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LAST WEEK: After a disappointing outing last weekend, the University of Mary answered back with a road sweep of Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. U-Mary scored the first 16 points of the game and rolled to an 84-63 road win against Southwest. Ali Collins posted a double double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Shaunna Knife added 15 points and Brittney Dietz scored 16 off the bench, 12 of which came in the first half. The Marauders out shot the Mustangs 47 to 37 on the night and held a 44-34 rebounding advantage. U-Mary was impressive from the free throw line shooting 16-17. The Marauders took advantage of Southwest's mistakes as they held a 24-8 advantage in points off of turnovers. Laura Petersen was the only other Marauder in double figures with 10.
Behind an outstanding shooting performance, U-Mary was able to complete the sweep as they defeated USF 76-65. The Marauders had one of their best shooting nights of the season. U-Mary connected on 31 of 60 (.517) shots overall for the second best percentage of the season. The only game the Marauders shot better was against Dakota State (12/30), in which they shot 64 percent from the field. U-Mary also shot the ball effectively from beyond the arc with their first double-digit performance in nine games. The Marauders made 11 of their 27 three-point attempts and are now 8-0 when they make 10 or more three-point field goals. Just two assists shy of a triple double, Collins had one of her best games of the season finishing with 15 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists as she recorded her second consecutive double double.
This weekend U-Mary will wrap up their home season with a pair of conference rematches against Minnesota, Crookston and Bemidji State.
THE RECORDS: Minnesota, Crookston 4-14 in the Northern Sun (7-15 overall) and is tied for 14th place. Bemidji State, with a record of 5-13 (9-13 overall), sits in 13th place overall in the conference.
THE SERIES: The Marauders have a 12-1 advantage in the all-time series against UMC. In the all-time series with Bemidji State, U-Mary holds an 11-2 edge and have won the last five meetings.
REMATCH: U-Mary took on both opponents earlier in the season on the road defeating Bemidji State 78-63 and Minnesota, Crookston 88-66. Against BSU, McKenzie Foster had a career-high eight three pointers. Led by Ali Collins' 23, five different players scored in double figures for the Marauders against UMC earlier this season.
THEY MEET AGAIN: This will be Jamie Zelinsky's second game as a member of the U-Mary coaching staff against her former team. A graduate assistant for the Marauders, Zelinsky is Crookston's all-time leading scorer with 1,724 career points. Zelinsky scored 21 points in the Golden Eagles only victory (in 13 games) over the Marauders on February 4, 2011.
CANCER AWARENESS: Cancer Awareness Weekend is sponsored by Dakota Community Bank and Trust. Complimentary tickets to the games are available at Dakota Community Bank and Trust sites throughout the community. Donations for cancer awareness and research will be collected during Friday's game.
SENIOR NIGHT: Saturday night marks the final home game for five U-Mary seniors. Shanara Clark, Ali Collins, Shaunna Knife, Taylor Luke and Laura Petersen will all be playing their last regular season game at the McDowell Activity Center. The Marauders' five seniors will be honored at half time of the men's game.
“IT'S A SLAM DUNK”: Over the past two weekends Northern Sun schools have partnered with SAAC (Student Athletic Advisory Committee) to get fans to sign a pledge that they will not drive drunk. A total of 12,521 pledges were signed across the league. With 51 percent of the Marauders fans against Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul signing that pledge, U-Mary had the highest percent of any school in the NSIC. The Marauders will receive a check in the amount of $1,000 that will be donated in their name to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
BORTKE AWARD: On Saturday senior Laura Petersen will receive the Al Bortke Award. The Bortke Award honors long time athletic directors and men's basketball coach Al Bortke and is given each year to two students who exemplify community service, respect, sportsmanship, integrity and academic success.
Up next U-Mary will end the regular season on the road with rematches against MSU Moorhead (14-8, 11-7 NSIC) and Northern State (14-8, 10-8). Earlier this season the Marauders fell to MSUM on a buzzer beater. U-Mary defeated Northern State by 12. Play-off seeding will be on the line as their is a two way tie for first play in the North Division with MSU Moorhead being one of those teams. Going into this weekend U-Mary is tied for third in the North with Northern State just one game out of first.
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