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FRIDAY
As finals week wraps up and the fall semester comes to an end, the University of Mary (2-8 overall / 0-5 Northern Sun) has one game remaining in 2013. For the second time in 20 days the Marauders face instate rival Minot State University (5-4 / 1-4). After playing round one on the road, this time the Marauders host the Beavers at the McDowell Activity Center on Friday, Dec. 20. Tip off for this Northern Sun contest is approximately 8 PM.

TV TIME
The Marauders-Beavers basketball game will be aired live on the North Dakota NBC Sports Network throughout the central and western part of the state on KFYR-TV in Bismarck, KMOT-TV in Minot, KUMV-TV in Williston and KQCD-TV in Dickinson. KFYR-TV sports director Lee Timmerman handles the play-by-play duties and former Marauders women's basketball coach Fred Fridley provides the color commentary. Alec Ausmus, the KFYR-TV weekend anchor and host of "Marauders Weekly," is the sideline reporter.

OFF THE COURT
Game sponsor American Bank Center has complimentary game tickets available at its locations throughout the Bismarck area...This week's Coaches Luncheon will be held at the Radisson Hotel on Friday, Dec. 20. Lunch is served starting at 11:45 AM with the program to begin shortly after noon. Men's basketball coach Jevin Budde, women's basketball coach Rick Neumann and wrestling coach Adam Aho are the featured speakers. Cost is $7... Dreams in Motion will play a wheelchair basketball game at intermission of the men's basketball contest. The mission of Dreams in Motion is to provide recreational and sporting opportunities for youth and young adults, from ages 2 to 25, with mobility challenges or visual impairments and their families and friends.

ON THE LINE
Both the Marauders and the Beavers are looking to snap winless streaks. The Marauders have lost eight straight and the Beavers four consecutive contests... The Beavers have had the upper hand in the series with the Marauders recently, winning seven of the last eight games... Since last year's home game for U-Mary was played downtown at the Bismarck Civic Center, this is the first time the Marauders and Beavers have played a conference game at the McDowell Activity Center since Dec. 3, 2005... This is the last contest prior to Christmas break for both teams. U-Mary next plays Augustana on January 3, the same day MSU hosts Wayne State.

LAST MEETING/RECENT HISTORY - MARAUDERS v. BEAVERS
Free throws spelled the difference in U-Mary's 96-87 overtime loss at Minot State on Nov. 30 to open Northern Sun play. The Marauders made just 12-of-27 at the line to the Beavers 40-of-46 effort. Damonta Henry and Devan Douglas both led the Marauders with 18 points. Tyler Brandon and Chris Mason each added 12 points and Germain Decoste had 10 points and eight rebounds. EJ Williams scored 30 points for the Beavers, going 15-of-17 at the line. Samuel Johnson chipped in 19.

In a series dating back to the 1976-77 season, Minot State University holds a slight 32-30 edge over the University of Mary. The Beavers have won seven of the last eight games against the Marauders.
Since last season's U-Mary's home game was played downtown at the Bismarck Civic Center, this is the first time Minot State has visited the McDowell Activity Center since a 92-88 overtime non-conference win on Nov. 22, 2011. MSU has won the last two times it has played in the MAC. The last time the Marauders have defeated the Beavers in the MAC was a 79-69 victory on December 10, 2004, behind an 18 point effort by Delmar Clown.

THE OPPONENT: Minot State University Beavers
Under the direction of second year head coach Matt Murken, the Beavers jumped out to a fast start by winning their first five games of the season. However December has frozen Minot State's win total in place as the Beavers have lost four straight this month. After defeating the Marauders on Nov. 30 to open Northern Sun action, the Beavers lost their next four against conference competition. The trip to Bismarck on Friday is just the second trip this season for the Beavers, who opened with seven straight home games before travelling to St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth last weekend. EJ Williams leads the Beavers in scoring with 17.4 points per game. Samuel Johnson provides a strong presence in the frontcourt, averaging 14.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game while shooting 50 per cent from the floor. Thomas Korf paces the team in treys, knocking down 19 shots behind the arc. He is averaging 10.1 PPG. The Beavers lead the NSIC in free throw shooting (.748) and third in rebounding margin (+9.0).

LAST TIME OUT
Playing their first Northern Sun twin bill road trip of the season, the Marauders were swept. U-Mary lost a 72-65 decision at the University of Minnesota Duluth before slipping 80-55 at St. Cloud State. Devan Douglas scored a career-high 18 points against the Bulldogs. Damonta Henry added 12 points with a team-high seven rebounds and Chris Mason chipped in 10 points. Jordan Reetz posted 22 points for the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Bulldogs won the game at the line, making 18-of-20 free throws while the Marauders were 8-of-16... The Marauders held a 35-30 rebounding advantage against the Huskies but U-Mary couldn't hold off the offensive charge of the Huskies. SCSU shot 50.9 per cent from the field and held a 21-5 advantage in points off turnovers. Marc Musungayi led U-Mary with 11 points. James Fort had a game-high 13 points for the Huskies.    

DYNAMIC DOUGLAS
Moved into the starting lineup three games ago against Northern State, junior guard Devan Douglas extended his streak of reaching double figures in points to five games when tied his career-high of 18 points at Minnesota Duluth. In his last six games he is averaging 13.5 PPG, second over that stretch to Chris Mason. His most impressive stat is shooting 60.3 per cent from the field this season overall and is knocking down 75 per cent of his free throws. Douglas, who is averaging 10.3 points per game, is seventh in the NSIC in field goal percentage (.603). He leads the Marauders in assists with 15 and is second in blocks (6) and steals (8).

DOPPELGANGERS
Chris Mason and Devan Douglas have both reached double figures in each of the same six games: the opener against South Dakota Mines and five straight games against Emporia State, Minot State, MSU Moorhead, Northern State and Minnesota Duluth. In the last six games Mason is averaging a team-high 13.7 PPG and Douglas is second at 13.5
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LINE WOES
After outscoring the opposition at the free throw line in the first game of the season, U-Mary's foes have had the edge in the last nine contests. During that stretch the Marauders are 100-of-163 (61.3 per cent) on free throws and the other squad is 189-of-244 (77.5 per cent). In the past six games U-Mary is 74-of-120 compared to a 152-of-193 effort for the opposition. The Marauders have lost those six games by a combined 71 points while being outscored at the line by 78 points.

MASON STEPS FORWARD
After a big home weekend with 22 points against Northern State and 17 against MSU Moorhead, Chris Mason struggled with his shot last weekend. However he is still the Marauders leading scorer over the past six games, averaging 13.7 points and a team-leading 5.8 rebounds.

TEAM PLAY
During a recent four game run, U-Mary had at least four players in double figures in each contest. Five U-Mary players scored 10 or more points against Minot State and MSU Moorhead and four players against Emporia State and Northern State.

FORCEFUL FRESHMAN
Freshman Damonta Henry is quickly catching onto the college game. After scoring just three points in his first two games at U-Mary, the Chicago native has posted double figure games in six of his last eight contests. His season high is 18 at Minot State. The team leader with 15 three pointers, Henry averages 9.4 points per game, fourth best total on the Marauders. At the free throw line Henry is 15-of-18.

SIX BY SEVEN
Seven Marauders are averaging at least 6.0 points per game. Marc Musingayi leads the team at 11.5 points per game, followed by Chris Mason at 10.4 and Devan Douglas at 10.3. Damonta Henry is just under 10 points/game with 9.4. Jalen Jaspers averages 9.3, Marquealis Edwards 8.0 and Brandon Tyler 6.1.

DOUBLE DIGIT THREAT
Eight different Marauders have reached double figures in a game this season: Chris Mason (6 times), Devan Douglas (6), Damonta Henry (6), Marc Musungayi (6), Jalen Jaspers (4), Brandon Tyler (3), Marquealis Edwards (2) and Germain Decoste (1).

TURN UP THE HEAT
After ten games the Marauders are averaging 5.1 steals per game. U-Mary was next to last in the NCAA a year ago with 3.3 steals/game. Chris Mason leads the Marauders with ten steals.

GET OUTTA HERE!
U-Mary averaged just 2.0 blocks a game last season, 14th out of 16 teams in the NSIC. After ten games this year, the Marauders are rejecting 3.4 blocks per game, seventh in the league. Marc Musungayi leads the team with 11 blocks, which is 11th in the NSIC.

704
Jalen Jaspers became just the fifth U-Mary men's basketball player to crack 700 points in a career during the Marauders NCAA era , which began during the 2006-07 season.

TWO TO START
For the first time since the 2010-2011 season the Marauders won their first two scheduled games of the year.

WELCOME BACK
The Marauders return just four players from last season's squad, including three seniors. Guard Jalen Jaspers is in his third year as a starter for U-Mary. A key reserve on the Marauders 2010-11 NCAA playoff team as a freshman, the Minneapolis, MN, native averaged 10.3 points a game last year. After two seasons starting at point guard, Mike Johnson is a key reserve for the Marauders. One of the most accurate shooters in the Northern Sun last year, senior center Marc Musungayi averaged 10.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in his first year at U-Mary while shooting 56.5 per cent from the floor and 79.6 per cent at the free throw line. The fourth returner is sophomore guard Brandon Tyler, who has moved into the starting lineup after averaging 6.5 points a game as one of the team's top reserves as a freshman.

WHO ARE YOU?
The Marauders are sporting a new look this season. Four returning players were joined by 12 newcomers. Six of the newcomers are community college transfers, five are true freshmen right from high school and one transferred to U-Mary last January from a four-year college.

HISTORY LESSON
The University of Mary men's basketball team was the school's first athletic program and played its inaugural season in 1970-71. Over the course of 43 years the Marauders have a combined record of 653-514. Longtime head coach athletic director Al Bortke posted a record of 335-157 in 16 seasons (1973-89) before stepping aside to take over the role of athletic director full time... U-Mary played its first NCAA season in 2006-07, competing in the Northern Sun. The following season the Marauders were granted full NCAA membership in what was the quickest transition in association history... The Marauders made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2011. Current head coach Jevin Budde was an assistant for that team and seniors Jalen Jaspers and Mike Johnson were both freshmen.
 
OVERSEAS
Players from the last two U-Mary teams are currently playing overseas. Damon Smith, a forward for the Marauders from 2010-12, is playing for the Dresden Titans in the German Professional League. He competed for Copenhagen in the Danish League last season. Alex Dorr (2010-13) plays for the Derby Trailblazers in the English Basketball League while pursuing an advanced degree in international business at the University of Derby.
 
MOVED ON UP
Current University of Nebraska head coach Tim Miles ('89) and Dallas Mavericks Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Floyd Jahner ('81) are U-Mary alumni and former Marauders basketball players.

MUSUNGAYI NAMED TO ALL-GCI ALASKA INVITATIONAL TEAM
Senior forward Marc Musungayi earned a spot on the GCI Alaska Invitational all-tournament team after a strong three-game performance in Fairbanks. The senior forward averaged 16.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 51.2 per cent from the floor and .857 at the free throw line. Against the host Alaska Nanooks Musungayi was 8-of-12 from the field for 16 points. He also had 16 points against Emporia State and 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists against Fresno Pacific.

DEFT TOUCH
In his first season with the Marauders last year, senior center Marc Musungayi finished among the Northern Sun leaders in several categories. The 6-7 native of Hamilton, Ontario, was fourth in the NSIC in shooting percentage (56.5 per cent), 10th in blocked shots (.93/game) and 14th in rebounding (5.7/game). He also averaged 10.7 points and made 79.6 per cent of his free throw attempts.