BISMARCK, ND – The last time the University of Mary men's basketball team played at home, the Marauders overcame a late deficit in a win over the University of Minnesota Duluth. Four weeks later, UMary found itself in similar circumstances but couldn't find the same late-game magic in a 66-61 loss to visiting Concordia-St. Paul.
Down by as many as a dozen points in the opening session and trailing 31-21 at intermission,
Tom Kubank sparked an early run in the second half. The senior forward hit a pair of treys and scored ten of the Marauders first 13 points in the second half as UMary closed within a point at 36-35.
Staying within five points of Concordia, treys by
Wyatt Carr and
Jaylan White gave UMary its first lead of the second half at 50-49 that sparked a series of lead changes. Over the next five minutes, the lead changed hands nine times, the last on an Isaiah McKay three-pointer to give the Golden Bears a 62-60 lead with 1:49 to play.
The Marauders (6-7 overall, 3-4 NSIC) climbed within 62-61 on a White free throw with a minute on the clock but Concordia (6-7 overall, 1-6 NSIC) hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 22 seconds to hold off UMary.
Kubank led the Marauders with 16 points, hitting on 3-of-7 attempts behind the arc and adding five rebounds.
White also hit three treys and scored 12 points, all in the final seven minutes of play. The junior guard scored 11 straight points for the Marauders down the stretch and provided UMary a lead four different times. White also dished four assists and had a pair of steals.
Dennis Austin III added 11 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Marauders.
Wyatt Carr came off the bench and hit a pair of threes and scored eight points.
Matthew Kreklow added six points, four rebounds and three blocks.
McKay led the Golden Bears with 23 points, hitting 4-of-7 behind the arc. Cody Carlson posted 19 points and Bryndan Matthews had 12 with four assists.
The Marauders shot just 38.2 percent for the game, hitting 8-of-29 trey attempts. At the line UMary converted 11 of 21 attempts. While +6 in turnovers, the Marauders were a -5 in rebounds.
The Golden Bears converted 48 percent of their shots – including a 6-for-20 effort on 3s – and was 12-of-15 at the line.
The Marauders finish off the home weekend with a visit from Minnesota State University on Saturday, Jan. 5, at 5:30 pm.
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