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LAST TIME OUT: One of the hottest teams in the Northern Sun going into the weekend, the University of Mary had its momentum upended last weekend with a pair of losses at the hands of two of the top teams in the conference. Squaring off against #24 Minnesota State on Friday, who is leading the nation in fewest turnovers per game, U-Mary picked a bad night to commit their most turnovers of the season. Twenty-eight Marauders turnovers led to 26 Mavericks points U-Mary fell 84-68. Shooting 42 percent from the field, the Marauders (23-of-55) actually outshot the Mavericks (28-of-78) by six percent. Looking to bounce back from a disappointing performance on Friday, U-Mary failed to do so as it had its worst shooting performance of the season in a loss to Concordia University, St. Paul. Shooting just 25 percent from the field, U-Mary fell 74-55. The Marauders shot just 19-of-75 on the night to the Golden Bears 29-of-69 (.420) from the field. U-Mary was 5-of-27 from deep to CU's 3-of-11. Led the Marauders in scoring with 12 points. Dietz finished the weekend with 30 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.
 
This weekend the Marauders look to bounce back as they hit the road for a pair of Northern Sun rematches. U-Mary will take on Minnesota Crookston on Friday night and Bemidji State on Saturday.
 
The Records: U-Mary is 11-8 so far this season and 9-7 in NSIC play. The Marauders have a 4-5 record on the road. Minnesota Crookston is 8-12 overall and 5-11 in the NSIC. The Golden Eagles are 7-4 at home. Bemidji State is 8-12 overall and 4-12 in conference play. The Beavers hold a 6-3 record at home.
 
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.
 
The Series: With a win earlier in the season, U-Mary has defeated UMC in 14 of 15 meetings since the Marauders joined the NSIC.
The Marauders had a five game winning streak against the Beavers prior to a 76-73 loss and with a win earlier this season hold a 12-2 edge.
 
Earlier this season vs. UMC, U-Mary started slow, but a strong second half effort fueled the Marauders to a 76-68 win. The majority of the second half scoring coming from the free throw line. U-Mary was 23-of-33 from the line in the second half alone. Brittney Dietz was the Marauders top scorer with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
 
Earlier this season vs. BSU it took a steal by Linda Murray at the end of regulation to force overtime for the University of Mary women's basketball team (10-6, 8-5 NSIC) to not repeat history. Losing on a buzzer beater at home last year against Bemidji State (8-9, 4-5), Murray's steal ensured a different outcome as U-Mary held on for an 89-83 double overtime win.
 
Brittney Dietz paved the way for the Marauders with a career-high 30 points to go with four rebounds, five assists and two steals. Going 11-of-14 from the line, Dietz went 10-of-11 during the overtime periods.
 
Last Season vs. UMC, U-Mary won both meetings by at least 20 points. On the road the Marauders had five players in double figures en route to an 88-66 win. Ali Collins led the way with 23 points, six rebounds, five assists and six steals. U-Mary defeated UMC 80-56 at home behind another dominant performance from Collins. Collins recorded a triple double with 10 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists.
 
Last Season vs. BSU the series ended with a 1-1 split.  The Marauders beat the Beavers 78-63 behind career-high 24 points from McKenzie Foster. Foster's 24 points came on 8-of-11 three-point shooting.  U-Mary fell 76-73 to BSU at home as the Beavers hit a game-winning three as time expired. Despite the disappointing loss it was a historical night for the Marauders as Shaunna Knife and Ali Collins became the 13th and 14th players to reach 1,000 career points for U-Mary.
 
Last Season's Finishes: 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. BSU Finished last season with a 11-16 record overall and an 7-15 mark in conference play, which placed them in 13th place in the NSIC. UMC posted an 8-19 mark overall with a 5-17 record in conference play, which was good for 14th place.
 
BSU is ranked eighth in the North Division and is led by seniors and 1,000 point scorers Morgan Lee and Kate Warmack. Lee is averaging 17.8 points, while doing the majority of her damage from beyond the arc. Lee has made 50 free throws, while shooting 42 percent. In contrast, Warmack has steadied the inside averaging 16.6 points, while ranking 24th in the NCAA with 10.3 rebounds per game. Warmack is 10th in the nation with 10 double doubles. The Beavers are averaging 71.6 points per game as a team, but surrender 75.8. BSU struggles from the field offensively shooting an NSIC worst 38.6 %. The Beavers rank in the middle of the pack defensively allowing opponents to shoot just 42.1 % from the field in conference play. BSU shoots just 32.2 % from deep, but only allows opponents to shoot 33.4 % on the season. Getting the free throws has been a bit of a struggle for BSU as they average fewer than 15 makes per game, but they are shooting over 74 %. Rebounding has been an issue for the Beavers as they have been outrebounded by an average 4.5 per game and have only outrebounded their opponent in six of 20 games. One thing BSU has had success with is limiting its mistakes. The Beavers are averaging 15.6 turnovers per game and maintain a +1.9 margin.
 
UMC is ranked seventh in the North Division and is led by the inside out duo of Katrina Moenkedick and Alexa Thielman. Named to the All-NSIC Freshman Team a year ago, Moenkedick has shown no signs of a sophomore slump averaging 16.0 points per game, while grabbing 7.4 rebounds per contest. Thielman has been able to stretch the floor for the Golden Eagles as she ranks third in the nation in three-point percentage at 49.1 and 25th in makes at 2.70 per game. Offensively, UMC has held its own this season averaging 72.9 points, while hitting at a 42.0 % average from the field and the seventh best average from deep in the nation at 39.2 %. Defensively, however, the Golden Eagles struggle allowing opponents to shoot 43.8 % from the field and 33.5 from deep in conference play. Minnesota Crookston has given up 75.2 points per game in NSIC games. One area UMC has excelled at is knocking down free throws. The Golden Eagles are 16th in the nation at 76.6 % from the stripe. With no projected starters above 6-0, UMC has struggled on the glass being outrebounded by an average of 3.7 per game. The Golden Eagles hold a + 0.1 average in the turnover battle, but average 1.6 blocks per game.
 
Up Next: U-Mary will host Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls next weekend.

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