Box Score Wayne State 63 University of Mary 47

            Sophomore reserve guard Maggie Lowe sparked Wayne State with a career-high 12 points off the bench while senior forward Anna Martensen also scored 12 points to lead the Wildcats in a 63-47 Northern Sun Conference women's basketball victory Friday evening at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota.  The Wildcats improve to 6-3 and 1-3 in the NSIC while the host Marauders slip to 6-6 and 1-3 in league play.
            The first half a struggle offensively for both teams.  The two teams traded five lead changes in the first quarter before WSC finished with a 12-11.
            The Wildcats never relinquished the lead in a low-scoring second quarter.  Maggie Lowe drained a 3-pointer for WSC that gave the 'Cats a 17-13 lead at the 7:08 mark.  But neither team scored a point for the next 3:39 before Mary's Cassie Askvig made a layup to cut the Wildcat lead to 17-15.
            WSC took a 21-15 lead on a Maggie Schulte layup before closing the half with a 23-20 lead.
            The scoring pace picked up in the third quarter as the Wildcats scored as many points in the quarter (23) as what they produced in the entire first half.
            The Wildcats took their first double digit lead of the game at 41-31 on a Lowe trey with 1:51 to play third quarter and took a 46-34 lead following an Evelyn Knox 3-pointer to end the quarter.
            Knox and Lowe opened the fourth quarter with 3-pointers to put the 'Cats in front 52-36.  A steal and three-point play from Lowe gave WSC a sizeable 57-38 lead with 5:32 remaining and the Wildcats maintained a double digit lead the rest of the way to finish with a 63-47 win.
             Lowe and Martensen each scored 12 points to lead the Wildcats in scoring followed by Knox with 10.  The outputs by Lowe and Knox were each career-highs.
            Wayne State shot just 37.7 percent from the field (23 of 61) and just 25 percent from 3-point range making 7 of 28 behind the arc.  The 'Cats were a perfect 10 for 10 at the free throw line.
            Gabbie Bohl paced Mary with 13 points while Cassie Askvig scored 11 for the Marauders.  Mary made 16 of 46 shots from the field for 34.8 percent and 3 for 8 from the 3-point stripe.  The Marauders were 12 for 18 at the line.
            Mary won the rebounding battle over WSC 39-33.  Askvig hauled in nine boards for the Marauders while Martensen grabbed seven to lead WSC on the glass.
            The Wildcats forced 30 turnovers on Mary and held a 28-10 advantage in points off turnovers in the contest.  Wayne State's bench also held a 31-15 edge in scoring over the Marauders.
            Kacie O'Connor, Haley Moore and Maggie Schulte each had four assists for WSC while Martensen was credited with a team-best four steals.  Taylor Wangerin and Taylor Reiner each had two blocked shots for WSC.
            The Wildcats will be on the road again Saturday visiting Minot State in a 4 p.m. NSIC contest.