BISMARCK, N.D. -- The state of North Dakota supplied the temperature and the NAIA’s No. 7-ranked Mary provided the flawless play. Together, the lethal combination put Azusa Pacific’s season on ice.

Mary used a pair of big plays and the nation’s premier defense to down No. 9-ranked Azusa Pacific, 20-2, in the opening round of the NAIA playoffs.

The game was played in less-than-desirable weather conditions at the Bismarck Community Bowl. A constant falling of snow, the second-ever for an Azusa Pacific football game, and 16-degree temperatures thwarted the Cougar offense. Of course, the Mary defense, which entered the game allowing an NAIA-best 230 yards a game had a lot to say about the outcome as well.

Mary sacked Azusa Pacific quarterback Sean Davis 9 times and held the Cougar ground game, which came in averaging just over 200 yards a contest, to a season-low minus-51 yards rushing. And when the Cougars could move – 4 times they got inside the Mary 30-yard in the fourth quarter -- the Marauders never let the ball cross the goal line. In fact, the Mary defense was so dominating that it even snuffed an Azusa Pacific first-and-goal situation at the Marauder 2-yard line by stopping 4 straight runs.

“We just never got our ground game going,” said Azusa Pacific coach Peter Shinnick. “Mary’s defense did whatever it wanted to do and constantly disrupted what we wanted to do.”

Mary got on the board in the second quarter with the first half’s only score when Gerald Fryman barrowed over from 2 yards out to cap an 8-play, 67-play drive. Three plays earlier Mary quarterback Tim Garcia hit Jacob Pfau on a 47-yard pass play for the game’s first lengthy play to put the ball deep in Cougar territory. Garcia then scrambled 12 yards to put the ball at the 2-yard line to set up the touchdown.

The Mary defense backed up its NAIA leading numbers by holding the Cougars to just 43 total yards in the first half, including a mere 5 rushing yards on 10 carries. Meanwhile, the Marauders collected 209 yards in total offense in the first half and could have led by nearly twice as much at halftime had placekicker Justin Lang not missed a pair of field goals.

Marauder defensive back Lee Weisbeck intercepted Davis’ first pass of the second half and 5 plays later Garcia hit Pfau on a 16-yard touchdown catch to put Mary up 14-0 with just under 12 minutes to play in the third quarter.

The Cougar offense couldn’t move the ball and was seemingly tentative on the light shield of snow that blanketed the ground.

“This wasn’t about the weather,” said Shinnick. “Don’t get me wrong. I would have loved to play on a dry surface in 70-degree weather, but this is playoff football. If you’re going to win in the NAIA, you have to win these kind of games. This was more about Mary’s defensive scheme causing us problems.”

Garcia, a California native from Modesto Community College, adjusted to the weather conditions by the second quarter and went on to complete 22-of-33 passes for 244 yards and 2 touchdowns. Perhaps just as impressive was the fact that he had a hand in Mary converting 8-of-16 third down attempts, including several key long ones. He was all the offense Mary needed.

For Azusa Pacific, Davis finished 17-for-32 passing for 152 yards.

With the loss, Azusa Pacific’s season ends at 8-2 while Mary moves onto to next week’s quarterfinals with a 10-1 record.