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LAST GAME: The University of Mary was dominant inside as they cruised to an 84-62 victory over Upper Iowa University in the opening round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament. U-Mary took advantage of UIU's starting center Carly Pagel being out as they held a 48-12 advantage in the paint. Senior forwards Shaunna Knife and Shanara Clark were the catalysts for the Marauders' inside dominance. The duo combined to score 37 points on 17-of-19 shooting from inside the arc. Knife finished with a game-high 23 points and 9 rebounds, while Clark scored a career-high 14 points.
With 24 of the Marauders field goals coming inside the paint, they shot their second fewest three-point shots of the season going 5-of-12. Overall U-Mary shot 59 percent, their second highest percentage of the season. The Marauders held a commanding 39-25 advantage on the boards and a 12-4 edge in second chance opportunities. Ali Collins finished with 22 points and a game-high six assists. Laura Petersen added nine points and six rebounds.
Saturday U-Mary will host Augustana College in the quarterfinals of the 2013 NSIC/Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament at 6 p.m. At the McDowell Activity Center.
THE RECORDS: With a 13-9 record in the NSIC U-Mary finished tied for 5th in the conference overall, and second in the North Division. With a 16-6 conference record, Augustana College finished 3rd in the NSIC and 3rd in the South Division.
REMATCH: The Vikings led by eight at intermission before going on an 11-2 run to start the second half as they went on to win 71-59 back on Jan. 18. Making her first career start, Brittney Dietz was U-Mary's top performer. Dietz played a team-high 34 minutes and scored 14 points without committing a turnover. With two of the top three pointing shooting teams in the nation squaring off, the game saw 44 combined attempts. U-Mary held a distinct advantage connecting on 9-21 of their attempts compared to Augustana's 6-23. The Vikings, however, outshot the Marauders 38-32 percent from the field. Augustana took advantage of the fastbreak as they held a 17-6 advantage in scoring. The Vikings also controlled the paint outrebounding the Marauders 52-41 and outscoring them 33-22 from inside.
THE SERIES: The Marauders are 3-8 all-time against the Vikings and have lost seven of the last eight meetings. Augustana has won the past four meetings.
NSIC PLAYOFF HISTORY: U-Mary is 3-2 all-time in the NSIC Tournament including a perfect 3-0 at home. Last season it was Augustana who bounced the Marauders from the play-offs with a 78-67 win.
MAC ATTACK: The Marauders have won 42-of-62 NSIC home games at the McDowell Activity Center over the last six seasons and are 59-31 overall (9-4 2006-07, 10-3 in 2007-08, 8-5 in 2008-09, 7-6 in 2009-10, 7-5 in 2010-11, 10-3 in 2011-12, 8-5 in 2012-13) in the MAC. Since Rick Neumann joined the program as an assistant coach in the 2003-04 season, the Marauders are 96-34 at the MAC, which includes a 15-0 mark in 2004 and 10-0 in 2006.
NEXT ROUND: If the Marauders defeat Augustana College they will advance to the semifinals of the NSIC/Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament and take on the winner of Northern State and Concordia-St. Paul. The semifinals and finals will be held in Rochester, Minn.
