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BULLDOGS LET LEAD SLIP AWAY; FALL TO MARAUDERS 80-77 IN OVERTIME

Saturday, January 17, 2009

With the scoreboard reading 43-23 in favor of the University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball team with just 19 minutes to go, the University of Mary faithful were ready to finish their popcorn, put on their jackets and start up their cars.

But then, things suddenly changed.

Within those last 19 minutes, the Marauders mounted an eye-popping comeback, as they knocked off the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference-leading Bulldogs 80-77 in overtime before a stunned crowd of 1,289 fans at the McDowell Activity Center in Bismarck, N.D.

With just seconds remaining on the clock and a handful of Bulldog defenders all over him, Mary guard Jason West nailed a long-range 3-pointer as time expired to send the contest into overtime. In the extra frame, the Marauders outscored UMD 14-11 en route to the conference win.

The game started off quick, as each squad went back-and-fourth with each other for the first 10 minutes; however, during the last half of the frame, the Bulldogs (13-6 overall; 7-2 NSIC) used a 19-6 run to open up a 39-23 advantage at recess.

After the break, UMD sank the first two buckets for a 20-point advantage; but after that, it was all Mary (4-11; 2-6), as the Marauders - who have won just two games in the NSIC this season - outscored the Bulldogs 43-27 throughout the half to win the affair and shock the maroon and gold.

UMD - whose season-high five-game winning-streak was snapped - was paced by their senior center John Vaudreuil, as the big man racked up a game-high 21 points, while the captain snagged four rebounds. The native of Bloomington, Minn. also shot a stellar 53.4 percent, as he knocked down seven of his 13 attempts from both the field and charity stripe on the night.

Bulldog junior forward Brian Sykora also tallied a game-leading 14 rebounds and scored 13 points in the loss, while the captain buried three of his four free-throws (75 percent), blocked a shot and dispatched an assist on the evening.

Fellow UMD juniors Jordan Schade and Ron White also had stellar performances, as Schade sank a game-high four of his five shots from downtown (80 percent), en route to recording 13 points, handing out four assists and snagging three rebounds, while White totaled 12 points, six boards and five helpers in the loss.

In total, the Bulldogs ended hitting 27 of their 59 field goals (46 percent), eight of their 17 shots from behind the arc (47 percent) and just 15 of their 28 attempts from the charity stripe (54 percent) on the night.

UMD will be back on the hardwood tomorrow night, Saturday, Jan. 17, as they are set to have another NSIC clash, when they collide with Northern State University (12-3; 5-3) - a club they lost to 63-59 earlier this season - at 8:00 p.m. in Aberdeen, S.D.

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