FAYETTE, IA – Facing one of the top offensive teams in the Northern Sun in the opening round of the conference tournament, the University of Mary men's basketball team matched Upper Iowa University points for point in the first half. Unable to match the Peacocks torrid scoring pace in the second half, the Marauders season came to a close with an 80-64 road loss at Upper Iowa on a record-setting night for Matthew Kreklow.
 
Already the Marauders career leader in blocked shots, Kreklow swatted away three Peacocks scoring attempts to set a new UMary NCAA-era single-season school record with 55. The previous blocked shots mark was 54, set by Damon Smith in the 2011-12 season.
 
Kreklow led the Marauders in points, posting 12. Limited to just eight shots, the junior post made five, along with both free throw attempts. He also added six rebounds and two assists.
 
Jaylan White, playing in his final game with the Marauders, added 10 points, five assists and two steals. The senior guard, who has earned All-NSIC and NSIC all-academic honors in his UMary career, finishes with 1,064 points and 336 assists. He is one of only four UMary players to reach 1,000 points and 300 assists. White ranks fifth all-time in assists and 17^th in scoring.  
 
Wyatt Carr posted nine points and five rebounds.  Trever Kaiser came off the bench to hit three treys in four attempts, scoring nine points on the night.
 
In a free-wheeling first half, the largest lead was six points by the Peacocks. Behind a late run UMary took a 38-36 lead on a Kaiser trey before both teams entered intermission deadlocked at 38-38.

The Marauders hung close in the opening minutes of the second half before a 15-4 Peacocks run gave Upper Iowa a 57-45 lead. Refusing to go away, a 10-3 run featuring treys from Glenn Jordan and Justin Engg, plus a fast break basket from Jordan, pulled the Marauders within 60-55.
 
After another trey by Carr kept UMary within five points with just over six minutes on the clock, the Peacocks created some permanent separation by attacking the Marauders basket. Upper Iowa sealed the victory behind a 15-3 run, building a 78-61 lead with just under three minutes left in the game.
 
The Marauders hit 50 percent of their shots in the first half but connected on just 33 percent in the second, finishing at 42.6 percent for the game. The Peacocks made 57 percent of their attempts in the second half and finished at 51.5 percent for the game. While UMary held a 7-5 edge in made 3s and outscored Upper Iowa 11-7 at the free throw line, the Peacocks held a 40-22 scoring edge in the paint and finished +9 in turnovers.
 
UMary closes the season 12-17 overall. Upper Iowa, which finished third overall in the NSIC, is 19-10 overall and advances to the conference tournament quarterfinals.
 
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