MARSHALL, MN – The University of Mary women's basketball team jumped out to a big lead early but Southwest Minnesota State slowly chipped away at that lead until they took down the Marauders by a score of 64-62. A combined 48 points by Bohl and Askvig couldn't propel the Marauders past the Mustangs.
With the loss the Marauders fall to 10-5 overall and 8-4 in the NSIC. SMSU improved to 8-9 overall and 5-7 in the conference.
UMary jumped out to a 20-4 lead early thanks to 10 points from both Askvig and Bohl. The 16 point lead in the first quarter was the largest the Marauders held all game. SMSU began to chip away at the lead for the remainder of the game, trailing by only six at the intermission.
The Marauders regained a ten point lead at the 6:11 mark in the third quarter but a 12-0 run by the Mustangs gave SMSU their first lead of the ball game. SMSU never gave the lead back, working their way up to as big as a ten point lead with just over five minutes left in the ball game.
The Marauders rallied together an 11-2 run late in the ball game to get themselves within just one point. UMary trailed by two with just eight seconds left and the ball. The Marauders would get a good look to send the game to overtime but could not convert and fell in a heartbreaker to the Mustangs.
Cassie Askvig had a big game posting a career high of 29 points. She added six rebounds and two assists to her stat line. The junior shot 67 percent from behind the arc, 64 percent from the field, and 100 percent from the charity stripe.
Gabbie Bohl posted her eighth double-double of the season, recording 19 points and 13 rebounds. Bohl added three steals and a block on the game.
25 turnovers by the Marauders led to 24 points for the Mustangs which proved to be a huge factor in the ball game.
The usually clutch shooting Marauders struggled from deep in the second half only converting on one of their seven attempts. Despite the struggles, UMary still shot a higher percentage from the field, from deep, and from the charity stripe compared to their competition.
The Marauders will look to bounce back as they return home for a four game home stand. UMary will host Minnesota Crookston on Friday, January 25 at 5:30 PM. They will follow that up with a game against Bemidji State on Saturday, January 26 at 3:30 PM.
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