BEMIDJI, MN – It took overtime but the University of Mary men's basketball team earned their first weekend sweep of the season, downing Bemidji State University 88-80.
Keith Hunter led the Marauders with 29 points and 13 rebounds.
Behind Hunter and
Trevor Zacher, the Marauders dominated the overtime session. Zacher scored nine points and Hunter five as UMary never trailed in bonus time.
After a Zacher layup to start overtime and a pair of Derek Thompson free throws for BSU evened the game at 74-74, the Marauders ripped off seven straight points. Zacher and Hunter both hit a pair of free throws to start the run and Zacher capped the outburst with a 3-pointer. After BSU pulled within 81-77, the Marauders responded with points on each of their next four possessions to hold the Beavers at bay.
In response to a Bemidji State layup, senior
Michael Gorder took a feed from
Matthew Kreklow and hit a layup with 58 seconds remaining. After a BSU miss and a Zacher rebound, UMary's senior forward hit two free throws. Another BSU miss led to a Hunter rebound and a pair of free throws for the UMary senior guard, extending the Marauders lead to an insurmountable ten points at 87-77. It was the largest advantage of the day for UMary.
A close game throughout, UMary trailed 44-39 at intermission. The Beavers built a ten- point advantage early in the third but a 14-2 run gave the lead to the Marauders. A
Wyatt Carr 3-pointer evened the score before Gorder's layup off a
Jaylan White feed pushed UMary in front 57-55.
Both teams struggled for points in the last 2:18 of regulation as each team traded a single free throw to push the game into overtime.
With 29 points, Hunter missed his career high by a single point. He was 9-of-18 from the field, made 3-of-7 treys and hit 8-of-10 free throws. Hunter's career-high 13 rebounds gives him his first double double for UMary.
Zacher added 16 points and seven rebounds, making all four of his free throws.
Jaylan White added 11 points and seven rebounds. Kreklow made 5-of-7 shots and scored 10 points. He also had six boards. Carr drained two treys and scored six points off the bench.
Bemidji State had five of their seven players reach double figures in points, led by Sharif Black with 24. Jai'Vionne Green added 16 and Thompson 15.
Both teams knocked down 11 treys in the game and shot 44 percent from the floor. The biggest difference is the Marauders (5-13 overall, 3-11 NSIC) went 17-of-21 at the free throw line (9-of-10 in overtime) and the Beavers (8-11, 5-9) finished 7-of-11.
The Marauders now return home for Alumni Weekend when UMary hosts Upper Iowa and Winona State on January 26-27.
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