ST. CLOUD, MN – Looking for a weekend sweep after an incredible two-point triple overtime win the night before, the visiting University of Mary men's basketball team came up just short of upsetting St. Cloud State University. Facing the preseason favorite in the Northern Sun, the Marauders fell just short of the Huskies 60-58 as a shot at the buzzer rimmed out.
Matthew Kreklow keyed the offensive attack for the Marauders, posting a team-high 19 points. He just missed a double double with nine rebounds and added three assists. The sophomore post player made 8-of-13 shots from the floor and all three free throws.
No other UMary player hit double figures.
Jaylan White, who scored the winning basket in the closing seconds of the 100-98 win at Minnesota Duluth on Friday, finished with eight points, two assists and two steals.
Dennis Austin III had nine points and
Connor Hellebust six.
Defensively the Marauders (7-9 overall, 4-6 NSIC) held one of the top scoring teams in the NSIC to more than 20 points below their scoring average. The Huskies made just 40 percent of their shots, including a 7-for-25 effort behind the arc. The Marauders battled on the boards all night, trailing the Huskies just 34-33 in rebounding and limiting SCSU to only five second chance points while posting eight of their own. The Marauders also held a 16-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
UMary shot 45.1 percent on the night and made 7-of-18 three-point attempts.
Gage Davis, the leading scorer in SCSU (12-4, 7-3) and NSIC history, posted a game-high 23 points. Bradley Theisen added 16.
Down 33-30 at intermission, the gap widened to as many as 11 points in the second half before a 12-0 run gave the Marauders the lead at 50-49. Trevor Kaiser and
Evan Anderson started the spurt with a pair of three-pointers before a basket by Austin. A pair of Kreklow finished the run and pushed the Marauders in front.
With the two teams trading leads, UMary went up 56-53 on an Austin basket with 3:49 to play. SCSU turned the table behind a pair of free throws and a Theisen 3-pointer for a 58-56 Huskies lead. Once again, the Marauders turned to Kreklow and the forward delivered, knotting the game with a dunk at 58-58 and 1:45 to play.
Looking to their All-American to win the game, Davis hit a jumper on the Huskies next possession with 1:26 remaining for what proved the winning basket. Facing a stifling defense from SCSU, the Marauders couldn't hit a shot on their next possession. After getting the ball back with 26 seconds left on a
Tom Kubank defensive rebound, the Marauders managed to get one more shot off in the closing seconds that rimmed out to leave the Marauders just short of a second straight overtime game.
The Marauders continue their four-game road trip with visits to the University of Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State University on January 18-19.
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