BISMARCK, ND – On fire at the beginning and the end, it was a cool middle of the game that led the University of Mary men's basketball team to an 89-82 loss to visiting MSU Moorhead in the Marauders first home Northern Sun game of the season.
Keith Hunter scored a career-high 30 as the Marauders threw a late scare into the defending conference champion Dragons.
Hunter scored 17 of his game-high 3o points in the second half. Scoring both inside and out, the junior guard knocked down 12-of-19 shots from the floor, including 5-of-9 trey attempts. He also added six assists.
The Marauders (2-4 overall, 0-2 NSIC) jumped out to an early 20-8 lead that featured a pair of 3-pointers by both Hunter and
Brody Sharkey. The tide soon turned and the Dragons (3-4, 1-0) went off on a 26-3 run to build an 11-point lead. UMary cut the deficit to seven when Hunter went coast-to-coast to score as the buzzer was about to sound for intermission.
A 9-0 run early in the second half for the Dragons pushed the Marauders deficit to 16 with just under 13 minutes remaining in the game.
Regaining its footing, UMary stormed back in the final ten minutes of play. Down 64-49, the Marauders twice pulled within three points as Hunter and
Tom Kubank exploded against the Dragons. Both times, though, the Marauders were unable to get the needed defensive stop to give UMary the chance to knot the game.
In addition to Hunter scoring 17 points after intermission, Kubank scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half. Failing to make any of his four 3-point attempts in the opening half, Kubank made all four of his shots behind the arc. The two combined to make 7-of-10 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes and were 9-of-17 for the day.
Kubank finished the game with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Matthew Kreklow scored 14 with eight rebounds and two blocks.
Trevor Zacher added nine points and four rebounds.
Jaylan White had six assists.
Johnny Beeninga led MSUM with 26 points. Travaun Coad had 19 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.
The Marauders next host #21 Northern State on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 6 pm in the McDowell Activity Center.
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