This Week: The University of Mary Women's Basketball team has a short break as they will host Valley City State University in the early week on Tuesday, December 8, starting at 7:00 PM, before heading out on the road for conference games against Southwest Minnesota State University and the University of Sioux Falls, starting on Friday, December 11, at 6:00 PM.

The Records: The Marauders had their winning streak snapped as they dropped the opening weekend in the NSIC with losses to Northern State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead to put their record at 5-4 overall, 0-2 NSIC. Valley City is 7-5 on the year as they are currently riding a three-game win streak with wins over Trinity Bible College, Waldorf College, and Johnson & Wales University. Southwest Minnesota State is 1-7 on the year, 0-3 NSIC, after falling to Winona State University and Upper Iowa University over the weekend. Sioux Falls is 8-1 overall, 2-1 NSIC, after defeating Upper Iowa at home, but fell to Winona State.

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

Last Week: U-Mary had a rough weekend after returning to Bismarck as they struggled to shoot the ball in the first half against both the Wolves and the Dragons. The Marauders shot 19.2% from the field in the first half against Northern State and was down 22-6 after the first quarter and 35-14 heading into halftime. The offense found a spark in the second half but could not overcome the slow start as U-Mary was still down 45-26 heading into the fourth quarter and ultimately lost 63-49 despite closing the game on a 9-0 run. Hannah Larson extended her double-double streak to three games with 10 points and 11 rebounds while Brittney Dietz was held to 12 points on 4-for-14 shooting. The first half woes carried over into the game against the Dragons as the Marauders shot 23.3% from the field in the first two quarters and found themselves down 17-11 heading into the second quarter. U-Mary couldn't get the offense in gear in the second frame and ultimately faced a 30-19 lead at halftime.  The offense finally clicked in the third quarter as the Marauders cut the lead down to 47-40 with 1:42 left in the frame, but went into the fourth quarter down 54-40. The defense kept U-Mary in the game as they held the Dragons to eight points in the final quarter and the Marauders unloaded a flurry of shots throughout the remainder of the game and faced a 62-61 deficit after Dietz grabbed the rebound off a contested shot. Dietz's final shot to put U-Mary ahead was blocked and the Marauders couldn't manage one last gasp in the final second of the game and ended up with the loss. Dietz managed 31 points in the game for her fifth career 30-point game, second of the year.

Next week: U-Mary will take on Minot State University in a home-and-home series to close out the 2015 calendar year, with the Marauders heading north on December 16 to Minot, N.D., before taking on the Beavers in Bismarck on December 18.

History: U-Mary improved to 47-29 all-time against the Beavers, including NAIA games, as the Marauders took both contests in 2014-15.

For more information, check out the full PDF release.  

#marauders#