The Wayne State basketball teams both played some extra basketball Friday as the teams split matchups with University of Mary Friday at Rice Auditorium.
In the women’s game, Lauren Rotunda from the University of Mary drained two free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining in overtime to give the visiting Marauders an 83-81 overtime win the Wildcats.
over Wayne State.
The first half was a low-scoring contest between the two clubs with the game tied 13-13 after one quarter. Mary used a 15-9 advantage in the second quarter to take a 28-22 lead at intermission. Wayne State (14-7, 9-6 NSIC) made just 8-of-34 shots from the field for 23.5 percent in the opening half.
The tempo of the game picked up in the third quarter as both teams improved their shooting. Wayne State went 4 of 7 behind the arc and 9-for-19 overall in the third quarter, holding a 26-22 scoring advantage to cut the lead to 50-48 entering the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats took their first lead of the second half on the opening basket of the fourth quarter, a 3-pointer from Erin Norling, to take a 51-50 lead.
Mary rallied and held a five point lead at 59-54 with 7:45 to play, but a Halley Busse 3-pointer and two Norling free throws tied the score at 59-59, the first of five ties in the final regulation period. Mary’s Macy Williams hit a 3-pointer for a 62-59 Marauder lead with 5:28 to play in the game and neither team led by more than two the rest of regulation.
With Mary leading, 64-62, Wayne State used baskets from Halley Busse and Norling to take a 66-64 lead with 1:03 to play. Mary’s Cassie Askvig hit a jumper with 42 seconds left to tie the score at 66-66.
Wayne State regained the lead with 3.7 seconds left on a Norling layin for a 68-66 advantage, but Askvig answered on the following inbounds for Mary and sent the game into overtime on a baseline shot with 1.1 remaining.
The Wildcats led nearly the entire overtime session, up by four two different times, and led by three at 81-78 with :33 left. Mary used a 3-pointer from Askvig to even the score at 81-81 with :10 left. Wayne State set up for the game-winning shot, but Kylie Hammer’s layup was strong and Rotunda was fouled on the rebound by Norling with 1.6 seconds left. Rotunda made both free throws to give the visiting Marauders an 83-81 lead, and a last-second effort by Norling couldn’t find the basket as the buzzer sounded, allowing Mary to claim the win.
Norling scored a game-high 28 points to lead Wayne State in scoring, going 10-of-20 from the field. Busse finished with 21 points, making five 3-pointers, while Josey Ryan also hit double figures with 11.
Wayne State held a 51-41 advantage in rebounding that included 19 offensive caroms. Brittany Bongartz grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds for the Wildcats followed by Norling with seven. Ryan handed out a season-high six assists followed by Busse with five. Norling was credited with three blocked shots while Bongartz added two, making her the sixth player in school history to record 100 career blocked shots.
In the men’s matchup, Nick Ferrarini scored a game-high 27 points while sophomore center Jordan Janssen added his 12th double-double of the year with 17 points and 12 rebounds as Wayne State College outlasted Mary in overtime, 85-77.
Mary scored the first five points of the game before Janssen scored six straight for the Wildcats.
Wayne State held numerous leads of four points, with the biggest first half advantage at seven (27-20 and 29-22) before the Wildcats closed the first half with a 33-29 lead at intermission.
Wayne State (9-15, 6-9 NSIC) opened the second half strong, highlighted by an 11-0 run over a span of 2:02, to take the biggest lead of the game at 50-34 with 15:04 to play.
The Wildcats still led 62-53 with 7:58 remaining when Mary made a run, capped by a Jaylan White basket that pulled the Marauders within two at 64-62 with 5:44 to play.
Wayne State pushed the lead back to seven at 71-64 with 3:28 to go, but the Wildcats never scored again in regulation and Mary’s Wyatt Carr made a basket with :36 left to force overtime at 71-71.
Mary opened the overtime with a 3-pointer from White for a 74-71 lead and led 75-74 with 3:09 to play when the Wildcats scored five straight points to take the lead for good. A Janssen basket, a free throw from Al’Tavius Jackson and two free throws from Janssen put the Wildcats ahead 79-75 with 1:20 to go.
The Marauders got as close as two at 79-77, but Wayne State closed it out with baskets from Nate Mohr and Ferrarini and a pair of Mohr free throws with :11 seconds left.
Ferrarini’s game-high 27 points paced Wayne State in scoring. Janssen added a 17 point and 12 rebound double-double, his 12 of the season, while Mohr also produced 15 points. Janssen led in assists with four and also had four steals while Ben Dentlinger notched two blocks.
Wayne State faces Minot State on Saturday, with the women playing at 3:30 p.m. and the men at 5:30 p.m. at Rice Auditorium.
