BISMARCK, ND – It may have taken the latest iteration of the University of Mary men's basketball team a little time to get used to the McDowell Activity Center, but once the Marauders found their groove they made Bortke Court their own. In a truly memorable evening, UMary overcame a 20-point second half deficit to edge Highway 83 rival Minot State University 78-73.
 
Both the UMary home debut and the Northern Sun opener, it was also the first home game for new Marauders head coach Darren Tighe and seven of the ten UMary scholar-athletes who saw action in the game. Only Alex Dvorak, Tamarrein Henderson and Cayden Redfield had previously played for the Marauders at the MAC.
 
With both teams struggling to score early, Minot State posted the first 14 points of the game. Following a long delay late in the first half due to an on-court injury the Marauders started to find their way. A 3-point play and two more free throws by Kelton Coleman, a pair of treys by Jackson Ware and a triple by Noah Thomas closed the UMary gap to 33-26 at intermission.
 
The Beavers opened the second half with a 20-7 run to take a 53-33 lead with 13:59 to play and the 2025 NCAA tournament participant seemed to have the game in hand.
 
Refusing to go quietly, the Marauders instead ramped up their intensity on both ends of the court. With seven different players scoring for UMary, the Marauders went on a 27-7 run to tie the game at 60-60 with 6:27 to play. A steal and slam dunk by Coleman drew the Marauders even.
 
The Beavers briefly regained the lead before a Henderson trey pushed the Marauders back in front at 65-64. A pair of Carson Yale free throws allowed Minot State to move ahead 66-65 before a Coleman putback of his own missed shot moved the Marauders ahead for good at 67-66.
 
Minot State had several chances to retake the lead but missed a trey and two free throws before Coleman hit another layup to push the Marauders advantage to 69-66.
 
Clutch baskets continued to fall for the Marauders. After a Beavers basket cut the visitor's deficit to a point, Redfield took over the game for UMary, scoring the next eight points for the Marauders. First Redfield drained a trey with 1:40 to play. Following two MSU free throws, Redfield drained two free throws of his own to keep the margin at four points. After a UMary turnover turned into a Minot State basket, Redfield drained another trey for a 77-72 lead with 26 seconds to play.
 
Henderson then finished off the win for UMary by hitting a free throw and blocking a Minot State shot in the closing seconds to close off the victory.
 
The first win of the season for UMary, the Marauders improve to 1-3 overall and 1-0 in the Northern Sun. Minot State is 3-2 overall and 0-1 in the NSIC.
 
Coleman led the Marauders in scoring with 16 points, the third time this season he has led UMary in points. He added four rebounds, made all four free throw attempts and added three steals.
 
Thomas added 15 points off the bench, hitting three treys in the game and making two steals. In just 15 minutes of play Redfield added 12 points and made three steals in a reserve role. Ware added ten points, distributed four assists and had two blocks in the game.
 
Henderson chipped in nine points, four rebounds and two blocks. Relja Nagulic led UMary with 11 pints and scored five points. Tshawn Bois added eight boards, two steals and six points.
 
Yale paced the Beavers with 20 points. Isaiah Alexander added 17 and Duece Benjamin had 14.
 
The Marauders depth paid off with a 38-4 edge in bench scoring.
 
Relentless on the offensive glass, the Marauders turned 23 offensive rebounds into a 22-8 edge in second chance points. UMary also committed just 10 turnovers and forced 16, leading to an 11-6 scoring edge in points off turnovers.
 
The Marauders next host the Dakota Challenge on Friday and Saturday, November 28-29. Day one on Friday features Minot State playing Black Hills State University at 2 pm with UMary facing South Dakota Mines at 5 pm. On Friday, Minot State faces South Dakota Mines at 2 pm and the Marauders hosting Black Hills State at 5 pm. Learn more at www.GoUMary.com/DakotaChallenge.
 
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