in three attempts and was 6-of-8 overall from the floor while also claiming five rebounds.
Clutch down the stretch,
Brody Sharkey had 13 points. The junior guard was 7-of-8 at the free throw line, including five straight as the Marauders closed out the game.
Wilfred Dickson led the Hardrockers with 19 points, making all three of his shots behind the arc. Jake Heath was 4-for-5 on 3-pointers to chip in 12 points. Overall Mines had six players with ten or more points.
The Marauders had a strong night offensively, shooting 53.8 percent from the floor and a stellar 12-of-24 behind the arc. Additionally UMary was 24-of-31 at the free throw line to keep South Dakota Mines at bay. The Hardrockers made 11-of-21 treys but was just 41.3 percent overall from the field and only 18-of-29 at the line.
Playing out in front virtually the whole game, the Marauders saw a nine-point first half lead dwindle to a single point at intermission at 43-42. Twice Mines took a lead in the second half, the last time at 57-55. UMary rebuilt its lead to six but couldn't shake loose from the home team until making a move late in the contest.
Leading by a single point at 74-73 with under five minutes remaining, the Marauders reeled off nine straight points for an 83-73 lead with 1:12 left in the game. Sharkey made five straight free throws during the run to help seal the game, Zacher hit a basket and Kubank made a pair of free throws to seal the game.
During one stretch the Marauders made 13 straight free throws. In the final six minutes UMary went 18-of-19 at one point, building the advantage to as many as 13 points at one juncture.
UMary next opens Northern Sun conference play with a visit to Minot State University on Saturday, Nov. 25, before returning home to face Yellowstone Christian College on Tuesday, Nov. 28.
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