Box Score (Crookston, Minn.) The University of Minnesota, Crookston Women's Basketball returned to Lysaker Gymnasium this evening to take on the University of Mary. The University of Minnesota, Crookston Golden Eagles came into tonight's game with a conference record of 5-9, facing the Marauders who held a conference record of 11-4. The game was a dual in the first half but Mary caught on fire in the second to take the 72-51 victory.
 
The first half was an even match for both teams. The Golden Eagles stuck tight with the Marauders, matching each point on just about every scoring drive. The Golden Eagles took advantage of their free throws, sinking eight out of their nine tries at the line. At the end of the half, the Marauders were able to snag a key shot to take the lead by two. The Golden Eagles headed into the half trailing Mary 30-32. The second half held much anticipation for the Golden Eagles, who played exceptionally well in the first half. However, the second half quickly turned sour after the Golden Eagles were outscored by the Marauders 40 to 21 including a 20-4 run by Mary. The Marauders dominated down low scoring 40 points in the paint and used a deep bench to add 32 bench points in the contest.
 
The Golden Eagles were led today by Megan Eul (5-10, Sr, F, Rosemount, Minn.) who tallied a game-high 19 points. She was 6-12 from the field and 7-8 from the free-throw line. She also added two blocks in the game. Carli Bunning (6-0, Jr, F, Boone, Iowa) sported her colors on defense grabbing a team-high eight rebounds and adding two steals and four points. The Golden Eagle defense forced the Marauders into 20 turnover that were turned into 15 UMC points.
 
The University of Mary was led by Kaitlyn Haag who scored 16 points. She was 7-13 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds including four offensive boards. Linda Murray followed Haag with 14 points while Kayla Schmidt and McKenzie Foster finished with 12 and 11 points each. Shaunna Knife led all players with 11 rebounds.
 
Minnesota, Crookston falls to 8-11 on the season and 5-10 in the NSIC. The University of Mary now sits at 15-5 on the season and 12-4 in conference play. The Golden Eagles return to Lysaker Gymnasium tomorrow to take on Northern State University. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at: www.goldeneaglesports.com.   
 
Follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook at Golden Eagle Sports and on Twitter at @UMCAthletics.
 
The University of Minnesota, Crookston is an NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).
 
-30-