GAME NOTES
THIS WEEK: The University of Mary makes its only appearance at the McDowell Activity Center in the month of December when the Marauders open the home portion of their Northern Sun schedule this weekend. U-Mary will host the #16 Augustana Vikings on Friday, December 9, with tip off slated for 8 PM. The weekend concludes when the Wayne State College Wildcats comes to town on Saturday, December 10. Game time is 6 PM (NOTE EARLIER START TIME THIS YEAR FOR SATURDAY HOME GAMES).
THE RECORDS / LAST WEEK: The Marauders are 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the Northern Sun this season after splitting on the road, a 78-55 loss at St. Cloud State and a 67-64 win at Concordia University... The #16 Vikings are 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the NSIC after defeating Southwest Minnesota State 83-66 and Minnesota State 69-51 at home... The Wildcats are 1-5 and 0-2 after NSIC home losses to Minnesota State 65-60 and Southwest Minnesota State 73-54.
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... Augustana went 18-9 overall and 15-7 in the Northern Sun, losing in the first round of the NSIC tournament... Concordia University finished 13-14 overall and 9-13 in the NSIC and lost in the first round of the conference tournament.
HISTORY / LAST MEETING:
U-Mary vs. Augustana: U-Mary is 5-5 against Augustana in a series that started in 1999-2000 with an 89-64 Vikings win. The Marauders have won three straight over the Vikings at home and captured three of the last four meetings between the two schools. The first Marauders win was a 68-64 victory on 1.18.2006. The teams split their series last year with both teams winning at home. The Marauders won the last meeting 90-81 on 2.12.11 at home. Anthony Moody scored 32 points and U-Mary had five players in double digits. Cody Schilling led the Vikings with a game-high 34 points.
U-Mary vs. Wayne State College: The Wildcats hold an 8-3 series lead over the Marauders. The two teams first met during the 2005-06 season with the Marauders claiming a 70-65 win. Wayne State followed with six straight wins over U-Mary before the Marauders broke the streak with a 73-62 win at WSC on Dec. 5, 2009. U-Mary won the last meeting 62-59 on 2.11.11 at the MAC. Eric Erdmann and Anthony Moody both had 14 points for the Marauders and Brad Starken led the Wildcats with a game-high 18 points.
11 IS HEAVEN: Sophomore guard Jalen Jaspers was spectacular down the stretch for the Marauders in a 67-64 win at Concordia University - St. Paul. Playing right next to his hometown of Minneapolis, MN, Jaspers scored the last 11 points of the game for the Marauders. He hit a three pointer with 7:44 remaining to give the Marauders a 59-52 lead and followed with two more field goals to maintain the U-Mary lead. Twice he preserved one point leads in the final seconds of the game, hitting a pair of free throws with 24 seconds left and two more with nine seconds on the clock. Jaspers finished the game with 16 points and four assists while making 7-of-8 free throws as U-Mary upset a team that was the preseason choice to finish fourth in the Northern Sun. Jaspers is now seventh in the NSIC in free throw percentage (88.9 per cent) and 11th in assists.
BLOCK PARTY: Senior forward Damon Smith preserved the Marauders win at Concordia University when he blocked a three-point attempt by Isaiah Thomas as time expired in the 67-64 U-Mary win. It was the second block of the day by Smith, who is third in the NSIC in blocks with an average of 1.5 per game. In a big defensive game for Smith, he grabbed 10 rebounds, the second time this season he has reached double figures. Smith also added two steals, three assists and eight points.
TURNER TIME: Junior guard/forward Josh Turner led the Marauders in scoring both games last weekend. After scoring 14 points to tie Darius Robinson for game-high honors in a loss at St. Cloud State, Turner came back with a season-high 19 points in the win at Concordia University - St. Paul. In the win over the Golden Bears, Turner was nearly perfect from the field. He was 6-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-5 on trey attempts, and made all three free throws. For the weekend, Turner went 8-of-13 on three point attempts. Turner is second on the Marauders in scoring, averaging 14.5 points/game. He is shooting 51.7 per cent from the field and 50 per cent behind the arc to lead the squad in both categories.
WORTH THE TICKET: If you attend a U-Mary men's basketball game, make sure you stay until the end. Four of the six 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. The Marauders defeated Concordia University 67-64 when Jalen Jaspers made four free throws in the final 24 seconds and Damon Smith blocked a three point attempt to even the score as time expired.
BALANCE: Six different Marauders have reached double digits in points this season, led by Darius Robinson and Josh Turner with five times each. turner now has the longest consecutive streak with five. Damon Smith, Jalen Jaspers, Alex Dorr and Lamada Williams also have hit for 10 or more points this season.
LEADERS: Three different players have led the Marauders in scoring. Darius Robinson has paced the Marauders four times in six games, Josh Turner twice and Damon Smith once.
SHARING THE LOAD: Three Marauders are averaging double figures in points. Darius Robinson leads the way at 17.0 points per game, followed by Josh Turner (14.5 PPG) and Damon Smith (11.3 PPG).
PRODUCTION: 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 six games, Robinson is averaging 17.0 PPG to lead the Marauders. He is 8th in the NSIC. Deadly from the floor, Robinson is shooting 46.6 per cent overall and making 45.2 per cent of his three point attempts. At the free throw line he is 20-of-25 (80 per cent).
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, who has made all nine of his free throw attempts this season, is second on the team and 20th in the league in rebounding with 5.3 RPG. Dorr is also averaging 6.8 points per game.
DOMINATING DAMON: U-Mary's lone returning starter is off to a tremendous start. The senior forward is averaging 11.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He leads the team and is 11th in the NSIC in rebounding and is 3rd on the team and 30th in the NSIC in scoring. Smith is second on the team in assists (14 ) and steals (5) and first in blocks (9). 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. Johnson is averaging 1.83 steals per game, 4th in the NSIC.
BEHIND THE ARC: The Marauders are off to a strong showing outside the arc, knocking down 39.1 per cent of their three point attempts and making 7.17 treys per game. The percentage is third best 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 14.5 points per game and shooting 51.7 per cent from the field. He is also pulling down 4.2 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.
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.
