GAME NOTES   LIVE AUDIO   LIVE VIDEO   LIVE STATS

THIS WEEK: After playing three road games in five days, the University of Mary men's basketball team returns home for alumni weekend and the start of a four-game home stand at the McDowell Activity Center. The Marauders open with the University of Minnesota Duluth on Friday, January 25, at 8 PM. The home weekend concludes against Northern Sun North Division leader St. Cloud State University on Saturday, January 26, at 6 PM.

THE RECORDS: The Marauders are 3-13 overall and 2-10 in the NSIC, tied for 6th in the NSIC North Division and 13th overall in the conference standings... The Bulldogs are 4-12 overall and 2-10 in the NSIC (6th in the NSIC North and 12th overall)... The Huskies are 13-3 and 9-3 (tied for 1st in the NSIC North, tied for 3rd overall in the NSIC).

LAST WEEK: The Marauders lost three conference home games, 49-48 at Minot State, 85-78 at Augustana and 60-54 at Wayne State... Minnesota Duluth lost three home games, 81-66 to St. Cloud State, 76-73 in overtime to Concordia-St. Paul, and 73-65 to Minnesota State... St. Cloud State opened the week with an 81-66 win at Minnesota Duluth, returned home to lose 81-75 to Minnesota State, then bounced back to defeat Concordia-St. Paul 97-60.

RECENT HISTORY / LAST MEETING:
U-Mary vs. Minnesota Duluth: The Bulldogs leads the all-time series with the Marauders 5-3, defeating U-Mary earlier this season and sweeping both games last season. The Marauders first victory over the Bulldogs was an 80-77 overtime win on 1.16.09.

Last Meeting vs. UMD:  Josh Turner exploded for a career-high 28 points for U-Mary but Minnesota Duluth overcame a 14 point deficit to win 71-69 at home. Calahan Skogman scored the winning basket for UMD when he pulled down the rebound off a miss and scored the winning points on a layup with 16 seconds left. Turner hit six treys in the game. Dorr added 18 points, hitting four treys. Musungayi had 13 points and Jalen Jaspers posted nine rebounds, eight assists and eight points. Reece Zoelle led UMD with 21 points, Skogman had 17 and Ervin added 15 and snared 13 rebounds.

U-Mary vs. St. Cloud State: The Marauders are 6-6 all-time against St. Cloud State. The Marauders are 4-0 at home, 2-4 at SCSU and 0-2 on neutral ground. U-Mary's first NCAA win came at SCSU 86-77 on 11.18.06. U-Mary's signature NCAA win was a 77-48 home victory over #8 SCSU on 12.16.07.

Last Meeting: U-Mary pulled within four points with 15 minutes left in the game but when Alex Dorr was sent to the bench with his fourth foul St. Cloud State went on a 13-2 run on the way to a 92-64 Huskies win. Dorr scored all of his team-high 11 points consecutively early in the second half. Brandon Tyler and Blake Maslonkowski also scored 11 points each. Theo Rothstein had 21 points for SCSU. The Huskies forced 24 turnovers and committed just three and outscored the Marauders 37-2 off turnovers. U-Mary had a 31-23 rebounding advantage but SCSU outscored the Marauders 38-20 in the point. SCSU was 18-of-27 at the free throw line to U-Mary's 6-of-7 effort.  

SCOUTING REPORT
University of Minnesota Duluth: After directing Bemidji State to the 2012 NSIC championship and a school record for wins, Matt Bowen jumped to the University of Minnesota Duluth when longtime head coach Gary Holmquist stepped aside last spring after 14 years. Coming off a 13-14 season and an 11-11 mark in conference play, the Bulldogs return four starters. Despite the experience UMD has lost five straight games and 9-of-10. Brett Ervin leads the team in scoring (16.0 PPG) and rebounds (5.0 RPG). SR G Jake Hottenstine averages 14.9 PPG.

St. Cloud State is consistently not only one of the top teams in the NSIC but also the nation and is receiving votes in the national poll. SCSU head coach Kevin Schlagel has directed the Huskies to eight NCAA tournament appearances in 15 years. Now in his 16th season, Schlagel has compiled a mark of 314-144. F Theo Rothstein is the Huskies leading scorer, averaging 16.4 PPG while shooting 52.9 per cent from the floor. All-NSIC performer Shaun Jensen is scoring 14.1 PPG and dishes 6.0 assists/game. Returning NSIC 2nd teamer Tim Bergstraser has played just eight games this season and is averaging 6.8 PPG.

LAST TIME OUT: The Marauders suffered three tough road losses last week in the span of five days. Playing a midweek game, Jalen Jaspers scored 19 points and hauled down 10 rebounds in a 49-48 loss. Jaspers scored the Marauders final nine points in the game. U-Mary had a shot to win the game at the end of regulation but Alex Dorr's shot attempt was deflected by Kelvin Fraser with five seconds left in the game. Marc Musungayi and Dorr both added nine points for U-Mary. Adam Randall led MSU with 14 points, making two free throws with 1:19 remaining to win the game... FR Brandon Tyler scored a career-high 18 points, sinking six three-pointers, but Augustana ran past the Marauders 85-78. Alex Dorr added 17 points and Jalen Jaspers had 12. U-Mary had no answer for Cameron McCaffrey. The Vikings all-conference guard scored 40 points for Augie. U-Mary was 14-of-25 on treys. Augie went 16-of-26 at the free throw line and U-Mary was 4-of-6... Alex Dorr posted 22 points and 13 rebounds but the Marauders suffered a 60-54 loss. U-Mary had a chance to tie the game but turned the ball over with 15 seconds remaining. Marc Musungayi added eight points and seven rebounds for U-Mary. Ty Bauschek led the Wildcats with 15 points.

HOME SWEET HOME: The Marauders will play their next four games at home and six of their final 10 regular season games at the MAC.

ROAD WARRIORS: U-Mary finished off the most difficult stretch of the season, playing 7-of-9 games on the road.

ALUMNI WEEKEND: U-Mary men's basketball will hold an Alumni Weekend on Friday and Saturday, January 25-26. On Friday there is the Coaches Luncheon at 12 noon and a basketball game against Minnesota Duluth at 8 PM. Saturday begins with an alumni game at 9 AM. Alumni will be introduced at halftime of the men's game against St. Cloud State. A social gathering at the Bismarck Country Club by Tom O'Leary starying at 8 PM will wrap up the weekend.

HEART BREAK: The Marauders have had a chance to tie the game or take the lead in the final minute of four of their last six games, all losses. In a 71-69 loss at Minnesota Duluth, the Marauders lost a 14 point lead in the second half, then missed a three-pointer and had a turnover in the final seconds. Trailing by three in a 67-63 loss to Upper Iowa, the Marauders had the ball with a chance to tie but turned the ball over with less than 10 seconds in the game... In a 49-48 loss at Minot State, the Marauders had two shots in the final minute to take the lead and couldn't connect... Down by three, the Marauders had the ball with a chance to tie but a turnover with 15 seconds left sealed U-Mary's fate in a 60-54 loss at Wayne State.

500: Josh Turner became just the 10th U-Mary player to crack 500 career points since the Marauders started NCAA and NSIC play in the 2006-07 season, reaching that level against Augustana. The Marauders senior guard in his second season at U-Mary now has 505 points.

500: Alex Dorr crossed the 500 point barrier at St. Cloud State on January 4, 2013 and now has 593 career points at U-Mary in 70 games. He is just the ninth Marauder to cross that figure since U-Mary began NCAA and NSIC competition in 2006-07.

CAREER REBOUNDS: With 388 rebounds in three seasons, Alex Dorr is 18th on the U-Mary all-time chart.

JJ'S CAREER DAY: Jalen Jaspers had a career day at Minot State. The junior guard tied his career high with 19 points and set a career-high with 10 rebounds to post his first double double. Jaspers kept the Marauders in the game, scoring U-Mary's last nine points. He hit his last four field goal attempts in the game and also made his last two free throw attempts. For the season he is averaging a career-best 9.6 points per game and shooting 50 per cent from the field. Jaspers also averages 4.4 rebounds per game.

TYLER FOR THREE! FR G/F Brandon Tyler exploded for a career-high 18 points at Augustana, knocking down six three-pointers in nine attempts. The six treys ties Tyler with Josh Turner for the Marauders season-best figure from behind the arc. His previous scoring high was 11 points. The freshman averages 6.0 points/game.

DOWNTOWN: The Marauders are one of the top teams behind the arc in the Northern Sun. U-Mary averages 7.75 three pointers made per game, second in the league. The Marauders also shoot it well, connecting at a pace of 37 per cent, fifth best in the NSIC. Alex Dorr and Josh Turner are leading the Marauders efforts behind the arc. Dorr is connecting 43 per cent of the time and makes 2.13/game. Turner is connecting 37 per cent of the time and also makes 2.13/game. Both have made 34 treys total on the season. FR Brendan Tyler is close behind the two seniors with 26 treys.

DORR 2nd IN NSIC, 13th NCAA IN FREE THROW PERCENTAGE: SR F Alex Dorr (Norwalk, IA) is second in the NSIC and 13th in the NCAA in free throw percentage at 88.5 per cent. Dorr is 41-of-45 this season.  

DORR LEADS NSIC IN REBOUNDING, 50th IN NCAA: Averaging 8.6 rebounds per game, Alex Dorr is back on top of the NSIC in rebounding and is 50th in the country. He has five double digit rebounding games this season with a career-high 15 against Saint Joseph's.

DORR 40th NATIONALLY IN DOUBLE DOUBLES: After posting 22 points and 13 rebounds at Wayne State College for his fifth double double of the season, Alex Dorr is 40th nationally in reaching double figures in two categories in the same game.  

DORR NSIC STAT STUFFER: Marauders senior forward Alex Dorr is listed among the Northern Sun leaders in several categories. He is first in rebounding (8.6), second in free throw percentage (88.5), 6th in three pointers made per game (2.13), 10th in scoring (14.7), 11th in three point shooting percentage (.430).

OPEN DORR POLICY: Marauders senior forward Alex Dorr has made a big jump in his production this season. He is posting 14.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game after generating 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds as a junior. Always tremendous at the line, Dorr has improved from 78 per cent to 88.6 per cent this season. After recording one double double in his first two seasons Dorr has five this year alone.

TURNER'S TOP HITS: One of the nation's top three-point shooters, Josh Turner ranks 173rd in the NCAA in three-pointers made per game with 2.13. He is 6th in the NSIC. For the year Turner is averaging 11.3 points per game.

TURNOVER TURNAROUND: After averaging 21.5 turnovers a game during the non-conference portion of their schedule, the Marauders have taken significantly better care of the ball since Northern Sun play started. In their 12 games against NSIC opposition the Marauders are averaging just 13.4 turnovers per game.

LINE MATES: The Marauders have been stellar at the free throw line this season, ranking third in the Northern Sun and 26th in NCAA Division II in free throw percentage (.758). Second in the NSIC in individual free throw shooting percentage, Alex Dorr leads the effort, making 41-of-45 attempts (91.1 per cent). Marc Musungayi is close behind (26-of-31) and Josh Turner is knocking down 83.3 per cent (30-of-36) of his free throw attempts. Mike Johnson checks in at 76.5 per cent (13-of-17).

CLEANING THE GLASS: Over the last eight games the Marauders have outrebounded seven opponents - including #19 St. Cloud State and #RV Winona State - and tied the eighth. U-Mary posted positive rebounding margins in three of four non-conference games and in 10 games overall. U-Mary is 5th in the NSIC in rebounding margin (+3.5).

CLEANING THE GLASS II: The Marauders feature two of the top 16 rebounders in the Northern Sun. Alex Dorr leads the conference with 8.6 rebounds/game and Marc Musungayi is 15th at 5.6 rebounds/game.

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL: The Marauders are last in the NSIC in steals and in the NCAA with 2.6 steals/game.

U-MARY SIGNS THREE FOR 2013-14: The Marauders gained commitments from three high school seniors during the National Letter of Intent early signing period. Brenden Mann is a 6-2 guard from Littleton, CO / Chatfield HS. Damonta Henry is a 6-0 guard from Chicago, IL / Riverside Brookfield HS. Isaac Lindquist is a 6-9 center from Milbank, SD / Milbank HS. All will join the Marauders as freshman next fall for the 2013-14 season.

FIVE ALIVE: Twice this season the Marauders have had five players reach double figures for points in a single game. Against Upper Iowa Jalen Jaspers (13 points), Marc Musungayi (12), Josh Turner (12), Alex Dorr (11) and Brandon Tyler (11) all reached double digits. Earlier in the season the Marauders managed the same feat against Minot State: Dorr (23), Turner (17), Jaspers (11), Noah Stewart (11) and Mike Johnson (10). Previously the last time was Feb. 12, 2011, in a 90-81 home win over Augustana: Anthony Moody (31), Cameron Lee (13), Eric Erdmann (12), Alex Dorr (11) and Jordan Wilhelm (10).

#marauders#