GAME NOTES

THIS WEEK: The University of Mary women's basketball team looks to remain among the top three teams in the Northern Sun when the Marauders host the Bemidji State University Beavers and the Bulldogs of the University of Minnesota Duluth on Cancer Awareness Weekend and Alumni Night. The Marauders first battle the Beavers on Friday, January 27, at 6 PM. The weekend concludes against the Bulldogs as U-Mary honors its basketball alumni on Saturday, January 28, at 4 PM. Both games are set for the McDowell Activity Center.

NBC NORTH DAKOTA SPORTS NETWORK TO BROADCAST MARAUDERS-BULLDOGS GAME: The Marauders make their season debut on the NBC North Dakota Sports Network (KFYR-TV in Bismarck, KMOT-TV in Minot, KUMV-TV in Williston, and KQCD-TV in Dickinson) when U-Mary hosts the University of Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, January 28. KFYR-TV Sports Director Lee Timmerman will handle the play by play and Weekend Sports Anchor and Marauders Weekly host Scott Westerberg provides the color commentary. The Marauders make a second appearance on the NBC North Dakota Sports Network when U-Mary hosts St. Cloud State on February 18.

TV TIME: The Marauders make four televised appearances this season from the McDowell Activity Center. The next U-Mary broadcast is January 28 against Minnesota Duluth on the NBC North Dakota Sports Network (KFYR-TV in Bismarck, KMOT-TV in Minot, KUMV-TV in Williston, and KQCD-TV in Dickinson). On February 17 U-Mary plays on Midco Sports Net against Concordia University - St. Paul. The final appearance is February 18 on the NBC ND Sports Network against St. Cloud State. U-Mary already appeard on Midco against Winona State on January 2.

THE RECORDS: The Marauders are 13-4 overall and third in the Northern Sun at 10-3... The Beavers are 7-11 overall and are in a four-way tied for ninth in the NSIC at 5-8... The Bulldogs are 11-6 and fourth in the NSIC at 8-5.

LAST OUTINGS: In its lone game of the week, U-Mary held on to defeat Northern State 73-71 on the road... Bemidji State swept a home series to snap an 8-game losing streak, defeating Minnesota State 72-71 and Southwest Minnesota State 77-54... Minnesota Duluth claimed two close home wins last weekend, defeating SMSU 58-54 and Minnesota State 56-54.

HISTORY / LAST MEETING
U-Mary vs. Bemidji State University: U-Mary is 9-2 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 has won the last three games between the two teams... Earlier this season the Marauders rallied for an 81-77 road win on December 17, 2011, overcoming a 16 point deficit. Kaitlyn Haag scored the winning basket with 1:29 left in the game. Kayla Schmidt led the Marauders with 20 points, making six treys. Haag added 18 points and nine rebounds, Laura Petersen contributed 16 points, Ali Collins had 12 points and four assists and Shaunna Knife chipped in nine rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Katie Warmack led BSU with 21 points and Samantha Baldwin had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

U-Mary vs. University of Minnesota Duluth: Since joining the NCAA in 2006, the Marauders and Bulldogs have faced each other five 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... Five Marauders reached double figures and U-Mary held off a late UMD run in a 73-67 U-Mary road win on 12.16.11. Kaitlyn Haag led the team with 16 points. Linda Murray posted 14 points and eight rebounds, Ali Collins had 13 points, six assists and three steals, Laura Petersen scored 11 points and Kayla Schmidt chipped in 10.

SECOND TIME AROUND: With the win at Northern State, the Marauders have now played every team in the conference. Beginning this weekend, the team has nine games remaining; five at home and four on the road. There are four teams U-Mary will not play again in the regular season: Winona State, Upper Iowa, Southwest Minnesota State and Minnesota State.

ONE OUT: The Marauders are just a single game out of first place in the Northern Sun. With a conference mark of 10-3, U-Mary is just behind Wayne State and Augustana, both standing at 11-2. The Marauders defeated WSC at home while losing to Augie. U-Mary has a road trip to both school remaining on the same weekend.

10: The Marauders 10 conference wins equals last year's total when U-Mary finished the season 10-12. This is the second highest win total for U-Mary in the NSIC since joining the conference in 2006-07. The Marauders went 11-7 in 2007-08. The team also has had 10 wins in 2006-07 (10-8), 2008-09 (10-10), and 2010-11 (10-12).

13: U-Mary has 13 wins this season with nine regular season games to play, equalling the Marauders win total of last season when the team finished 13-13.

ALUMNI NIGHT: The annual Marauders Men's and Women's Basketball Alumni Night is set for Saturday, January 28. Activities begin with an alumni game for both men and women at 8:45 AM at the McDowell Activity Center. Teams will alternate playing for 10 minutes at a time. That evening as the Marauders host the University of Minnesota Duluth, the men's alumni members will be introduced at intermission of the women's game. All the women's alumni will be introduced at intermission of the men's game. Following the Marauders games, a social will be held at the Bismarck Country Club by the Tom O'Leary Golf Course. To RSVP or for additional questions, please contact U-Mary women's head coach Fred Fridley (ffridley@umary.edu) or men's head coach Jevin Budde (jmbudde@umary.edu).

YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN: SR G Kayla Schmidt started her collegiate basketball career at Northern State before transferring to U-Mary. She made her last appearance at the Wachs Center in Aberdeen, SD, memorable. The senior from Beulah, ND, knocked down 5-of-7 shots from behind the arc and scored 15 points. She also added seven rebounds. Schmidt's biggest play of the night may have been her blocked shot in the final seconds that preserved the Marauders 73-71 win.

BOUNCE BACK: The Marauders shot 45.2 per cent from the field against Northern State, including a 9-of-22 effort from behind the arc. It was a big bounce back from a horrible night shooting the ball the team's previous game at Minnesota State when U-Mary was 0-of-17 from three point land while shooting 17.5 per cent overall.

BENCH PLAY: The Marauders bench outscored the Wolves 28-9 in the U-Mary win. The disparity was due primarily to Kaitlyn Haag and McKenzie Foster, who scored 16 and 11 points, respectively.

BENCH PLAY v2: The Marauders reserves have outscored the opponent's bench 13 times in 17 games, including the last nine games. The nine-game stretch coincides with the fact that Kaitlyn Haag has reached double digits in each of those games despite coming off the bench. U-Mary is 2-2 in games where the oppossing bench has had the scoring edge, with the losses coming against Augustana and Minot State in the season opener. The Marauders defeated St. Cloud State and Wayne State in the other two contests.

DEEEEEFENSSSSSE: U-Mary is one of the most difficult teams to score on in the nation. Teams are shooting an anemic 34 per cent from the field against U-Mary, the best figure in the conference. The Marauders also are allowing just 60.4 points per game, fifth in the NSIC. Nine times in 16 games the Marauders have held an opponent to 56 or fewer points.

SCORING: The Marauders are second in scoring in the NSIC, posting 68.9 points per game. The team's scoring margin of +8.5 pointer per game is fourth.

HAAG IN CHARGE: SO F Kaitlyn Haag may be coming off the bench but she is front and center in the recent success of the Marauders. In her last nine games Haag has been unstoppable while reaching double figures in each contest. During this stretch she is averaging 14.2 points per game and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 53.8 per cent from the field and 79.4 per cent at the free throw line. For the season, Haag is second on the team in scoring (10.2) and rebounding (7.1).

MAGNIFICENT MURRAY: Linda Murray has anchored the paint for the Marauders this season. The junior forward from Fresno, CA, averages 8.5 points and 7.4 rebounds and has posted a team-high 34 blocks. Three times this season she has posted a double double.  

POWERFUL POST PLAY: Marauders post players Kaitlyn Haag and Linda Murray have been a tremendous post pair for the Marauders this season. Murray starts and averages 8.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Haag is scoring 10.2 points and pulling down 7.1 boards per game in a relief role.

STAT STUFFER: JR G Ali Collins continues to post tremendous numbers all across the board for the Marauders. The Mandan, ND, native leads U-Mary in scoring (11.0 PPG), assists (3.2/game), steals (41) and free throw attempts (60). The dynamic guard also pulls down 5.1 rebounds per game. Collins snared 11 boards at Minnesota State, tying her career high. She barely missed a double double after scoring nine points.  

NATIONAL NOTE- TEAM: The Marauders rank in the top 50 nationally in several categories:
• 18th in field goal percentage defense (34.1)
• 19th in blocks per game (5.1)
• 33rd in rebounding margin (+6.1)
• 44th in three-pointers made per game (6.5)
• 40th in winning percentage (76.5)
• 54th in Free Throw prce

NATIONAL NOTE - INDIVIDUAL: Several Marauders are mentioned among the top 100 on the NCAA individual stat leader boards:
• Kayla Schmidt 46th in three point field goals made/game (2.3)
• Ali Collins is 89th in steals/game (2.4)
• Linda Murray is 45th in blocked shots/game (2.0)
• Kayla Schmidt is 92nd in three-point field goal percentage (31.1)

BOARD GAMES: The Marauders are first in the NSIC in rebounds per game (45.4) and fourth in rebounding margin (+6.2/game). The Marauders were out-rebounded three times in 17 games, losses to Augustana and Minnesota State and a win at Northern State.   

WINDEX: Linda Murray is the Marauders leading glass cleaner this season. Her average of 7.2 rebounds per game is fifth in the NSIC. Teammate Kaitlyn Haag averages 7.1 rebounds and is 8th in the conference. The Marauders are the only team in the league to have two rebounders in the top 10.  

BLOCK PARTY: The Marauders average 5.06 blocks per game, second in the NSIC. Leading the way is Linda Murray with 2.0 blocks per game, third in the NSIC. Shaunna Knife is 9th with 1.18 blocks/game.

DOWNTOWN: The Marauders are averaging 6.43 treys made per game, fourth among schools in the NSIC. Leading the way is senior guard Kayla Schmidt, who is second in the Northern Sun with an average of 2.41 treys per game.

CRIME SCENE: U-Mary averages 9.18 steals per game, fifth in the NSIC. Ali Collins is the leader of the crime ring, averaging 2.41 steals/game, second among NSIC players.  

ALL IN: Twice this season all 12 Marauders have scored in a single game; a win over Minot State and a loss at 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: Seven different Marauders have reached double digits in points this season. Ali Collins scored 10 or more points 11 times, Kaitlyn Haag nine times, Shaunna Knife and Kayla Schmidt six times each, Laura Petersen five times, McKenzie Foster four times and Lindsey Sand once.

SHARING THE LOAD v2: Five Marauders have led the team in scoring, including Ali Collins and Kaitlyn Haag fives times, Linda Murray three times, Kayla Schmidt two times apiece and Laura Petersen and Shaunna Knife once each.  

SHARING THE LOAD v3: Only two players averages double figures in scoring - Ali Collins at 11.2 PPG and Kaitlyn Haag (10.2). Two players check in at over eight points per game: Linda Murray (8.2), and Kayla Schmidt (8.5). Right behind is Shaunna Knife (7.7), Laura Petersen (7.5) and McKenzie Foster (5.9).

TAKING TURNS: Only once this season has the same player led the Marauders in scoring in consecutive games, Kaitlyn Haag against SMSU, MSU and NSU. During one five game stretch five different Marauders have paced the team in scoring.

MAC ATTACK: The Marauders have won 32-of-51 NSIC home games the last six seasons and are 46-25 overall (9-4 2006-07, 10-3 in 2007-08, 8-5 in 2008-09, 7-6 in 2009-10, 7-5 in 2010-11, 5-2 in 2011-12) in the McDowell Activity Center. Since Fred Fridley became head coach in the 2003-04 season, the Marauders are 83-27 at home, which includes a 15-0 mark in 2004 and 10-0 in 2006.

ROAD WARRIORS: The Marauders have experienced tremendous success on the road this season, winning eight of nine games and exceeding last year's total of six road wins. U-Mary's road sweep of NSIC foes Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State on December 16-17 was the Marauders first road sweep of conference foes since January 11-12, 2008.

MURRAY'S GREAT EIGHT: JR F Linda Murray swatted away eight shots in a loss at Minnesota State University on January 14. It is the most by a player in the Northern Sun this season. The eight blocks are also the most by a U-Mary player since the Marauders began NCAA Division II play in 2006-07. The figure may also be an all-time single game record for U-Mary.

EIGHT STRAIGHT: U-Mary's eight game winning streak earlier this season was the program's longest since capturing eight straight in 2004-05.  

LOVE LOST: The Marauders earned four votes in each of the first two USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25 Women's Basketball Coaches' Polls released in January, 2012.  

RALLY TIME: The Marauders overcame a 16-point deficit to defeat Bemidji State 81-77 behind a 20 point explosion from Kayla Schmidt that included six three pointers. Earlier this season U-Mary overcame a 19 point deficit in a 58-56 win at St. Cloud State.

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.  

104-24: The University of Mary came close to two records in its 104-24 win at Johnson and Wales in Miami, FL. The margin of victory was just short of the 85 points in a 105-20 Marauders win over Briercrest College on 11.13.10. The 24 points allowed against JWU was second to the 20 points allowed against Briercrest.