BISMARCK, N.D. - With the final two games of the 2015 calendar year looming, the University of Mary Women's Basketball team will take on Minot State University in a home-and-home series this week. Game 1 will be in Minot and will be televised throughout the region on the KX Weather Channels in Bismarck, Minot, Williston, and Dickinson on Wednesday, December 16, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 PM CDT.

Game 2 will be in Bismarck and will be broadcast live throughout central and western North Dakota on the NBC North Dakota Sports Network Me-TV channels on Friday, December 18, with tipoff scheduled for 6:00 PM CDT. Nine-time North Dakota Sportscaster of the Year and KFYR-TV Sports Director Lee Timmerman is the television play-by-play announcer for the Marauders and will be joined by Marisa DeCandido as the color commentator, the KFYR-TV weekend sports anchor and host of Marauders Weekly.

Me-TV can be seen over the air on the following channels:
5.3 - Bismarck
10.3 - Minot
8.3 - Williston
7.3 - Dickinson
11.2 - Fargo

Me-TV can be seen on the following cable channels:
595 - Midcontinent Communications
7.3 - Beach Cable TV
22 - Consolidated Cablevision
7 - BEK Communications
15 - ND Telephone Company
109 - SRT Communications
33 - United Telephone
20 - Reservation Telephone
7 - Northwest Communications Cooperative

Additionally, to show appreciation for members of the United States Military, the Chamber of Bismarck-Mandan is hosting 'Brats for the Brave' in conjunction with the University of Mary men's and women's basketball games against Minot State on Friday, December 18. The Chamber Militart Affairs Committee would like to invite community members to dine with members of the military and thank them for their service at Chick's Place on the U-Mary campus, brats and all the fixing are complimentary and will be served from 6:30 - 8:00 PM.

It will also be Military Appreciation Night at U-Mary asl all armed forces personnel plus one guest will get into the men's and women's basketball games for free.

This Week: The University of Mary Women's Basketball team wraps up the 2015 portion of their schedule as they take on their travel partners, Minot State University in a home-and-home series. The Marauders will play in Minot on Wednesday, December 16, at 7:00 PM, before hosting the Beavers for the final game of the calendar year on Friday, December 18, at 6:00 PM.

The Records: The Marauders returned to their winning ways with a 66-42 non-conference win over Valley City State University followed by an 80-77 double overtime thriller win against Southwest Minnesota State University. Unfortunately, U-Mary's record fell to 7-5, 1-3 NSIC, after they dropped a close 69-67 decision to the University of Sioux Falls in another game that came down to a last-second shot attempt. The Beavers own a 4-6 record on the year so far with a 1-3 mark in conference games and have hit a small skid in their schedule as they have dropped three of their last four games with losses coming to Minnesota State University Moorhead, Sioux Falls, and Southwest Minnesota State, with the lone win coming against Northern State University.

Coverage: Live Stats and any webcasts can be found at GoUMary.com/coverage

Last Week: U-Mary started off the week strong as they took on the Vikings at the beginning of the week for the last non-conference game of the season. Both offenses struggled early on with Valley City making the only bucket in the first 4:29 of the game before Hannah Larson ended the drought at 5:31 for the Marauders that ended up with U-Mary on top at 14-13 at the end of the first quarter. The offense finally started clicking for the Marauders in the second quarter, though, as they opened up the frame with a 9-2 run and closed out the half with 12 unanswered points to take a comfortable 35-21 lead at the break. Defense took over in the second half as the Vikings couldn't get within 14 points of the Marauders and U-Mary cruised to the 66-42 win led by Brittney Dietz's 18 points. The game against the Mustangs proved to be a marathon as the Marauders fought back from an 11-point deficit in the third quarter to force overtime, Dietz nailed a few free throws to force the second overtime, and Rachel Weir provided a dagger three en route to the 80-77 win as Dietz once against led the way with 26 points. Unfortunately, the Marauders' luck ran out as Sioux Falls forced pivotal turnovers late in the fourth quarter in the final game of the weekend and eventually took the 69-67 win as U-Mary's final inbound attempt in the waning seconds was stolen away. Dietz finished with 22 points, the seventh time this season she's reached that total, while Larson returned to form with 15 ponts, nine rebounds, six assists and one block.

Next Year: U-Mary will open up 2016 with a home series against the University of Minnesota Crookston on Saturday, January 2, at 4:00 PM, and Bemidji State University on Sunday, January 3, at 2:00 PM, to tip off the second half of the season.

History: U-Mary is 14-3 all-time against Bemidji State after splitting last year's games, and 15-3 against Minnesota Crookston after dropping both.

For more information, check out the full PDF release.

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