BISMARCK, N.D. – MSU Moorhead women's basketball struggled inside the McDowell Activity Center against the University of Mary on Saturday afternoon. The Marauders perplexed the Dragons, 87-54.
A fast-paced first quarter would unfold for both teams as the Marauders jumped out to a 16-10 lead.
Terryn Johnson would lead MSUM with six points early as the Dragons were clearly looking to score down low in the early stages. Mary led 16-12 with just over three minutes remaining as the Dragons scored 10 of their 12 points in the paint. MSUM began the game missing their first four three-point attempts.
The ever-reliable
Ashley Gustavson would drill MSUM's first three-pointer not long after to pull the Dragons closer, 18-15. However, MSUM fell into foul trouble late in the quarter as both Johnson and
Ashley Fritz picked up two fouls. The Marauders would shoot nine free throws in the first 10 minutes and would close the frame on a 7-0 run to lead 25-15.
Natalie Jens and her patented pivot broke an over four-minute scoreless streak for MSUM to begin the second quarter. The Dragons would trail 33-24 near the midway point of the quarter as freshmen
Katelyn Maciej and
Abby Berge would pour in six points. MSUM would have a hard time stopping Mary's three-point looks in the period which kept the Dragons at an arm's length. The Dragons consistently sunk into the lane on dribble drives, which would eventually lead to kickout threes, all of which seemed to connect for the Marauders.
The home team would conclude the first half on a 14-3 run to take a 47-29 lead into the locker room. Mary would make five three-pointers in the first half while shooting 48.5 percent from the floor. Berge and Jens led MSUM with six points each, but the Dragons shot just one of eight from three and six of 12 from the free throw line in the half. The Marauders also forced 11 Dragon turnovers through 20 minutes.
Mary would only continue their efficient scoring in the second half, stretching out a 10-0 run to lead 57-32. The Dragons would shoot just two of nine through six minutes of play in the third quarter. Mary would lead 70-35 after three quarters and had outscored the Dragons 37-11 since the 3:43 mark of the second period.
MSUM would continue to compete in the fourth quarter, but the Mary lead proved far too much to overcome. The Dragons and Marauders would each score 17 points in the final period with Mary claiming an 87-54 win.
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MSUM (9-14, 9-9 NSIC) will conclude the home portion of the regular season next week against Wayne State and Augustana. The final homestand begins against the Wildcats on Friday beginning at 5:30 p.m.
