THIS WEEK: After playing at home just twice in December, the University of Mary men's basketball team will open 2012 with four home games in seven days. The U-Mary home stand starts on Monday, January 2 when the Marauders hosts the #11 Warriors of Winona State University. On Tuesday, January 3,  Upper Iowa University visits Bismarck, ND. Both games are set for 8 PM at the McDowell Activity Center.   

GAME NOTES (PDF)

NEXT UP: The Marauders four game home stand continues on Saturday and Sunday, January 7-8, when U-Mary hosts MSU Moorhead and the University of Minnesota Crookston at 4 PM each day.

MARAUDERS-WARRIORS ON MIDCO SPORTS NET: Midco Sports Network will air the Marauders basketball games on Monday, January 2, when U-Mary hosts Winona State University. The live broadcast begins with the women's game at 6 PM, followed by the men's contest at approximately 8 PM. The games will be available to Midcontinent Communications subscribers on all the Midco Sports Net Channels (26, 322, 323 and 622). Tom Nieman and former Marauders men's basketball coach Juno Pintar, who led U-Mary through the transition to NCAA Division II, will call the action. After the game airs, fans can purchase a DVD of the contests through MidcoSportsNet.com. The Marauders make a second appearance on Midco SN when U-Mary hosts Concordia University – St. Paul on February 17.

TV TIME ON NBC NORTH DAKOTA SPORTS NETWORK: In addition to playing twice on Midco Sports Net, the Marauders will play two games on the NBC North Dakota Sports Network (KFYR-TV in Bismarck, KMOT-TV in Minot, KUMV-TV in Williston, and KQCD-TV in Dickinson). U-Mary makes its NBC debut January 28 when the Marauders host the University of Minnesota Duluth and will make their second appearance on February 18 against St. Cloud State.

THE RECORDS / LAST WEEK: The Marauders are 2-8 overall and 1-5 in the Northern Sun this season after suffering two losses on the road Dec. 16-17, 79-75 at Minnesota Duluth and 82-61 at Bemidji State... The #11 Warriors are 10-1 and 5-0 after sweeping two road games, 79-72 at Southwest Minnesota State and 78-72 at Minnesota State... Upper Iowa is 3-6 and 0-5, losing two conference games at Minnesota State 58-55 and Southwest Minnesota 73-67.   

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... Winona State went 20-10 and 13-9, winning the NSIC tournament and losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament... UIU was 8-18 and 7-15.

HISTORY / LAST MEETING:
U-Mary vs. Winona State University: U-Mary is 1-10 all-time against Winona State University. The Warriors won the first seven games of the series. The Marauders lone win was an 87-85 overtime win at home Jan. 3, 2010, as Anthony Moody scored 29 points and hit 5-of-6 treys on his way to winning NSIC Player of the Week honors. It was the last time the two teams played at the MAC. WSU twice has defeated U-Mary in the NSIC tournament and are 7-0 at home... The Marauders suffered a tough 74-73 road loss to the Warriors on 1.3.11, the last meeting between the two teams. A close game throughout, the largest lead in the second half was just five points by WSU. Anthony Moody scored a game-high 27 points and Eric Erdmann had 15 for the Marauders. Jon Walburg led the Warriors with 17 points and Ben Fischer added 15.

U-Mary vs. Upper Iowa University: The Marauders hold a 5-4 edge over the Peacocks. U-Mary is a perfect 4-0 at the McDowell Activity Center and Upper Iowa is 4-1 at home... The Marauders picked up their first road win over the Peacocks 65-56 on 1.4.11 in a game delayed two days by winter storms. Anthony Moody scored 22 points to lead all players and Eric Erdmann had 12 points and nine rebounds. Den Bestul led the Peacocks with 11 points.

DOMINATING DAMON: Damon Smith compiled the best weekend of his U-Mary career on Dec. 16-17, connecting for 20 or more points in both road contests. It was the first time he has scored 20 points in back to back games. The senior forward opened the weekend with 23 points and nine rebounds at Minnesota Duluth, connecting on 10-of-15 shots from the field. Smith also hit 3-of-4 free throws and added two assists and two steals. The Milwaukee, WI, native followed with 20 points and five rebounds at Bemidji State, connecting on half his shots and making all four free throw attempts. Once again he had two assists and the NSIC leader in blocks had two rejections. For the weekend Smith averaged 21.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 58.1 per cent from the field and making 7-of-8 free throws.

GET OUTTA HERE! Damon Smith leads the Northern Sun in blocked shots. The senior forward is averaging 2.2 per game. He blocked a career-high six shots in the Marauders 58-55 home loss to Wayne State College, the most by a U-Mary player since the Marauders began NCAA Division II play in 2006-07. The senior forward had four blocks on the previous game against #16 Augustana. Smith's biggest block of the season was a rejection of a three-pointer as time expired to secure a three-point win for the Marauders at Concordia - St. Paul.
 
GET OUTTA HERE -  NCAA VERSION: Damon Smith is 19th in NCAA Division II in blocks with 2.2 per game.

BLOCK PARTY: The Marauders are third in the NSIC and 82nd in NCAA Division II in blocks with an average of 3.5 rejections per game. Much of the damage is done by Damon Smith, who has posted 19 of the squad's 28 blocks. Baley Johnson is next with five blocks.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: Once again a Marauders game has come down to the final minute. Down by 13 points at Minnesota Duluth, the Marauders went on an 18-7 run and pulled within two points in the final minute of play in a 79-75 loss.

WORTH THE TICKET: If you attend a U-Mary men's basketball game, make sure you stay until the end. Six of the ten 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. U-Mary had possession with the chance to tie the game in the final seconds of a 58-55 loss to Wayne State. At Minnesota Duluth, the Marauders were within two points in the final minute of the game.   

FIRST STARTS: Two Marauders earned their first starts at Bemidji State, sophomore guard Mike Johnson and freshman guard Justin Ledger.

BENCH PLAY: Josh Turner came off the bench at both Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State and posted his best scoring weekend of the season. The junior guard hit five treys in both games. He scored 20 points against the Bulldogs and 15 points against the Beavers.  

JUMPIN' JASPERS: Sophomore guard Jalen Jaspers is finding his offensive groove. He has hit for double digits in three straight games and in five of seven. Jaspers had 15 points at UMD and 12 at BSU. Averaging 9.4 points per game for the year, he leads U-Mary with 28 assists and is shooting 80 per cent at the free throw line.

BOARD BUDDIES: The Marauders are just one of three teams to have two of the top 12 rebounders in the Northern Sun. Damon Smith is 8th overall with 6.7 rebounds/game and Alex Dorr is averaging 6.2.

BALANCE: Six different Marauders have reached double digits in points this season. Josh Turner leads the way with eight double digit games. Darius Robinson has seven and Jalen Jaspers and Damon Smith both have five. 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 U-Mary five times and Josh Turner and Damon Smith have done it three times each.

SHARING THE LOAD: Three Marauders are averaging double figures in points. Josh Turner leads teh team with 14.3 points per game, followed by Darius Robinson at 14.2 PPG and Damon Smith at 12.8 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 nine games, Robinson is averaging 14.2 PPG to lead the Marauders. Deadly from the floor, Robinson is shooting 46.8 per cent overall and making 45.0 per cent of his three point attempts. At the free throw line he is 22-of-27(81 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 is 13-of-15 at the free throw line, is 12th in the NSIC in rebounding with 6.2 per game. He is averaging 6.8 points per game.  

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 leads U-Mary with 1.2 steals per game.  

BEHIND THE ARC: Josh Turner is second in the NSIC in made three pointers per game, dropping in 2.8 treys per game. Darius Robinson is right behind, 7th with 2.0/game.

TURNER TIDBITS: JR G/F Josh Turner has stepped right into the lineup and made an immediate impact. The junior college transfer is averaging 14.3 points per game and shooting 47.1 per cent from the field. He is also pulling down 3.8 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.

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.

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.


HI, MY NAME IS... After graduating six seniors, including four starters, U-Mary welcomes six new players into the fold this season. Three junior college transfers are expected to make immediate contributions in the back court. One of the nation's leading scorers and free throw shooters in junior college last season, Darius Robinson is a 6-foot-1 guard from Jacksonville, FL. The NJCAA Division I National Player of the Week for the week of March 2, Robinson earned first-team all-region honors, was named to the All-Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference first team, and earned a spot on the Region 9 All-Tournament squad. As a sophomore at McCook (NE) Community College in 2010-11, Robinson averaged 21.4 points per game, 11th in the country. He also averaged 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals. Shooting 42.9 per cent from behind the arc, he knocked down 99 treys in 29 games. Robinson was fourth in the nation in free throw shooting, making 89.5 per cent of his attempts. He scored 20 or more points 18 times and hit for 30 or more five times, posting a season-high 42 points vs. Central CC-Columbus. Josh Turner is a 6-foot-3 guard from Aurora, CO, and averaged 14.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Lamar Community College in 2010-11. He helped the Runnin' Lopes to a 23-8 record and a South Sub-Region title. Turner made 69 three-pointers and shot 42.1 per cent behind the arc. Overall from the field he shot 45 per cent and converted 79.6 per cent of his free throw attempts. He scored 20 or more points seven times, including a season-high 33 points at Clarendon College. Guard Lamada Williams joins the Marauders from Walters Community College.

AT THE TOP: Jevin Budde coached his first game as head man for the Marauders when U-Mary opened at Green Bay on Nov. 11. As an assistant coach at U-Mary the past two seasons, Budde was an integral part of the Marauders turnaround from a seven-win team to the NCAA tournament in two years. Budde assumed command of the program when Randall Herbst resigned the head coaching position to take an assistant position at NCAA Division I Nebraska-Omaha.