BISMARCK, ND – A relentless effort on both ends of the court by Lucas Mayer willed the University of Mary men's basketball team to an 84-77 overtime victory over visiting University of Minnesota Crookston. From blocking a shot at the buzzer to force overtime to delivering the assist on the winning basket, the senior froward from Bismarck, ND, was seemingly involved in every big play for the Marauders in the final minutes of play.
 
Mayer finished the game with 18 points, a career-high 16 rebounds and three blocks. He made half his 10 shots from the floor and was 8-for-10 at the line.
 
Facing a resilient Golden Eagles team, UMC overcame a 15-point deficit to claim a 68-67 lead on a Chandler Meeks basket with 3:35 to play. After a Kam Warrens basket regained the lead for UMary, another Meeks basket pushed the visitor back in front by one.
 
Drawing a foul after rebounding his own miss, Mayer hit a free throw to knot the game 70-70 with 1:44 to play. A defensive stop and a made trey for freshman Jeremiah Jones with 55 seconds left earned the Marauders a 73-70 lead. In response, Rambo Badyal drained a game-tying three for UMC with 42 seconds on the clock.
 
Going back to the hot hand, Jones just missed on a 3-ball with UMC claiming the board. With the Golden Eagles playing for the final shot, Badyal drove the left baseline but Mayer held his ground and swatted away the layup attempt to force overtime.
 
The Golden Eagles scored the first two baskets in the extra session before the Marauders stormed back. Warrens started an 11 point run with a basket in the paint. After a defensive stop, Mayer kicked the ball from the paint out to Mattern in front of the Marauders bench. Mattern, like Mayer a Bismarck Century High School graduate, drained the corner trey to give UMary a 78-77 lead with 1:55 to play.
 
Another defensive stop and Mayer's sixth offensive rebound of the game led to a pair of made free throws for Mayer with 68 seconds left increased the UMary advantage to 80-77. A Warrens hoop and free throws by both Jones and Mayer concluded the run as the Marauders held the Golden Eagles scoreless the final 3:12 of the game.
 
Both teams were highly efficient offensively in the first half, leading to a Marauders 49-42 lead at intermission. Zyon Smith scored 12 points for the Marauders and Mattern added 10 as UMary shot 56.3% in the first 20 minutes, including a 7-for-13 effort behind the arc. The Golden Eagles kept pace, making 53.% of their shots overall with a 6-for-10 mark on 3s.
 
Down 8-4 to start the game, Warrens capped a 13-2 run with a trey to give UMary a 17-10 lead. The Marauders advantage eventually grew to as many as 13 points before the Golden Eagles pulled within seven points on a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.
 
The Marauders came out gunning to start the second half. A Mayer layup was followed by back-to-back treys from Mattern and Warrens. An emphatic dunk by Ty Rogers, who was making his first collegiate start, pushed the Marauders lead to 59-44, UMary's largest advantage to that point in the game.
 
Refusing to fade away after earning their first Northern Sun win in their last outing, the Golden Eagles climbed within seven points at 61-54 on a Blaize Sagna layup before eventually claiming their first lead since the opening minutes of the game.
 
Mattern finished with 16 points, one of five Marauders in double figures. He was 4-of-7 behind the arc and added three boards and three assists. Smith posted all 12 of his points in the opening half and chipped in four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Warrens finished with 13 points and six boards. Jones provided a spark off the bench with 11 points and seven rebounds. The freshman drained a pair of treys and had three assists.
 
Two other freshmen also played key roles in the win. Rogers finished with five points and four rebounds. Xavier Lewis came off the bench to score nine points as he hit all three of his shots from the floor and went 3-for-4 at the line.
 
Sagna finished with 25 points for UMC on a 4-for-5 effort on 3s. Badyal had 17 points off the bench.
 
UMary (12-10 overall/7-10 NSIC) shot 40.8% for the game, including an 11-for-30 effort behind the arc, and made 15-of-22 free throws. UMC (2-21 overall/1-16 NSIC) finished at 42.9% overall (8-for-28 on treys) and was 9-of-10 at the line.
 
Led by Mayer's efforts on the boards, the Marauders held a massive 48-33 edge in rebounds.

The victory is the Marauders third in four games. 
 
The Marauders wrap up their final home Northern Sun weekend doubleheader of the season when UMary hosts Bemidji State University on Saturday, February 4. Tip off is slated for 3:30 pm at the McDowell Activity Center.
 
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