SIOUX FALLS, SD – Time ran out on the University of Mary's rally hopes in an 80-74 loss at the University of Sioux Falls in Northern Sun men's basketball.
Jeremiah Jones broke the UMary NCAA-era mark for steals with eight and
Kevin McGaskey led all players with 22 points as the Marauders trimmed an 18-point deficit down to five in the final two minutes of play.
UMary (4-16 overall / 2-9 NSIC) grabbed an early 12-8 lead as five different players scored for the Marauders. Sioux Falls (10-7 / 6-5) responded with a 21-0 run and eventually claimed an 18-point advantage. The Marauders battled back to close within 46-35 at intermission, keyed by 12 points from Jones at the halfway point.
The Marauders outscored the Cougars 39-34 in the second half but could never completely catch up. Down 68-52, McGaskey scored eight points and
Xavier Lewis scored the final four to key an 18-7 run, pulling UMary within 75-70 with 1:40 remaining in the game. The Cougars proceeded to make four straight free throws and 5-of-6 to seal the win for the home team.
The 22 points by McGaskey is a season-high for the grad transfer from Prairie View A&M in his first season with the Marauders. The guard also chipped in two assists, three steals and three rebounds.
One of the nation's leaders in steals, Jones pilfered the ball from the Cougars eight times. He also had a team-best eight rebounds in addition to scoring 15 points.
The previous UMary NCAA mark for steals was seven by Cameron Lee in a 63-49 Marauders win at Augustana on December 4, 2009.
Lewis paired eight points with five rebounds.
Creighton Morisch paced the Cougars with 19 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. He also blocked two shots and hit 8-of-10 shots from the field.
The Marauders committed just six turnovers in the game while forcing the Cougars into 17. USF connected on 55.4% of its shots while UMary made 38.2%. Both squads went 8-of-19 from behind the arc.
UMary wraps up a second straight weekend on the road at #22 Southwest Minnesota State University on Saturday, January 18. Tipoff from Marshall, MN, is 3:30 pm.
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