SLOW START COSTLY IN UMC GOLDEN EAGLES MEN’S BASKETBALL LOSS TO UNIVERSITY OF MARY

The University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) Golden Eagles Men’s Basketball team was looking for a split this weekend after falling to Minot State University last night. They would have that opportunity today against the University of Mary Marauders in a game at the University of Mary, in Bismarck, North Dakota. UMC started the game shooting ice cold and while they were able to take a second-half lead, the Marauders would end the game on a 17-8 run to secure a 65-60 win.

FIRST HALF –

UMC came out and started the game ice cold, shooting just 2-14 and allowing the University of Mary to get out to a 15-5 lead with 12:17 remaining in the first half. The Golden Eagles baskets were a three from Leonard Dixon (Jr. Damascus, Ore.) and a layup from Ethan Channel (Jr. Beaverton, Ore.). UMC would score five of the next seven points and get a spark off the bench from Jerome Mabry (So. Milwaukee, Wis.) as he would knock down a three making the score 17-10 Marauders. The Marauders would proceed to go on an 8-2 run to open their lead back up before an Uzo Dibiamaka (So, Adelaide, South Australia) jumper made the score 25-14 the University of Mary with 7:12 left in the first half. After the teams traded baskets, The Golden Eagles defense tightened up, allowing them to go on an 8-0 run capped off with an Ethan Channel (Jr. Beaverton, Ore.) layup to make it 27-24 Marauders late in the first half. Zach Westphal (Sr. West Fargo, N.D.) and Dylan Hushaw (So. Las Vegas, NV.) also had scores during the run. The Marauders finally scored after over four minutes of shutout defense from the Golden Eagles, bringing the score to 29-24. UMC responded with a Nathaniel Powell (So. Nottingham, England) dunk, making the score 29-26 in favor of the University of Mary. The Marauders would get one last shot off before the buzzer would sound, and sink it, making the score 31-26 heading into the halftime break. UMC had only 1 turnover in the first half, and were led by Uzo Dibiamaka So, Adelaide, South Australia) with 6 points, as eight different Golden Eagles scored in the first half.

SECOND HALF –

The entire second half was a battle, as the game never got out of reach. UMC came out and started the second half with a 10-3 run, giving themselves their first lead since 3-2 in the first half. The run was highlighted with three scores from Nathaniel Powell (So. Nottingham, England), and a Leonard Dixon (Jr. Damascus, Ore.) layup, making the score 36-34 Golden Eagles with 15:15 remaining in the game. Off a Marauders timeout, the University of Mary would score the next five points before a Leonard Dixon (Jr. Damascus, Ore.) three made the score 39-39 with 13:03 left on the clock. The teams struggled to score the next few minutes, as UMC got a couple of points from the free-throw line, and the Marauders got a few themselves, building a slight advantage and taking a 46-42 lead. The Golden Eagles would proceed to go on a 10-2 run and claim a 52-48 lead with 7:06 left to play. The run featured a layup from Zach Westphal (Sr. West Fargo, N.D.), and back-to-back threes from Leonard Dixon (Jr. Damascus, Ore.), and Ethan Channel (Jr. Beaverton, Ore.). UMC went cold once again, however, and the Marauders took advantage scoring 9 straight before a Zach Westphal (Sr. West Fargo, N.D.) layup made it 57-54 University of Mary with just 3:58 to play. The teams traded three-pointers the next two possessions before a Leonard Dixon (Jr. Damascus, Ore.) dunk made it 60-59 Marauders with under 2 minutes to play. The Golden Eagles comeback attempt would fall short, as the Marauders would score the next five points on their way to a 65-60 victory. UMC was led by Ethan Channel (Jr. Beaverton, Ore.) with 14 points and Leonard Dixon (Jr. Damascus, Ore.) with 13.

UMC drops to 4-9 and 1-6 in NSIC play with the loss and will not play again until 2022. The first game after Christmas break for the Golden Eagles will be against Bemidji State, in a game that will be played in Bemidji on January 2. The Marauders improve to 4-8 and 3-4 in the NSIC with the win.