BISMARCK, ND – Behind a barrage of treys and drives to the basket, the University of Mary men's basketball team pushed the nation's second-ranked team to the limit. The Marauders hit 11 3-pointers and held the lead in the last four minutes of play before a late rally carried visiting #2 Northern State University to an 83-76 win over UMary.
 
Wyatt Carr sparked the Marauders early run. The senior forward dropped three treys inside the first six minutes of play as UMary claimed an early 18-9 lead. Four of the Marauders first six baskets came from behind the arc and UMary finished 7-of-10 on 3s in the first half.
 
A 10-2 run late in the first half featuring points from four different players, including five from Matthew Johnson, pushed the Marauders advantage to 29-18. The 11-point lead was the largest of the game for UMary.
 
Leading 39-34 at half after a late push by Northern State, the Marauders held their advantage until Mason Stark tied the game at 57-57 midway through the second half.
 
The Wolves used their momentum to build a 5-point bulge but couldn't shake the Marauders. UMary battled back to regain the lead at 73-71 on a Matthew Kreklow layup with under four minutes to play, but the advantage proved short-lived.
 
After a trey from Andrew Kallman to give the lead back to the Wolves, Kreklow hit a free throw to pull the Marauders even at 74-74 with 2:42 to go.
 
The Wolves soon found another gear, hitting back-to-back treys and connecting on a 3-point play to run off nine straight points to take control of the game and sidetrack the Marauders hopes for an upset.
 
Trever Kaiser led the Marauders in scoring for the eighth time this season. The junior guard posted 16 points on the night. He added six rebounds and five assists.
 
Carr posted 15 points, hitting on 3-of-6 treys and both free throws. He also pulled down six boards.
 
Johnson finished 3-of-5 behind the arc and scored 13 points. In his second career start the redshirt freshman dished a team-best six assists. Kreklow added 10 points, four rebounds and four assists.
 
Lucas Mayer and Kade Amundson played big roles off the bench for UMary as the Marauders reserves held a 17-2 edge in points over the Wolves. Mayer was 3-for-4 from the floor and scored seven points plus blocked a pair of shots and chipped in two assists. Amundson connected on both his trey attempts late in the first half to ensure the Marauders led at intermission. He finished with six points.
 
Parker Fox led the Wolves with 30 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Stark added 17 points and seven assists and Kallman chipped in 16 points on four treys and dropped eight assists.
 
Facing one of the nation's toughest defenses, the Marauders shot 46.6% for the game, including an 11-for-21 effort on treys. The Wolves connected on 56.5% of their shots – including 64.5% in the second half – and were 8-for-15 on treys.
 
UMary fought Northern State to a 33-33 draw on rebounds but the Wolves held a 50-26 advantage on points in the paint.
 
The Marauders (4-7 overall, 4-5 NSIC North) and the Wolves (11-0, 9-0) complete their weekend series at 4 pm on Saturday, Feb. 6, at the McDowell Activity Center.
 
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