GAME NOTES
THIS WEEK: The University of Mary heads to northern Minnesota for one last road trip prior to Christmas break, facing two of the five teams tied for first in the Northern Sun. The Marauders first battle the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Friday, December 16, at 6 PM. The weekend wraps up against the Beavers of Bemidji State University at 4 PM on Saturday, December 17. This weekend is the NSIC home opener for both UMD and BSU.
THE RECORDS: The Marauders are 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the Northern Sun... The Bulldogs are 6-2 and 3-1... The Beavers are 5-3 and 3-1.
LAST WEEK: U-Mary suffered a 93-65 loss at home to Augustana before upsetting #4 Wayne State College 72-64 on Saturday... UMD swept its road trip, defeating Upper Iowa 81-58 and Winona State 56-45... BSU also swept on the road last weekend, defeating Winona State 69-62 and Upper Iowa 72-50.
HISTORY / LAST MEETING
U-Mary vs. Minnesota Duluth: Since joining the NCAA in 2006, the Marauders and Bulldogs have faced each other four times with Minnesota Duluth winning three times. UMD won the first two games before U-Mary came back with a 72-56 home win on Dec. 17, 2010, behind 13 points from Shaunna Knife. The two teams last met in Duluth, MN, on January 29, 2011, with the Bulldogs emerging victorious 72-70 on a basket by Lindsey Miller with 19 seconds left in the game. McKenzie Foster scored 23 points and Kayla Schmidt 16 with both players making four treys. Miller had 20 points for UMD.
U-Mary vs. Bemidji State University: U-Mary is 8-2 all-time against Bemidji State. After losing the series opener 80-75 on November 30, 1984, the Marauders won the next six meetings. All the Marauders victories have come since joining the NSIC for the 2006-07 season and include an NSIC tournament win in 2007-08. BSU's last win occurred during the 2009-10 season. U-Mary swept the two-game set last season, including a 69-52 win at Bemidji State on January 28, 2011. McKenzie Foster hit five three-pointers and scored 22 points to lead the Marauders.
BUS TIME: The Marauders are in the midst of playing seven of nine games on the road. U-Mary has proved solid away from home, winning 4-of-5 this season. The schedule reverses itself in January when the Marauders will play 6-of-9 games at the McDowell Activity Center.
UPSET: The University of Mary upset #4 Wayne State College 72-64 on Saturday behind a dominating defensive game and the inside power of Linda Murray. The Marauders held a 48-31 rebounding edge and received 20 points and 14 rebounds from Murray, the junior forward from Fresno, CA. Trailing 26-25 late in the first half, the Marauders went on a 22-4 run to take control of the game. The U-Mary lead remained in double digits until less than a minute remained in the game. U-Mary limited WSC to a 37.3 per cent shooting effort on the night and held a 19-4 edge in offensive rebounds. Shaunna Knife added 16 points and six rebounds while Kayla Schmidt hit four treys, scored 14 points and snared seven rebounds.
MURRAY'S MASTERPIECE: Linda Murray had her biggest night for the Marauders in the U-Mary win over #4 Wayne State. The Merced Community College transfer posted 20 points and 14 rebounds, both season highs. She made 9-of-15 shots from the floor, rejected two shots and dished two assists. This was Murray's third double double of the year.
REVERSAL OF FORTUNE: In a 93-65 loss to Augustana on Friday, the Vikings held a 50-35 advantage in rebounding and a 14-4 edge in three pointers over the Marauders. One day later against #4 Wayne State, U-Mary completely changed those numbers around. The Marauders held a 48-31 advantage in rebounding and a 7-4 edge in three-pointers made over the Wildcats.
BIG WIN: The Marauders win over 4th ranked Wayne State College 72-64 on 12.10.11 is the highest ranked NCAA Division II opponent the Marauders have defeated.
RANKED: The 72-64 win over #4 Wayne State College on 12.10.11 is the third win for the Marauders over a nationally ranked NCAA Division II opponent. U-Mary previously defeated #20 Concordia University-St. Paul 67-66 on 1.23.10 and #25 Augustana to open the 2008-09 NSIC season.
MILITARY APPRECIATION: U-Mary is holding Military Appreciation weekend on January 7-8 when the Marauders host MSU Moorhead and UMC Crookston.
TV TIME: Four home Marauders games are set to be televised this season, two each by Midco Sports Net and the NBC North Dakota Sports Network. The first televised Marauders home game is against Winona State January 2 on Midco Sports Net. Midco will also televise the February 17 game against Concordia University - St. Paul. The NBC North Dakota Sports Network will broadcast the U-Mary home dates with the University of Minnesota Duluth on January 28 and against St. Cloud State on February 18.
DOUBLE DOUBLE X THREE: Linda Murray picked up her third double double of the year with 20 points and 14 rebounds against Wayne State. Earlier this season she posted 11 points and 11 rebounds at Concordia University and 10 points and 11 rebounds at Northwood.
NATIONAL NOTE: The Marauders are 19th in the nation in both rebounding margin and three-pointers per game.
BOARD GAMES: The Marauders are first in the NSIC in rebounds per game (46.5) and second in rebounding margin (+9.5/game). U-Mary was out rebounded just once this season - a loss to Augustana.
WINDEX: Linda Murray is the Marauders leading glass cleaner this season. Her average of 8.1 rebounds per game is fifth in te NSIC. Teammate Kaitlyn Haag averages 6.0 rebounds and is 20th in the conference.
BLOCK PARTY: The Marauders average 4.13 blocks per game, second in the NSIC. Leading the way is Linda Murray with 1.63 blocks per game, fourth in the NSIC. Shaunna Knife is 12th with 1.0 blocks/game.
DOWNTOWN: The Marauders are averaging 7.63 treys made per game, second among schools in the NSIC. Leading the way is senior guard Kayla Schmidt, who is averaging 2.63 treys per game, second best in the NSIC and 39th in the nation. Shaunna Knife is averaging 1.5 treys per game while shooting 46.3 per cent behind the arc, the second best percentage in the Northern Sun.
CRIME SCENE: U-Mary averages 11.0 steals per game, third best in the NSIC. Ali Collins is the leader of the crime ring, averaging 2.88 steals/game, second among NSIC players and 39th nationally. Kayla Schmidt is 12th at 1.88.
ALL IN: Twice this season all 12 Marauders have scored in a single game, in a win over Minot State and a loss to Concordia University. The squad nearly accomplished that feat against Johnson and Wales when 11 of the 12 players who appeared in the game scored.
SHARING THE LOAD: Six different Marauders have reached double digits in points this season. Shaunna Knife and Ali Collins have scored 10 or more points five times each, Kayla Schmidt four times, Linda Murray three, Laura Petersen two and McKenzie Foster one time each. Four Marauders have led the team in scoring, Collins four times, Murray twice, and Petersen and Schmidt once each.
SHARING THE LOAD v2: Two Marauders average double figures in scoring - Ali Collins (11.3 PPG) and Shaunna Knife (10.8). Right behind is Kayla Schmidt at 9.3 PPG. All three are in the top 30 of the NSIC. Four more average at lease 5.5 points per game - McKenzie Foster (5.6), Linda Murray (8.4), Laura Petersen (6.6) and Kaitlyn Haag (5.5).
MAC ATTACK: The Marauders have won 28-of-47 NSIC home games the last six seasons and are 42-26 overall (9-4 2006-07, 10-3 in 2007-08, 8-5 in 2008-09, 7-6 in 2009-10, 6-4 in 2010-11, 1-2 in 2011-12) in the McDowell Activity Center. Since Fred Fridley became head coach in the 2003-04 season, the Marauders are 79-27 at home, which includes a 15-0 mark in 2004 and 10-0 in 2006.
