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NSIC TOURNAMENT OPENS WEDNESDAY
A whole new season begins on Wednesday, February 26, for the University of Mary men's basketball team when the Marauders face the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State University in the opening round of the 2014 Northern Sun / Sanford Health Men's Basketball Tournament. The sixth seed in the NSIC North, U-Mary (7-20 overall, 5-17 NSIC) will play at NSIC South third seed SMSU (17-11, 14-8). Game time is 7 PM at the R/A Facility on the SMSU campus in Marshall, Minn.

RADIO CHANGE
With the University of Mary men's and women's basketball teams both playing at 7 PM on Wednesday, February 26, in the first round of the NSIC tournament, there will be a slight reshuffling regarding radio broadcasts. The men's basketball game will be carried live on KFYR 550 AM with Marauders Sports Information Director Brian Larson calling the action. Fans outside the listening area can catch the action online at www.KFYR.com. The women's home game against Winona State will remain on ESPN 710 AM with Rick Anthony, Voice of the Marauders, providing the commentary.

ON THE LINE...
Ultimately a spot in the NCAA tourmament. The winner of the NSIC postseason tourmament receives an automatic berth in the national championships... Due to the Marauders place in the conference standings U-Mary would have to win the NSIC tournament to make the NCAA tournament... The winner of the Marauders-Mustangs game will face the victor of the Bemidji State – Wayne State game on Sunday, March 2, at 8:30 PM in the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D... The semifinals will be held Monday, March 3, and the finals are set for Tuesday, March 3... Jalen Jaspers is seven points from reaching 900 in his career. The senior guard would be the 24th player in U-Mary history to reach that level and the first since Anthony Moody in 2011.  

HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. MUSTANGS
U-Mary is 2-9 all-time against SMSU and has yet to win in Marshall, MN, in six attempts. The series began in the 2005-06 season with a 74-49 home win for SMSU, the first of seven straight wins for the Mustangs. The Marauders first win was on 1.14.11 in Bismarck, ND, as Anthony Moody scored a game-high 18 points in a 60-48 U-Mary win. Eric Erdmann and Baley Johnson each added 10 points for the Marauders. SMSU won the next two games before U-Mary pulled off the win this past Valentine's Day at home.

Last Meeting: A dominant defensive effort and a relentless attacking offense led U-Mary to a 74-65 upset at home over Southwest Minnesota State University on Feb. 14, 2014. Chris Mason led the Marauders with 18 points and U-Mary went to the free throw line 38 times in the win. One of the top shooting teams in the NSIC, SMSU hit just 39.3 per cent of its shots against a tough U-Mary defenses. It was one of the worst marks of the season for the Mustangs. Leading 63-62 at 2:20, the Marauders went to the line to protect their advantage. In the last 1:12, the Marauders drained 10-of-12 free throws to stave off the Mustangs attack. Mason went 4-of-4 at the free throw line and Damonta Henry 3-of-4 to lead U-Mary down the stretch. SMSU managed to make just one of its final six shots of the game. Mason made all six of his free throw attempts and hit two treys in the game on his way to 18 points. The junior guard also added five rebounds. Henry came off the bench to score 14 points, knocking down three treys in eight attempts. Germain Decoste scored nine points and had a team-high eight rebounds and two blocks. Jaspers also had nine points, two blocks and two steals. Johnson made both his trey attempts and scored six points. Former U-Mary player Shaun Condon led SMSU with 23 points, making five three-pointers in 11 attempts. Nick Smith added 12 points and six rebounds. The Marauders shot 48.8 per cent for the game, including a 9-of-16 effort behind the arc. U-Mary was 23-of-38 at the free throw line. SMSU, meanwhile, was 9-of-12 at the line and 12-of-28 behind the arc. The three-pointers attempted and made by the Mustangs are a season-high.

THE OPPONENT: Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs
2012-13 NSIC Coach of the Year Brad Bigler, in his fifth season at Southwest Minnesota State, leads one of the most successful and consistent programs in the Northern Sun. The Mustangs have just one losing season in the last eight years and two NCAA tournament appearances. Sixth in the NSIC overalls standings (14-8) and third in the South Division, SMSU is 17-11 overall and ranked ninth in the first NCAA Central Region rankings that were released last week. A strong defensive team, SMSU is third in the NSIC in points allowed (71.0 PPG) and eighth in field goal percentage defense (.453). The Mustangs are also fifth in rebounding margin (+4.1). Offensively the Mustangs are just 10th in scoring (73.4 PPG) but are third in field goal percentage (.493). One of five SMSU players averaging double digits in scoring, Nick Smith produces 11.3 PPG and 7.1 RPG while shooting 53.2 per cent to lead the squad. He also has a team-high 43 blocks. Vinard Birch scores 11.3 PPG and is third in the NSIC in assists with 4.29. Former Marauders guard Shaun Condon produces 11.4 PPG. SMSU is 14-12 in the NSIC tournament since it started in 2000. The Mustangs have won five titles - most recently in 2012 - and are 7-2 at home.

MARAUDERS NSIC PLAYOFF HISTORY (1-4)
March 1, 2008             at Winona State (1st round)                L 77-50
March 3, 2010            at Winona State (1st round)                L 76-57
March 2, 2011            MSU Moorhead (1st round)                W 70-65
March 5, 2011            vs. St. Cloud State (semi-finals)        L 65-59
Feb. 27, 2013            at Winona State (1st round)                L 77-64

MARAUDERS NCAA PLAYOFF HISTORY
March 12, 2011     vs. Metro State (at Mankato, MN)            L 78-73



LAST TIME OUT
The Marauders suffered two tough road losses on the final weekend of the regular season. U-Mary fell 72-69 at Northern State when Damonta Henry's game-tying three-point attempt was halfway down before rimming out. The Marauders suffered a 95-94 loss the following day at MSU Moorhead when Chris Mason's game-winning jumper attempt rolled off the rim just before time expired... The Marauders rallied from a double digit deficit to nearly force overtime in a 72-69 loss at Northern State. Henry came off the bench to score a team-high 20 points for U-Mary, knocking down 6-of-8 three pointers in the game. During one stretch he had made five straight. The game appeared over when Tydan Storrusten hit a three pointer with 4:06 remaining in the game to give the Wolves a 66-52 lead, their biggest advantage of the night, before the Marauders rallied to nearly tie the game. Perfect in six free throw attempts, Mason scored 11. Musungayi had 10 points with five rebounds and two blocks. Freshman forward Bryan Jefferson came off the bench to also score 10 points, snare four rebounds and distribute two assists. Additionally, Germain Decoste posted four blocked shots and nine rebounds for the Marauders. He also had seven points. Seth Bachand posted a double double for the Wolves with 13 points and 13 rebounds... Mason scored a career-high 29 points for the Marauders in the 95-94 overtime loss at to the Dragons and was heavily influential in forcing the extra session. Down by as many as 10 points in the second half, the Marauders found themselves within five points with 1:38 left in the game. A Dragons turnover led to a Henry layup at 0:43 to pull the Marauders within two. Mason then stole the ball and drove in for an overtime-forcing layup with 42 seconds left. Tyler Vaughn scored the winning points for MSUM when he converted a three point play with 25 seconds remaining. Mason had a shot for the win but the ball fell off the rim. Mason scored 26 of his 29 points in the second half. He finished the day making 11-of-17 shots overall with a 5-of-8 effort on three pointers. He also had six rebounds. Henry came off the bench and drained four treys and scored 16 points. Jefferson, a freshman from Illinois like Henry, scored a career-high 15 points and hauled down six rebounds. Musungayi had 17 points in the game. Vaughn led the Dragons with 26 points, one of five MSUM players in double figures. Isaac Sevlie had 16 points, Clark added 15 and Aaron Lien and Ngijol Songolo posted 11 each.

DEEEE-FENSE
The Marauders played some of their best defense of the year over a three-game span recently against Southwest Minnesota State, Sioux Falls and Northern State. U-Mary allowed just 72 PPG and with a defensive field goal percentage of .392 and held a 17-12 edge in blocked shots.

MASON MAGIC
Chris Mason saved his best effort for the last game of the season. The junior guard scored a career-high 29 points in an exciting 95-94 overtime loss at NSIC North tri-champion MSU Moorhead. He had his top shooting night against the Dragons also, making 11-of-17 shots overall, including 5-of-8 on three pointers. Since returning to the starting lineup, the Phoenix, Ariz., native has scored in double digits his last five games and is averaging 18.4 during that stretch. For the year he is averaging 9.8 PPG.

FREE THROW THOUGHTS
U-Mary has attempted more free throws than its opponents just four times this season and the Marauders have won three times (vs. South Dakota Mines, vs. Minnesota Duluth, vs., Southwest Minnesota State). The lone loss was at Bemidji State. In the one game where both teams attempted the same amount U-Mary also came away with the win (at Minnesota Crookston).

EFFICIENCY
Over the last 13 games the Marauders have posted a better shooting percentage than their opponents ten times. U-Mary is shooting 46.5 per cent and the opponents 46.4 per cent. The Marauders have made 344 baskets to 330. However, U-Mary has been outscored 970-954. The opponents have a 102-76 edge in three pointers made and 208-190 advantage in free throws made. During this stretch U-Mary has committed just three more turnovers than its foes and had five of its seven wins.

WORKING OVERTIME
The Marauders have played five overtime games this season, more than any other team in the Northern Sun. U-Mary is 1-4 in those contests, defeating St. Cloud State and losing to Minot State, Augustana, Sioux Falls and MSU Moorhead. The MSU and MSUM games were  was on the road.

MUSUNGAYI ON THE MARCH
Marauders senior center Marc Musungayi has been impressive over the last 13 games, which has included five U-Mary wins. The native of Hamilton, Ontario, is averaging 15.8 points per game and 5.0 rebounds while making 54.3 per cent of his field goal attempts and 81.5 per cent of his free throws. Included in his recent run is a career-high 33 points against St. Cloud State and a 27 point outburst against Bemidji State.

27
During a stretch from the second half of the Wayne State College game until the first half of the Bemidji State game, senior forward  Marc Musungayi made 27 straight free throws.

640
Marc Musungayi scored his 600th career point against the University of Sioux Falls and now sits at 640.


JASPERS HITS MILESTONES OF 893 POINTS, 109 GAMES
Senior guard Jalen Jaspers hit two personal milestones in the Marauders home game against Bemidji State. Jaspers played in his 100th game that night and also scored his 800th career point. Jaspers, with 109 games played, is the fourth U-Mary player to play 100 games during the school's NCAA era (2006-07 season onward). The only others are Eric Erdmann (116), Jordan Wilhelm (112) and Danny Sandvig (110). Now with 893 points, the Minneapolis, Minn., native is one of five Marauders to reach 800 career points in the NCAA era: Erdmann (1,642), Wilhelm (1,129), Anthony Moody (1,126) and Geoff West (801).

HEROIC HENRY TIMES TWO
Freshman Damonta Henry owns probably the two most iconic shots for the Marauders this season, last second connections at home to force overtime against St. Cloud State and Sioux Falls. With time running out and U-Mary down by two, Henry hit a runner in the lane with 1.3 seconds left in regulation to force overtime in what became an 87-83 double overtime win over St. Cloud State. Trailing by three against Sioux Falls, Henry hit a long trey with six seconds remaining in the game to force the extra session in what became a 79-71 loss. Henry has posted double figure point totals in ten games as a freshman. His biggest night of the season was 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 in the game. The team leader with 44 three pointers, Henry averages 9.3 points per game, fourth best total on the Marauders. At the free throw line Henry is 34-of-43.

DECOSTE ON THE DRIVE
Germain Decoste continues to make big strides in recent weeks. The junior forward pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds in the Marauders 67-62 win at Minnesota Crookston and added eight points in the game. The following night he tied his career-high with 12 points at Bemidji State. He also had six rebounds in the game. Against Northern State he anchored the Marauders defense with nine rebounds and four blocks. Decoste has started the last 16 games for the Marauders and 17 this season, averaging 5.5 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 56.9 per cent from the field. Over the last 13 games Decoste leads the team in rebounding (6.0) and field goal percentage (.600) and is fourth on the team in scoring (7.8).
 
THE FRESHMEN
Three different freshmen have started games this season for the Marauders. Guard Damonta Henry, fourth on the team in scoring at 8.5 points per game, has started seven times. Isaac Lindquist has four starts in the post and Luke Scott has one at guard.

MOVING UP
Freshman forward Bryan Jefferson has posted three straight double digit games at the end of the season. After scoring 11 points against Sioux Falls, he followed with 10 points and four rebounds against Northern State before exploding for 15 point at MSU Moorhead. He hit 5-of-6 shots against the Dragons and added six rebounds.

MUSUNGAYI MAKES THE MARK
Senior center Marc Musungayi ranks among Northern Sun leaders in several categories. For the season Musungayi is 21st in the NSIC in scoring (13.2 PPG), 14th in field goal percentage (52.9) and 12th in blocks (1.02 BPG).

MAKING SHOTS
Jalen Jaspers is among the leaders of the Northern Sun leaders in field goal percentage. Senior guard Jalen Jaspers is 11th (.535) in the NSIC and senior forward Marc Musungayi is 14th at .529.

FIVE BY EIGHT
Five Marauders are averaging at least 8.0 points per game. Marc Musingayi leads the team at 13.2 PPG, followed by Jalen Jaspers at 10.4, Chirs Mason at 9.8, Damonta Henry at 9.3 and Devan Douglas at 8.0.