BEMIDJI, MN – Last-second heroics by
Connor Hellebust and
Matthew Kreklow carried the visiting University of Mary to a 78-77 victory over Bemidji State University. Down four in the final minute of play, Hellebust drilled a three-pointer to pull the Marauders within a point before Kreklow slammed home the winning basket with 1.5 seconds left to play to stun the Beavers.
Leading by ten points in the first half and playing out in front for much of the second, UMary found itself trailing 77-73 following a Lucas Bader free throw for BSU with 1:22 left in the game. It was the Beavers largest lead of the game.
The Marauders immediately responded. With the shot clock starting to wind down,
Jaylan White penetrated the paint and kicked the ball back to a wide-open Hellebust on the left wing. The junior drained the shot with 59 seconds remaining to close UMary's gap to 77-76. Following defensive stops by both teams and failed free throws,
Wyatt Carr hauled down a BSU missed free throw with 11 seconds left in the game to give the Marauders a shot at victory.
With the Marauders working on the perimeter, Kreklow found himself free in the middle of the lane with no defender in sight. Immediately, White whipped the ball inside to Kreklow for a game-winning slam dunk by the junior center with 1.5 seconds left in the game.
The victory propels UMary (10-10 overall, 5-9 Northern Sun) into a three-way tie for fifth place in the NSIC North, along with Bemidji State (8-10, 5-9) and Minnesota Crookston. The Marauders host both the Beavers and the Golden Eagles at home later this season. The top four teams in the NSIC North will host a home game in the opening round of the league tournament.
Hellebust posted a career-high 22 points in the win for the Marauders. He hit three treys and finished 7-of-9 from the floor. The junior also hauled down five rebounds.
Trever Kaiser provided a big spark off the bench, draining all three of his trey attempts and scoring 11 points in the game. Also in a reserve role,
Josh Sipes knocked down both his attempts behind the arc and chipped in eight points. UMary held a 28-9 edge in scoring off the bench.
Wyatt Carr scored nine for the Marauders and added five rebounds. Kreklow had eight points and six rebounds. White posted six points, four assists and two steals.
Nick Wagner led BSU with 23 points, hitting four treys. Bader added four 3s and scored 15 points, adding three assists and eight boards.
One night after connecting for just three treys at UMC, the Marauders knocked down 11 against the Beavers. UMary hit a crisp 54.9 percent of its shots overall but struggled at the line, finishing 11-of-19. BSU also shot the ball well, making 10-of-19 behind the arc and shooting 57.4 percent overall while making 13-of-18 free throws.
The Marauders four-game road trip wraps up next weekend with a visit to Wayne State College on January 31 and Augustana on February 1.
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