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LAST WEEK: Trailing by 12 at halftime against Minnesota State the University of Mary battled back and forced overtime as Ali Collins hit the game-tying basket with six seconds remaining. In overtime, however the Marauders offense sputtered as they fell 65-61. Collins was one of three U-Mary players to score in double figures as she finished with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. Brittney Dietz scored 12 point and Lindsey Sand added 11. Seemingly out of the game, U-Mary responded with a 14-2 run to make the score 53-51 with 1:55 left to play. During the run the Marauders hit their only three, three-point shots of the night. Trailing by two with 10 second left to play Collins took the inbound pass and went the length of the floor to score the game-tying basket and send the game into overtime.

For the second straight night the University of Mary entered halftime trailing by double digits and for the second straight night they were unable to surmount a comeback as they fell 78-63 to Concordia-St. Paul. Knife notched her league leading ninth double double of the season as she finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Dietz also finished with 14 points. Collins and Shanara Clark were the two other Marauders to score in double digits with 13 and 10 respectively. U-Mary started out strong in the first half extending their lead to six on a three from Knife, which would prove to be their largest lead of the night. Concordia proceeded to go on an 11-2 run and took that lead at 18-15. CU would extend their lead to 10 as they entered the break leading 36-26. Concordia extended their lead to as many as 15 in the second half and U-Mary was unable to bring the lead to fewer than eight.

This weekend U-Mary will take on be on the road as they take on Southwest Minnesota State on Friday and Sioux Falls on Saturday.

THE RECORDS: Southwest is 2-14 in the Northern Sun (3-18 overall) and sits in last place. Sioux Falls, with a record of 8-8, is tied with U-Mary for 8th place overall in the conference.

THE SERIES: This will be the 10th time U-Mary and SMSU have met. The Marauders hold a 6-3 advantage in the series. This is just the second time U-Mary and Sioux Falls have met. The first time they met back in 2003, the Marauders defeated the Cougars 81-74.
Last Season 10 different players scored U-Mary in a 74-66 win in Marshall.

“IT'S A SLAM DUNK”: The NCAA, the T.E.A.M. Coalition and the Northern Sun have selected the University of Mary entry as the winning video in the “It's a Slam Dunk, Don't Drive Drunk” campaign. U-Mary's video was the top choice and will be featured during the NSIC/Sanford Health Basketball semifinals and championship on March 8-9 in Rochester, MN.

DOUBLE THE FUN: Against Concordia-St. Paul senior Shaunna Knife recorded her ninth double double of the season good for 18th most in the country. Knife now has 15th career double doubles. Since joining the NCAA, Anna Skala holds the U-Mary single-season mark with 10 double doubles in the 2008-09 season.

LOSING STREAK: U-Mary has not lost three consecutive games since the same time a year ago. Last season the Marauders lost to MSU Moorhead, Wayne State and Augustana consecutively from Feb. 4-11 before rebounding with an 81-52 victory over Concordia-St. Paul. U-Mary has not lost four straight since Feb. 2010.

EXTENDED MINUTES: Ali Collins played all 40 minutes for the second time this season and finished the weekend with 67. Shaunna Knife actually played more than Collins with 71 minutes on the weekend.

RANKED OPPONENTS: With the win over Wayne State Head Coach Rick Neumann recorded his first career win against a top-25 ranked team. Also with the win the Marauders have defeated the Wildcats each of the last two times they have faced when Wayne State is ranked. U-Mary beat #4 Wayne State last season, the highest ranked opponent they have beaten since joining NCAA Division II.

DEFENSE IS KEY: The Marauders are second in the NSIC in field goal defense at .344 (16th in NCAA). U-Mary is 9-3 when they hold their opponent to under 36 percent shooting. U-Mary is also second in the league in three point-field goal defense at 28.4 percent.

STEPPING UP: With starting post Kaitlyn Haag being hampered by injury the past few weeks, Shanara Clark has made her presence known. Starting her first career game against Winona State, Clark finished with a career-high 12 points to go with five rebounds. Clark has started eight of the last nine games, five of which have been Marauder victories.

SPARK PLUG: Lindsey Sand has provided a much needed spark offensively for the Marauders off the bench as of late. Averaging just 3.8 points through the first 13 games, Sand has averaged 7.1 points in U-Mary's last seven games including double digit performances against Winona State and Minot State. Against Minot State Sand scored a season-high 12 points all of which came in the second half. With the Marauders up just one at half, Sand came out hot shooting 4-5 from the field and 4-5 from the line in the second half. U-Mary is now 6-2 when Sand scores seven or more points.

SIXTH WOMAN: It appears as though red-shirting Britney Dietz last year has paid dividends this year for the Marauders. With 14 points and four rebounds, Dietz made her first career start against Augustana. Despite only starting one game this year, Dietz is playing the fourth most minutes and has scored the third most minutes on the team. Dietz's versatility has allowed Head Coach Rick Neumann to play her in multiple positions increasing her value even further.

TOP 25: Earlier in the season Shaunna Knife became the 10th player in program history to rank in the top 25 in points, rebounds and assists. Knife is 15th all-time in points, 8th in rebounding and 23rd in assists. This against Minnesota Duluth, Ali Collins became the 11th player to join this elite company. Collins currently ranks 18th in points, 10th in assists and 24th in rebounding.

BOMBS AWAY: With 7.2 three-point field goals per game the Marauders average the 25th most in the country. U-Mary has attempted 20 or more three pointers in 11 of their 22 games this season. The Marauders are 7-0 when the attempt 20 or more three-point shots in a game. One of the two game in which they did not attempt 20 was in their 14 of 19 effort against Dakota State. It is not just about volume for the Marauders as they are 15th in the country in three-point percentage at 36.4. On the season the Marauders are 7-0 when they make 10 or more three-point field goals.

MARKSMANSHIP: Kelsey Peltier is quietly having one of the best three-point shooting seasons in U-Mary history. Shooting 53 percent (18-34) from beyond the arc, Peltier is well ahead of Kayla Rogers' school record 46 percent. Peltier has made a three-point field goal in 12 of the 16 games she has attempted one or more.

BLOCK PARTY: With 5.6 blocks per game the Marauders are 10th in the country and first among NSIC teams. Shaunna Knife has led the attack leading the conference in blocks with 2.45 per game (15th in the NCAA). U-Mary set a school record (since joining NCAA Division II in 2006) with 13 blocks against Minnesota State. Knife finished with six blocks for the second time this season (career-high).

Up next U-Mary will host their final home games of the season with rematches against Minnesota Crookston (7-13, 4-12 NSIC) and Bemidji State (9-11, 5-11 NSIC). The Marauders defeated both teams by double digits earlier in the season