BISMARCK, ND – Despite a combined 37 points from sophomore forwards Gabbie Bohl and Cassie Askvig, a University of Mary women's basketball team forced to play from behind much of the game suffered a 65-56 loss to visiting St. Cloud State University on New Year's Eve.
 
Bohl scored a game-high 21 points for the Marauders. The Minot, ND, native also had six rebounds and two blocks. She went 9-of-14 at the free throw line and was 6-of-13 from the floor.
 
One day after putting together a stat line of 25 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks in a win over Minnesota Duluth, Askvig concluded the weekend with 16 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and two assists against the Huskies. Also a Minot, ND, native, Askvig was 6-of-13 from the floor and 3-for-5 at the line.
 
The remainder of the UMary squad combined for 19 points. The Marauders shot just 36.5 percent from the floor against the Northern Sun's top defensive unit, including a 6-of-16 effort behind the arc, and went 12-of-21 at the free throw line. SCSU connected on 40.4 percent of its shots, making 8-of-19 behind the arc, and finished 15-of-17 at the free throws line.
 
Trailing by 14 early in the second quarter, a Lauren Rotunda driving layup capped a 14-0 run for the Marauders and sent the two teams into the locker room knotted at 28-28.
 
A pair of Macy Williams 3-pointers early in the third quarter gave the Marauders (6-8 overall, 2-6 NSIC) a pair of three-point leads but UMary was unable to build any momentum. With 35 seconds left in the third quarter, Madelin Dammann hit a trey for SCSU to provide the Huskies a 44-42 advantage. The Huskies never trailed again.
 
The Huskies (7-4, 4-3) built their lead to six points before Jordyn Jossart halved the deficit to 55-52 with just under five minutes remaining in the game. Soon faced with deficits of as many as six points once again, a Bohl free throw with 1:19 remaining allowed the Marauders to close the gap to 60-55. With the Marauders soon forced to foul, the Huskies made 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute of play to hold off the UMary challenge. In the final quarter, the Huskies went 12-of-14 at the line.    
 
After playing five of seven conference games at home, the Marauders return to the road to face Northern State University and MSU Moorhead on Friday and Saturday, January 5-6.
 
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