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THIS WEEKEND
Setting sail on their longest road trip of the conference season, the University of Mary men's basketball team (2-11 overall / 0-8 NSIC) faces the Northern Sun-leading Winona State University Warriors (13-2 / 8-0) and the Upper Iowa University Peacocks (5-9 / 3-5), two programs that qualified for the NCAA tournament last season. The Marauders open the weekend against the 21st-ranked Warriors at 8 PM on Friday, Jan. 10, at McCown Gym. On Saturday, Jan. 11, at 6 PM, U-Mary faces the Peacocks at Dorman Gym.
 
THIS IS IT - FOR NOW
This is the lone regular season meeting for the NSIC North Division Marauders against the Warriors and the Peacocks, both of whom are housed in the NSIC South Division. Teams play the other seven schools in their own division twice and face the eight squads in the other division once each. This is the second straight week teams from the North have faced their southern counterparts.

BACK TO BACK CROSSOVER
This is the second straight weekend teams from the NSIC North have faced teams from the NSIC South. Last weekend the Marauders hosted Augustana and Wayne State College. U-Mary returns to North division play next weekend, hosting St. Coud State University and The University of Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 17-18. The SCSU contest kicks off a four-game home stand.

ON THE LINE
While not as far as Fairbanks, Alaska, the Marauders road trip to Winona, Minn., and Fayette, Iowa, is the longest road trip of the season for U-Mary... The Marauders are seeking their first conference win of the season and look to snap an 11-game losing streak... Ranked 21st in the nation, Winona State is undefeated through eight Northern Sun games, the only conference team with an unblemished record.

THE HISTORY - MARAUDERS v. WARRIORS
U-Mary is 1-13 all-time against Winona State University. The Warriors won the first seven games of the series. The Marauders lone win was an 87-85 overtime win at home Jan. 3, 2010, as Anthony Moody scored 29 points and hit 5-of-6 treys on his way to winning NSIC Player of the Week honors. WSU has defeated U-Mary three times in the NSIC tournament and are 8-0 at home against the Marauders.

In its last meeting against Winona State, U-Mary grabbed an early lead and led the then 21st-ranked Warriors at half before succumbing 77-64 in the opening round of the 2013 NSIC tournament on February 27. Leading by as many as 11 points, the second-seeded Warriors slowly worked their way back into the game before controlling the second half. Jalen Jaspers led the Marauders with 19 points and eight rebounds and Josh Turner scored 15. Clayton Vette paced WSU with 18 points, 13 rebounds and three assists and five Warriors reached double figures in scoring.

THE HISTORY - MARAUDERS v. PEACOCKS
The Peacocks hold a slight 6-5 series edge over the Marauders. Upper Iowa is 4-1 on their home court and the Marauders are 4-2 at the MAC. The Marauders picked up their only road win over the Peacocks 65-56 on 1.4.11 in a game delayed two days by winter storms. Anthony Moody scored 22 points to lead all players and Eric Erdmann had 12 points and nine rebounds. Den Bestul led the Peacocks with 11 points.

Last meeting: With a 67-63 win at the McDowell Activity Center on Jan. 12, 2013, Upper Iowa won a game in Bismarck, ND, for the second straight year. Trailing by as many as nine points, the Marauders made a run in the second half to close within one point but the Peacocks were nearly perfect down the stretch. UIU made all three shots from the floor and hit 3-of-4 free throws without committing a turnover in the final three minutes of the game. Jalen Jaspers led U-Mary with 13 points, Josh Turner had 12 points and six rebounds, Marc Musungayi added 12 points and Brandon Tyler and Alex Dorr each had 11. Tucker Wentzien led Upper Iowa with 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.  

THE OPPONENT: Winona State University Warriors
Ranked 21st in the nation, Winona State University is the lone undefeated squad in Northern Sun play after winning all eight conference contests. Coming off their eight NCAA tournament appearance in nine seasons, the Warriors are led by Mike Leaf. In his 16th season at WSU, Leaf has compiled a record of 355-133. Guards Taylor Cameron and Riley Bambenek led the Warriors in scoring, each averaging 12.1 points per game. Senior forward Kellen Taylor was named the NSIC Player of the Week after posting double doubles against both Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State last weekend. For the season he is posting 8.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. A young team, the Warriors roster has just four upperclassmen on their 12 man roster. Sixth in the league at 80.3 points per game, the Warriors are second defensively, allowing just 66.0 points per game.

THE OPPONENT: Upper Iowa University Peacocks
One season after qualifying for the NCAA tournament and posting a mark of 20-12, the Peacocks are struggling with a mark of 5-9 overall and 3-5 in Northern Sun action. Upper Iowa lost its top three scorers from last season and the head coach took the same position at Wayne State College. Brooks McKowen is in his first season with the Peacocks after two years as the top assistant at Southwest Minnesota State University. Joey Woods is sixth in the NSIC in scoring and third in assists, averaging a team-high 16.0 PG and 4.5 APG while shooting 50 per cent from the floor. Three others also average double digit points: Josh Weeber (12.6), Grant Lang (12.2) and Bo Pagel (10.5). Known for high scoring games, UIU averages 82.2 points per game and allows 86.1.   

LAST TIME OUT
U-Mary lost two tough home contests last weekend to Augustana and Wayne State College. On Friday with victory nearly in their grasp, the Marauders couldn't hold off a late charge by Augustana in a 75-68 overtime loss. Augie tied the game on free throws with 1.1 seconds left in regulation, wiping out what had been as much as a 14 point lead for U-Mary. Damonta Henry led the Marauders with 25 points, making 5-of-7 shots from behind the arc. Marc Musungayi added 12 off the bench. Luke Scott chipped in nine in his first start... U-Mary jumped out to a 10-2 lead on Saturday but Wayne State roared back to capture a 66-57 win over the Marauders. Devan Douglas posted 11 points for U-Mary and Musungayi had 10 points and seven rebounds. Adol Aluong scored 16 points for the Wildcats.

Alumni Weekend/3-on-3 Tourney
The U-Mary men's and women's basketball teams will be holding alumni weekend January 24-25. Instead of holding an alumni game, the Marauders will be hosting a 3-on-3 tournament to benefit former players Nate and Karie Welstad, whose newborn son, Karson, is facing medical complications. For more information or to register a team go to goumary.com/3on3.

NEW LOOK LINEUP
The Marauders broke out a new look last weekend that included two players making their first collegiate starts and two others making just their second and third starts of the season. In the Marauders overtime home loss to Augustana, senior guard Mike Johnson and junior forward Germain Decoste returned to the lineup after each starting just one game this season. Two freshmen - guard Luke Scott and forward Isaac Lindquist - also started for the first time for the Blue and Orange. The lone holdover was junior guard Devan Douglas, who had moved into the starting rotation after coming off the bench the first seven games this season. The new lineup provided an early spark for the Marauders, who jumped out to a 14 point lead over Augustana before suffering a loss in overtime. Johnson, Decoste and Lindquist joined Douglas in the lineup for a second straight night against Wayne State. Jalen Jaspers rounded out the lineup in place of Scott, who missed the contest due to a family commitment. U-Mary again started fast, creating a 10-2 lead before fading in a loss to the Wildcats.

THE FRESHMEN
Three different freshmen have started this season for the Marauders. Guard Damonta Henry, third on the team in scoring at 9.4 points per game, has started seven times. Isaac Lindquist now has two straight starts in the post and Luke Scott has one at guard.

BIG NIGHTS
Freshman post player Isaac Lindquist made his first two collegiate starts last weekend. In his first night in the starting lineup the 6-9 forward posted a career-high five rebounds against Augie. The native of Milbank, SD, followed up with a seven point effort against Wayne State College. Lindquist made all three of his field goal attempts and his lone effort at the free throw line.

SCOTT SCORES
Making his first collegiate start, freshman guard Luke Scott had a strong debut. The Minneapolis, MN, native scored nine points and distributed three assists while playing 37 minutes in the Marauders overtime loss to Augustana. He hit 2-of-7 trey attempts and snared two rebounds.

FORCEFUL FRESHMAN
Freshman Damonta Henry is quickly catching onto the college game. He posted his biggest night of the season with a 25 point outburst in an overtime loss to Augustana. Henry knocked down five treys in seven attempts and tied his career-high with three assists. After scoring just three points in his first two games at U-Mary, the Chicago native has posted double figure games in seven of his last ten contests. The team leader with 20 three pointers, Henry averages 9.4 points per game, third best total on the Marauders. At the free throw line Henry is 19-of-22.

MUSUNGAYI MAKES THE MARK
Senior center Marc Musungayi ranks among Northern Sun leaders in several categories. He is 10th in blocked shots (1.3 blocks/game), 12th in defensive rebounds (4.3 rebounds/game) and 18th in total rebounds (6.0 rebounds/game). Junior guard Devan Douglas is the only other U-Mary player listed among the NSIC leaders. Douglas is shooting 58.5 per cent from the floor, fifth in the conference.

DYNAMIC DOUGLAS
Moved into the starting lineup six games ago against Northern State, junior guard Devan Douglas continues to provide scoring punch for the Marauders. He has reached double figures in points in seven of his last nine games. During that stretch he averaging a team-high 11.6 PPG. His most impressive stat is shooting 58.5 per cent from the field this season overall while also knocking down 72.7 per cent of his free throws. Douglas, who is averaging 9.8 points per game, is fifth in the NSIC in field goal percentage (.585). He leads the Marauders in assists (20) and steals (12) and is second in blocks (6).
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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 11 contests. During that stretch the Marauders are 125-of-206 (61 per cent) on free throws and the other squad is 236-of-321 (73.5 per cent). In the past nine games U-Mary is 99-of-163 compared to a 199-of-270 effort for the opposition. The Marauders have lost those nine games by a combined 109 points while being outscored at the line by 100 points.


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.

FIVE BY EIGHT
Five Marauders are averaging at least 8.5 points per game. Marc Musingayi leads the team at 10.9 points per game, followed by Devan Douglas at 9.4, Damonta Henry at 9.6, Chris Mason at 9.4 and  Jalen Jaspers at 8.5.

DOUBLE DIGIT THREAT
Eight different Marauders have reached double figures in a game this season: Devan Douglas (8 times), Chris Mason (6), Damonta Henry (7), Marc Musungayi (8), Jalen Jaspers (4), Brandon Tyler (3), Marquealis Edwards (2) and Germain Decoste (1).

TURN UP THE HEAT
After 13 games the Marauders are averaging 4.92 steals per game. U-Mary was next to last in the NCAA a year ago with 3.3 steals/game. Chris Mason and Devan Douglas leads the Marauders with 12 steals each.

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 3.15 blocks per game, seventh in the league. Marc Musungayi leads the team with 17 blocks, which is 10th in the NSIC.

722
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. The senior guard now has 722.

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.