BISMARCK, ND – On a night where every shot seemed contested and baskets were hard to find, the University of Mary scored the final 11 points of the game to rally past visiting Southwest Minnesota State University 62-57.
Gertautas Urbonavicius posted a double double,
Treyton Mattern scored two clutch hoops during the Marauders final run and
Jeremiah Jones halted back to back possessions for the Mustangs in the closing minute with clutch defensive plays in the UMary win.
UMary trailed SMSU the vast majority of a game that featured just two lead changes and seven ties. The Marauders used a three-point play by
Veljko Radakovic in the final minute of the first half to tie the game at 30-30. SMSU would hit a free throw and enter intermission leading 31-30.
UMary kept SMSU in check much of the second half before the Mustangs ground out an 8-point advantage at 44-36. The Marauders closed the gap to 46-45 on a
Lucas Mayer 3-point play. Eventually SMSU rebuilt its advantage to 57-51 when Cliff McCray scored on a layup with just over five minutes remaining in the game. It later proved to be the Mustangs final basketball of the game.
Coming out of the last media time out for the night, the Marauders took over both ends of the court.
Taking advantage of a Mustangs turnover,
Kam Warrens ignited the Marauders rally with a layup. Following a defensive rebound by Mattern, Urbonavicius drained a trey at 3:21 to close the gap to 57-56.
With the Marauders defensive pressure amped up, UMary forced SMSU into a shot clock violation.
Placing the ball in Mattern's hands, the sophomore guard from Bismarck, ND, made an acrobatic shot from the key while falling to the floor to give UMary a lead at 58-57, the first time the Marauders held the advantage since taking a 5-2 lead in the opening moments of the night.
Following a pair of empty possessions for both teams, Jones stepped in front of a Mustangs pass for the steal. Moments later Mattern drained a three with 59 seconds to play for a 61-57 UMary.
Now with the Mustangs desperate to score, Jones blocked a shot and snared the rebound to end another SMSU possession. Following another possession for each side, Urbonavicius finally sealed the Marauders win with a free throw for a 62-57 lead with 28 seconds left. Mattern followed with another UMary steal to close out the Marauders second straight victory.
Urbonavicius finished the game with 16 points and ten rebounds to lead UMary in both categories. He was 4-for-5 from the arc and has made eight of his last nine 3-point attempts over two games. The junior forward also added three assists.
Mattern reached double figures in scoring for the eighth straight game, closing the night with 11 points. He chipped in five rebounds and two steals.
Zyon Smith checked in with 11 points and two assists. Mayer finished with seven points, four rebounds and five assists.
Jones came off the bench to post seven points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Jake Phipps led SMSU with 22 points and six rebounds. Dunwa Omot added 10 points.
While SMSU shot 48.1% for the game, the Mustangs made just 4-of-13 from behind the arc. UMary shot 43.6% from the floor, including a solid 8-for-19 effort on 3s.
The Marauders biggest advantage of the night came on the glass with a 37-25 edge in rebounds. A 15-5 edge in offensive boards led to a 14-8 advantage for UMary in second chance points.
UMary improves to 8-5 overall and 4-5 in the Northern Sun. SMSU falls to 9-5 and 5-4. The Marauders victory is the fifth all-time against the Mustangs in 21 meetings.
The Marauders close out the weekend with a visit from the University of Sioux Falls on Saturday, January 7. Game time is 5:30 pm at the McDowell Activity Center.
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