MARSHALL, MN – Facing one of the top teams in the region to open the 2018 Northern Sun / Sanford Health men's basketball tournament, visiting University of Mary threw a scare into host Southwest Minnesota State University in a Marauders 78-73 loss to the Mustangs. Ranked fourth in the NCAA Central region and the NSIC South champion, the Mustangs couldn't overtake the Marauders until midway through the second half and never could fully shake UMary.
Making his first career start on his 20
th birthday, redshirt freshman
Connor Hellebust paced UMary with 18 points. He made 6-of-7 shots overall, was 2-for-3 behind the arc, hit all four free throws, grabbed three rebounds and made two steals.
Fellow redshirt freshman
Matthew Kreklow scored 17 points for UMary. He was 7-of-12 from the floor and made both free throws.
Jaylan White added 12 points and six assists while making just one turnover.
Michael Gorder chipped in ten points, six rebounds and three assists while making all five of his shots. It was the third straight game the UMary senior has reached double figures.
Carter Kirk led SMSU with 24 points and 14 rebounds. He also had three blocks. Michael Lee had five treys and scored 18 points. Ryan Bruggeman had 18 points and nine assists.
The Marauders scored the first seven points of the game on a pair of Kreklow layups surrounding a
Trevor Zacher 3-pointer.
A four-point play by Hellebust pushed the Marauders advantage to 30-21 before the Mustangs battled back to grab a 42-40 lead at intermission.
Hellebust started a wild second half by nailing a 3-pointer to regain the lead for the Marauders. With both teams trading baskets, UMary grabbed its last lead of the day at 60-58 on a pair of
Lucas Mayer free throws.
The Mustangs then exploded for a 12-2 run to take a 70-62 lead, capped by a four-point play by Lee. UMary fought back within five but could never make it a single possession game.
UMary closes the season 6-21 overall. SMSU advances to the NSIC quarterfinals and improves to 22-7.
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