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LAST TIME OUT: The University of Mary finished its home schedule on a high note and send its seniors out on top with a pair of wins over Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls that secured the Marauders a home playoff game. A first half lull by U-Mary allowed SMSU to stay in the game, but a balanced attack by the Marauders enabled them to hold on for the win. With five different players in double figures, U-Mary won 73-65 on Friday night. Behind 4-of-4 shooting from deep in the first half, McKenzie Foster led the Marauders with 17 points. U-Mary extended its winning streak to four and secured a home playoff game with a win over Sioux Falls on Saturday. Behind 58 points from their seniors, the Marauders defeated the Cougars 78-75 on Senior Night. Foster finished with a team-high 22 points including a 9-of-9 performance from the free throw line. Linda Murray added 21 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Murray also had four assists and three blocks.
 
This weekend the Marauders will conclude the regular season on the road. U-Mary looks to complete season sweeps of Northern State University on Friday at 6 p.m. and of Minnesota State University Moorhead on Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
Follow along with all of this weekend's live coverage at goumary.com/coverage. There will be live video, audio and stats available for both games. For those in the Bismarck area the radio coverage for both games will also be broadcast on Bismarck's ESPN 710 AM.
 
What's on the Line: Securing a home play-off game with a win over USF on Saturday, U-Mary can finish the season anywhere from 1st to 4th in the NSIC North Division depending on this weekend's outcomes. The Marauders still have a chance to win the NSIC North, but they need some help. In order to win the North, U-Mary needs to win both its games this weekend against Northern State and MSU Moorhead, and needs travel partner Minot State to lose one of two games.
 
Up in the Air: With the 1st and 4th place teams in the North in NSU and MSUM taking on the 2nd and 3rd place teams in MiSU and U-Mary in the final weekend of the regular season, playoff seeding is far from set. First place Northern State (15-5) has a two game lead over Minot State and U-Mary (13-7), but both teams have defeated the Wolves and if both the Beavers and Marauders win, the Wolves could slide all the way down to 3rd. Minot State has the tiebreaker over U-Mary and is currently the 2nd seed, but could finish anywhere from 1st to 3rd. U-Mary is currently the 3rd seed, but could finish anywhere from 1st to 4th. MSU Moorhead sits in fourth place (12-8), but could jump as high as 2nd with a pair of wins and some help or drop as low as 5th.
 
The Records: Riding a four-game winning streak, U-Mary is 15-8 so far this season and 13-7 in NSIC play (3rd NSIC North). The Marauders have a 6-5 record on the road. With a two-game losing streak, NSU is 19-5 overall and 15-5 in the NSIC (1st NSIC North). The Wolves are 11-0 at home. Riding a six-game winning streak, MSUM (16-8, 12-8 NSIC) is one of the hottest teams in the Northern Sun. The Dragons (4th NSIC North) are 10-2 at home this season.
 
The Series: Since joining the NSIC, U-Mary has faced NSU 15 times, 14 of which were conference games. The overall series over that period has U-Mary ahead 8-7, with the series tied 7-7 in NSIC contests. U-Mary currently holds a five game winning streak in the series, prior to which NSU held a four game winning streak. Since joining the NSIC, U-Mary has faced MSUM 13 times, with the Dragons holding a 7-6 edge. All 13 meetings have been decided by 12 or fewer points, with seven of those games being a one or two possession game. The Marauders have won four of the last six meeting.
 
Earlier this season: McKenzie Foster and Linda Murray were dominant as they lead the U- Mary to an 87-83 win over Northern State. Foster finished with 20 points on 5-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Murray scored 16 points and grabbed a then career-high 15 rebounds. In a game that was within two possessions nearly the entire game, U- Mary squeaked out a 77-75 win over Minnesota State University Moorhead. Linda Murray scored a game-high 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting, while grabbing a game-high nine rebounds. But it was McKenzie Foster who provided the spark for the Marauders 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting including a perfect 3-for-3 effort from beyond the arc. 
 
Last season's meetings between the Marauders are Dragons were especially memorable. At home U-Mary fell to MSU Moorhead 63-60 on a last second three from Morgan Zabel. The Marauders avenged their loss on the road thanks in part to a career-high 24 points from Shaunna Knife, as they held on for an 81-79 victory. U-Mary swept Northern State last season winning by 12 at home behind a 24 point 11 assist performance from Ali Collins. Closing out the regular season on the road against the Wolves, the Marauders squeaked out a 68-62 win as they clinched the No. 2 seed in the North Division.
 
Last Season's Finish: U-Mary finished the 2012-13 season with a 19-11 record overall and a 13-9 conference record, which was good for 5th place overall in the NSIC. MSUM finished last season with a 16-12 mark overall and a 12-10 record in NSIC action, finishing in eight place. Finishing just behind MSUM last season, NSU had a 16-12 record overall, with an 11-11 mark in conference play.
 
MSUM, led by senior forwards Morgan Zabel and Megan Strese, is one of the hottest teams in the NSIC riding a six-game winning streak. Zabel, who was named All-NSIC second team last season, is averaging a team-high 16.1 points and is second on the Dragons with 5.8 rebounds per game. Playing on the wing, Zabel has been aided by the inside presence of senior forward Megan Strese. Strese, who was named All-NSIC first team last season, is second on the team in scoring and first in rebounding averaging 13.7 and 6.8 respectively. As a team the Dragons are outscoring opponents 71.8 to 68.3, while outshooting them 42.3 to 40.6 from the field. MSUM has shot effectively from deep averaging over six makes and shooting at a 36 percent clip, but have allowed opponents to make 6.5 per game and shoot 33.8 percent. Two areas the Dragons have excelled at is rebounding and free throw shooting. MSUM is 12th in the nation with a +8.0 rebounding margin and 3rd in the nation at 79.4 percent from the free throw line. The Dragons have struggled to take care of the ball on the season facing a -3.5 turnover margin.
 
NSU, led by junior forward Rachel Krogman and senior guard Allison Kusler, is leading the NSIC North Division. With 11 double-doubles, Krogman is 17th in the nation. With 15.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, Krogman is one of four players in the NSIC to average a double-double. Kusler counteracts Krogman's inside presence, by being fourth in the NSIC with 17.4 points per game. The Wolves average just 69.5 points per game, but are 25th in the NCAA allowing just 60.2 points per game. From the field NSU has outshot opponents 41.6 to 36.2, but have struggled from deep being outshot 29.7 to 30.8 percent. Opponents have made an average of 2.7 three-point field goals per game. The Wolves have shown to be among the best in the conference with both rebounding and taking care of the ball. NSU is 6th in the NSIC with a 1.08 assist to turnover ratio, while being seventh in the nation for rebounding margin at +9.5.
 
Up Next: U-Mary will open the 2014 NSIC / Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament at home on Wednesday Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. The Marauders opponent could be any of the five bottom teams in the NSIC South Division.

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