MELBOURNE, FL – A balanced attack and another dominant performance on the boards carried the University of Mary to an 81-62 victory over the University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon to win the Florida Tech Thanksgiving Tournament championship. The win is the fourth straight to start the season for the Marauders, the best start to a season for UMary since opening the 2010-11 season with five consecutive victories.
The Marauders return home with a pair of double digit wins from their excursion to the Sunshine State after opening up the Florida Tech Thanksgiving Tournament with a 72-56 victory over Trevecca Nazarene University on Friday.
Lucas Mayer led UMary with 17 points, one of five Marauders in double digits. The senior forward knocked down 7-of-11 shots from the floor and hit 3-of-4 free throws to help the Marauders outscore the Vaqueros 32-24 in the paint. Mayer also had six rebounds.
Gertautas Urbonavicius posted 12 points and snared 11 rebounds for UMary, scoring in double figures for a second straight game.
Zyon Smith hit three treys and posted 11 points.
Treyton Mattern had 10 points and five rebounds.
Kam Warrens chipped in nine points and four assists.
Jeremiah Jones had another impressive effort off the bench for the Marauders, posting his second double double of the week. The freshman guard had 11 points in the game, making 3-of-4 shots and all four free throws, and hauled down 10 rebounds. He also dished a game-high seven assists.
The Marauders held a massive 46-22 edge in rebounding. The Vaqueros was also limited to 33.9% shooting on the day. UMary connected on 48.2% of its shots on the day.
Using a similar formula to defeating the Trojans on Friday, the Marauders blew the game open later in the first half. Holding a 23-19 lead, Smith nailed a trey with just under eight minutes remaining in the period to start a 13-0 run that featured points by six different players and ended on back-to-back 3s from Mattern and Jones.
Leading 37-21, the Marauders saw their lead reduced to seven as a the Vaqueros opened the second half on a 9-0 run. Back-to-back baskets by Warrens returned the Marauders double digit lead.
The Marauders soon followed with a 15-6 run that included seven points from Mayer to take a 60-42 lead and secure the win.
UMary returns to action at Northern State University on Thursday, December 1, in a Nortern Sun contest starting at 7:30 pm. The Marauders then host MSU Moorhead on Saturday, December 3, at 4 pm, to start a 4-game home stand.
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