BISMARCK, ND – Pitted against one of the nation's best teams, the University of Mary women's basketball team battled Winona State University to the wire before the Marauders succumbed 64-59 in the opening round of the 2017 Northern Sun / Sanford Health basketball tournament.
Gabbie Bohl led the Marauders with 20 points.
Hannah Larson added 14 points and seven rebounds in her final collegiate game.
Dani Williams added ten.
Kayla Timmerman and Jenny Tuttle paced the Warriors with 15 points each. Hannah McGlone added 12 and Arika Wooldridge scored ten off the bench.
The Marauders earned the home game as the fourth seed in the NSIC North. The Warriors, in position to win the NSIC South just two weeks prior and ranked #22 in the nation, dropped their last three games of the season and slid to the fifth seed due to tiebreakers. The third time Mary had hosted Winona State in the opening round of the league tournament, the Marauders had won the first two playoff meetings at the McDowell Activity Center.
Playing in front of a raucous McDowell Activity Center, the lead changed 16 times over the course of the game with eight ties.
After a defensive first half, the Warriors led 29-25 at intermission, the largest lead of the first 20 minutes. Mary took its first lead of the second half at 38-37 on a 3-pointer by
Cassie Askvig. Soon behind again, Williams hit a trey with four seconds left to provide the Marauders a 45-44 lead after three quarters.
In a nip-and-tuck final stanza, Bohl tied the game off a feed from Askvig 54-54 with just about five minutes to play.
The tide then turned to the veteran Warriors, who ran off six straight points, all by McGlone on two baskets and a pair of free throws.
Rachel Weir then hit a 3-pointer and Bohl cut the deficit to 60-59 with 1:19 remaining.
Needing a defensive stop, Larson hauled down a defensive rebound but Mary failed to take advantage. Jenny Tuttle hit a layup with 18 seconds left for a 62-59 deficit. Hoping to set up a three-point attempt in the right corner, the Marauders had to rush and had the shot blocked by McGlone to end the Mary season.
Despite a 6-for-23 effort behind the line, the Marauders shot 46.2 percent for the game. Mary held WSU – the leading NSIC team in field goal percentage and 3-point shooting percentage – to 6-of-17 behind the arc and 43.5 percent overall.
Mary falls to 15-16 with the loss. WSU is 21-8.
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