LINKS FOR MARAUDERS - PANTHERS OPENER: GAME NOTES (PDF)   LIVE STATS  AUDIO  VIDEO WEBCAST

THIS WEEK: For the second straight year the University of Mary travels to Wisconsin to open the regular season against an NCAA Division I squad. The Marauders tip off 2012-13 against the Panthers of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Friday, November 9. Tip off is set for 7 PM at the Klotsche Center (3,400).

THE RECORDS: This is the season opener for both teams. The Marauders spilt two exhibition games. The Panthers won their lone exhibition game.

LAST WEEK: The Marauders lost an exhibition game 89-51 to Creighton University, ranked 16th in NCAA Division I, in front of over 15,000 fans in Omaha, NE... The Panthers defeated the University of Wisconsin Parkside 68-67 in an exhibition game.

LAST YEAR: The Marauders finished 8-18 overall and 7-15 in the NSIC... UWM was 20-15 and advanced to the College Basketball Invitational.

HISTORY LESSON: U-Mary and Milwaukee have not faced each other before.

ON WISCONSIN: The Marauders open the regular season in Wisconsin for the second straight season when U-Mary plays at UW-Milwaukee. Last year the Marauders tipped off against the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

OVER THE HORIZON: This is also the second straight season opening against an NCAA Division I team from he Horizon Conference.

THE OPPONENT: The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee returns three starters and eight letterwinners from a team that won 20 games and played in the College Basketball Invitational a season ago. UWM also has five seniors on its
roster, including returning starters James Haarsma and Paris Gulley. A 6-7 forward, Haarsma averaged 10.8 and 5.4 rebounds per game last year. Gulley averaged 8.5 points per game. However, Gulley is unavailable for approximately three more weeks after the senior broke his left hand in practice late last month. Milwaukee has been picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League and did not land anyone on the preseason all-league team.

FOLLOW ALONG: While there will not be a local radio broadcast by ESPN 710 for the Marauders season opener at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, there is an online audio and video webcast of the Marauders-Panthers games. Those links, along with ones for live stats, are available at www.goumary.com and www.umwpanthers.com.   

15,436: Playing arguably the best opponent the University of Mary has ever faced in front of the most people to ever watch the Marauders during a single game, U-Mary won the second half but lost to Creighton University 89-51 in exhibition play. The Bluejays, ranked 16th in NCAA Division I, packed 15,436 spectators into the arena, an exhibition record for Creighton. Brandon Tyler scored all of his team-high 13 points in the second half as the Marauders outscored the Bluejays 30-28. Alex Dorr added 11 points, a team-high five rebounds and three assists. The game was even at 10-10 before Creighton went on a 17-0 run. The Bluejays would later add a 16-0 run and enter intermission up 61-21. All-American Doug McDermott, one of the nation's top players, scored a game-high 18 points.

OPEN DORR POLICY: Marauders senior forward hit double figures in both the Marauders preseason games. He scored 19 points against the Another Level Blue Angels and 11 points at Creighton.

DORR NAMED MARAUDERS PLAYER TO WATCH IN NSIC: One of the top shooters in the league, U-Mary forward Alex Dorr was named a Northern Sun Player to Watch in the conference preseason coaches poll.  A senior from Norwalk, IA, Dorr shot an impressive 54.2 per cent from the field and a stellar 49.3 per cent behind the arc. He was third in the NSIC in three-point shooting percentage and ninth in field goal percentage. The 6-6 forward joined the Marauders from Iowa State as a sophomore and played a key role in U-Mary advancing to the 2011 NCAA tournament. Showing an ability to score inside and out, Dorr moved into the starting lineup last season and averaged 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds.

MARAUDERS PICKED 14th IN NSIC: U-Mary is projected to finish 14th out of 16 teams in the 2012-13 NSIC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll. Additionally, U-Mary is projected to finish 6th out of eight teams in the NSIC North Division... Winona State University is the coaches choice to claim the overall NSIC crown, followed by Southwest Minnesota State, St. Cloud State, MSU Moorhead, Augustana, Minnesota Duluth and Northern State. The next eight are Concordia-St. Paul, Wayne State, Sioux Falls, Bemidji State, Upper Iowa, U-Mary, Minot State and Minnesota Crookston... MSU Moorhead is the favorite in the NSIC North Division, edging St. Cloud State. Northern State is third, followed by Minnesota Duluth, Bemidji State, the Marauders, Minnesota Crookston and Minot State. In the NSIC South predictions, Winona State tops the list, followed by Southwest Minnesota State, Minnesota State, Augustana, Concordia, Wayne State, Upper Iowa and Sioux Falls.

FOUR ON THE FLOOR: The Marauders return four starters from a year ago - G Mike Johnson, G Jalen Jaspers, G/F Josh Turner and F Alex Dorr.  

THREE ON THE BENCH: Two sophomores gained valuable experience last season. Guard/forward Justin Ledger earned several starts last year, including the two U-Mary wins to close the season. He scored a season-high seven points against SCSU and averaged 1.6 points on the season. Backing up All-NSIC post Damon Smith, who is now playing professionally in Denmark, 6-4 forward Blake Maslonkowski played in 17 games. Redshirt sophomore guard Danny Robinson also saw court time last year.

NEW GUYS: The Marauders look for a couple transfers to fit into the rotation. Toronto, Ontario, native Marc Musungayi is a 6-6 junior forward who played at Iowa Central Community College last year. Noah Stewart, from Indianapolis, IN, is a 5-11 guard from Olney Central Community College. Additionally, senior forward James Bagwell joins U-Mary from United Tribes Community College. Several freshman will battle for playing time: Brandon Tyler (G, Oshkosh, WI), Kevin Jensen (F, Victoria, MN) and Tate Martin (G, Mitchell, SD).
 
NEW GUYS TWO: The Marauders also added two new coaches for 2012-13. Lead assistant coach Logan Flora has experience at every level of NCAA basketball. He was an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth the last two seasons.  In his first season at UMD the Bulldogs improved three games. Last year UMD improved by another four wins. Jared Marshall, with six years coaching at the high school level in Colorado, is a newcomer to Jevin Budde's staff.