ST. PAUL, MN – Playing on the road for the first time in a month, a trio of double digit scorers wasn't enough for the Marauders to keep pace with the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears. Tied at intermission, a hot-shooting Golden Bears squad pulled away in the final 20 minutes to edge the Marauders 79-65 in Northern Sun action.
 
Matthew Kreklow led the Marauders (7-6 overall, 2-5 NSIC) with 16 points and six rebounds, but his string of double doubles was snapped at five. He hit half of his dozen field goal attempts, went 4-of-6 at the line and made two steals. Jaylan White added 11 points and three assists and Connor Hellebust hit a pair of treys on his way to a 10-point game.
 
The Golden Bears (4-7, 2-5) also had a trio of double digit scorers. Lee Higgins hit all four of his trey attempts, grabbed eight rebounds and scored a game-high 20 points. Cody Carlson knocked down 5-of-7 shots behind the arc and scored 17 points. Jordan Coblin dished nine assists and scored 12 points.
 
On a night that featured 12 lead changes and six ties, the two teams were knotted at 34-34 at the half.
 
UMary twice took the lead early in the second half on baskets by Kreklow before a Carlson 3-pointer ignited a 9-0 run for Concordia-St. Paul to give the Golden Bears a lead they never relinquished. UMary closed within four points at 47-43 on a White basket but could never close within a single possession against a Concordia offense that proved too efficient.
 
The top scoring defense in the NSIC, the Marauders were unable to slow the Golden Bears attack in the second half. Concordia-St. Paul knocked down 7-of-11 trey attempts and shot 61 percent from the field in the second half. For the game the home team went 11-of-22 behind the arc and shot 52.5 percent for the game.
 
UMary made just 38.8 percent of its shots, including a 6-of-21 effort on treys. The Marauders did hold a big edge at the free throw line, making 21-of-26 while the Golden Bears finished 6-of-8.
 
The Marauders close out the weekend at Minnesota State University on Saturday, Jan. 4. Game time is 5:30 pm.
 
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