BISMARCK, ND – A strong start propelled the University of Mary women's basketball team (12-8, 9-7 NSIC) to an impressive 78-66 home victory over the University of Minnesota Crookston (7-15, 5-11 NSIC).

Bergan Kinnebrew led the way for the Marauders with 18 points, three rebounds and two assists. Emily Jaenke dropped 15 points, hitting five threes off the bench.

Moriku Hakim just missed out on a double-double, recording nine points and 11 rebounds. Ryleigh Wacha posted eight points, seven rebounds and two steals in 15 minutes of action.

Cassie Erickson scored a career-high six points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from the field. Anna Lenzen had seven points and three steals.

UMary came out on fire in the first quarter, outscoring UMC 27-11. The Marauders dominated the glass in the quarter, scoring 12 second-chance points. UMary held the Golden Eagles to just seven points in the second quarter to take a 40-18 lead going into halftime. UMC shot 5-of-28 in the first half.

The Marauders continued their strong play in the third quarter, extending their lead to 60-25. The lead ballooned to as much as 30 in the fourth quarter before a strong late run by the Golden Eagles made the final score 78-66.

The Marauders shot 27-of-70 (38.6%) from the floor and 10-of-35 (28.6%) from behind the arc, while the Golden Eagles went 19-of-56 (33.9%) from the floor and 9-of-22 (40.9%) from three.

UMary shot 14-of-21 (66.7%) from the free-throw line, while UMC went 19-of-22 (86.4%) from the charity stripe. The Marauders dominated the glass, outrebounding the Golden Eagles 51-34.

UMary stays home to host St. Cloud State University at the McDowell Activity Center on Wednesday, February 5, at 7:30 pm.

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