THIS WEEK: The University of Mary opens 2011-12 Northern Sun conference play this weekend when the Marauders travel to St. Cloud State University and Concordia University-St. Paul. The Marauders first play the Huskies on Friday, December 2, at 8 PM. The two-game road swing concludes against the Golden Bears on Saturday, December 3, at 6 PM.

THE RECORDS / LAST WEEK: The Marauders are 1-3 this season after suffering two tough home losses last week, 92-88 in double overtime to Minot State and 79-75 to MSU Billings in the last minute of play... The Huskies are 4-0 after playing all four games at home. SCSU defeated Valley City State 80-74 on Monday (11.28.11)... The Golden Bears are 3-1, playing all four games at home. Last week Concordia split two games at home, defeating Waldorf College 78-68 before losing to St. Thomas 94-88.

LAST YEAR: U-Mary finished 23-6 overall and placed second in the Northern Sun at 18-4. The Marauders qualified for the NCAA tournament and were ranked as high as 14th in the nation before finishing 18th in the final poll... St. Cloud State went 15-14 overall and 12-10 in the Northern Sun, advancing to the NSIC tournament championship... Concordia University finished 16-11 overall and 13-9 in the NSIC and lost in the first round of the conference tournament.

HISTORY / LAST MEETING:
U-Mary vs. St. Cloud State: The Marauders are 5-4 all-time against St. Cloud State. The Marauders are 3-0 at home, 2-2 at SCSU and 0-1 on neutral ground. U-Mary's first NCAA win came at SCSU 86-77 on 11.18.06. U-Mary's signature NCAA win was a 77-48 home victory over #8 SCSU on 12.16.07. After U-Mary swept St. Cloud State in the regular season, the Marauders and Huskies last met in the NSIC tournament semifinals with SCSU winning 65-59 in St. Paul, MN, on 3.5.11. Eric Erdmann led U-Mary with 20 points and Taylor Witt had 22 for SCSU.

U-Mary vs. Concordia University - St. Paul: Concordia University leads the series with U-Mary 6-5. The Marauders won the first two meetings between the schools in the 1980s when both were members of the NAIA. When U-Mary joined the NSIC in 2006-07, CU won the next five meetings. The Marauders broke their losing streak to the Golden Bears with an 83-74 win at the NSIC Holiday HoopsFest on 11.29.09, soon followed with a 75-68 win at the MAC on 1.23.10 behind 24 points by Erdmann. It was the first NSIC win for U-Mary over CU. In the last meeting between the two teams, U-Mary earned a 79-72 road win on 2.18.11 behind 29 points from Anthony Moody. Brent Barz had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Golden Bears.

LAST SECOND LOSSES: The Marauders were bit twice at the end of regulation last week. With U-Mary leading by three, Minot State hit a three-pointer with four seconds left in regulation to force the first of two overtimes in a 92-88 U-Mary loss. The Marauders saw a second late lead evaporate when MSU Billing hit a layup with 60 seconds left to break a tie and take the lead for good in a 79-75 Yellowjackets win.

DON'T LEAVE EARLY! If you attend a U-Mary men's basketball game, make sure you stay until the end. The last three Marauders games have come down to the final minute. U-Mary defeated Chadron State 73-72 when Josh Turner hit a game-winning three-pointer with two seconds left in the game. The Minot State game went into two overtimes after the Beavers hit a trey with four seconds left in regulation. MSU Billings hit the go-ahead basket with a minute left in the game on Saturday.

BALANCE: In the Marauders last two games, four U-Mary players reached double figures in points. Darius Robinson, Josh Turner and Damon Smith scored 10 or more points in both home games while Alex Dorr reached that figure against Minot State and Jalen Jaspers did the same against MSU Billings.

DOUBLE DIGITS: U-Mary's leading scorer, Darius Robinson has cracked double digits in all four games. Damon Smith and Josh Turner have followed suit in the last three games.

GOING UP: One of the top junior college scorers in the nation last season at McCook (NE) Community College where he averaged 21.4 points per game, Darius Robinson is showing the same skills this season at the University of Mary. Through four games, Robinson is averaging 20.8 PPG to lead the Marauders. He is tied for second in the NSIC. Each game the junior guard's point production has increased, going from 16 to 19 to 23 to 25. Deadly from the floor, Robinson is shooting 46.6 per cent overall and making 50 per cent of his three point attempts. At the free throw line he is 17-of-21 (81 per cent). The NSIC leader in minutes played per game (37.1), Robinson is third in treys made per game and sixth in three-point shooting percentage.

OPEN DORR POLICY: JR F Alex Dorr posted his first career double double when he scored 13 points and pulled down 13 rebounds against Minot State. Both figures are career-highs. Dorr leads the NSIC in free throw percentage after making all eight of his attempts this season. The Norwalk, IA, native is second on the team and 20th in the league in rebounding with 5.5 RPG. Dorr is also averaging 7.5 points per game.

DOMINATING DAMON: U-Mary's lone returning starter is off to a tremendous start. The senior forward is averaging 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He leads the team and is 13th in the NSIC in rebounding and is second on the team and 23rd in the NSIC in scoring. At the line Smith is 14-of-16 (.875) and 12th in the conference. Smith is second on the team in assists (10 ) and steals (3) and first in blocks (5). He averaged 6.7 points and 4.3 rebounds last season.

STOP THIEF! Baley Johnson had four steals against Minot State, the fifth best total for a U-Mary player in the past six seasons. Impressively, the senior owns two of the four top totals as he has had posted five steals twice. Primarily a front court player, Johnson picked up most of the steals while defending the Beavers point guard. Johnson is averaging two steals per game, sixth in the NSIC.

TOEING THE LINE: Through four games the Marauders are shooting an impressive 79.7 per cent at the free throw line, second in the NSIC. Alex Dorr leads the NSIC, making 8-of-8. Jalen Jaspers is sixth in the league with a 9-of-10 effort and Damon Smith is 12th (14-of-16). Also helping is a 17-of-21 effort by Darius Robinson.

BEHIND THE ARC: The Marauders are off to a strong showing outside the arc, knocking down 41.1 per cent of their three point attempts and making 7.5 treys per game. The percentage is second in the NSIC.

TURNER TIDBITS: JR G/F Josh Turner has stepped right into the lineup and made an immediate impact. The junior college transfer is averaging 13.5 points per game and shooting 50 per cent from the field. He is also pulling down 4.3 boards per game. Turner made his mark when he hit a game-winning three pointer at Chadron State with two seconds left on the clock.

MOODY MAKES SKYFORCE: Former Marauders All-American guard Anthony Moody has made the Sioux Falls Skyforce opening day roster. Moody was selected in the 5th round of the NBA Development League this fall. In his second professional game, Moody scored 10 points in 14 minutes.

FIRST: Jevin Budde picked up his first collegiate head coaching win when the Marauders defeated Chadron State College 73-72 on November 15.

WELCOME BACK! Damon Smith is the lone returning Marauders starter. A senior from Milwaukee, WI, the 6-7 forward joined U-Mary last year and helped the Marauders post one of the best seasons in school history. A transfer from Ellsworth Community College, Smith started all 29 games and averaged 6.7 points per game and 4.0 rebounds and shot 60 per cent from the field in 2010-11. Alex Dorr, Jalen Jaspers and Baley Johnson all played key roles for the Marauders last season. A 6-6 junior forward, Dorr averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 62 per cent from the field in his first season at U-Mary after transferring from Iowa State. Jaspers, a sophomore guard, contributed 3.8 points per game as a freshman. Johnson, entering his third year with the Marauders, was a front-line reserve and picked up 2.3 points per game.

2 to 12: After finishing second in the Northern Sun last season, the Marauders are picked 12th in he NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll after graduating four starters and six seniors.