BISMARCK, ND –Following a tightly contested first half, the University of Mary men's basketball team couldn't keep pace with a hot-shooting Northern State University in the second half of a 90-74 Marauders loss in the Northern Sun opener.
 
Zyon Smith led a strong effort by the Marauders from behind the arc as the senior guard sank four treys in five attempts. Overall the Marauders finished 9-of-16 on 3-pointers. Smith led UMary with 16 points. The senior guard also had five rebounds.
 
Alex Mattes splashed a pair of treys as he finished 2-for-4 from deep. The freshman also hit both free throws and finished with eight points.
 
Gerald Gittens had another strong offensive effort for UMary, scoring 13 points and dishing four assists. He also grabbed six rebounds. Xavier Lewis gave the Marauders three players in double figures. The sophomore forward scored 12 points and added six rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Brock Heffner added nine points and seven rebounds.
 
Jacksen Moni led the Wolves with 31 points and six assists. Josh Dilling hit all five of his trey attempts and scored 19 points. Augustin Reede also had five treys and scored 15 points.
 
Down 6-0 early, the Marauders went on a 14-0 run featuring four points from Heffner and a pair of treys by Zyon Smith to give UMary a 14-6 lead. Neither team could gain the upper hand and the Marauders went into intermission leading 35-33.
 
The Wolves caught fire in the second half, making 20-of-28 shots overall and going 10-of-15 behind the arc.
 
The Marauders held a 35-27 edge on the boards and went 15-of-22 at the free throw line.
 
UMary next heads to Aberdeen, SD, for the Dakotah Bank Classic hosted by Northern State on November 24-25, in Wachs Arena. The Marauders first face Trinity Bible College a 5:30 pm on Friday, November 24. A busy week wraps up on Saturday November 25, with a matchup against Peru State College at 1 pm. 
 
#marauders#