THIS WEEK
The University of Mary women's basketball team closes out the 2016 calendar year with a pair of road games at the University of Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State University on Dec. 30-31. The weekend opens against the Bulldogs on Friday, Dec. 30, at 6 p.m. in Romano Gym.The Marauders close out the year against the Huskies on Dec. 31 at 4 p.m. at Halenbeck Hall.  

LAST TIME OUT
Struggling with their shooting touch, the Marauders used an exhibition game to get back on track offensively. Visiting NCAA Division I University of North Dakota, Mary shot 53.1 percent from the field in a 79-67 loss to the Fighting Hawks. Lauren Rotunda led the way with 19 points and Gabbie Bohl and Rachel Weir both chipped in 14 points.

Jumping back into conference action in the last game prior to Christmas break, the Marauders set a season-high for points in an 86-63 drubbing of Minot State University. Mary also posted season-highs in field goal percentage (.660), 3-point shooting percentage (.526) and treys made (10).

Never really competitive, the Marauders scored the first five points of the game and never trailed. Mary led 23-8 at the end of the first quarter. The Marauders gained a 20-point lead with 2:25 left in the first half and maintained a 20 point advantage the rest of the night. Hannah Larson and Rotunda both scored a team-high 16 points. Larson was 7-of-9 from the floor and Rotunda made 7-of-10 shots, including 2-of-3 behind the arc. Cassie Askvig added 15 and Gabbie Bohl and Weir both chipped in 14.

FUN WITH NUMBERS - 10
During the Marauders four-game losing streak, Mary hit a total of 11 3-pointers in those contests, shooting a combined 11-of-61. In the Marauders win over Minot State on Dec. 17, the Mary was 10-of-19 behind the arc.

HISTORY LESSON
Marauders vs. Huskies
In a relatively even series, the Marauders are 7-8 against the Huskies during Mary's NCAA era
The Marauders are 4-3 at home against the Huskies
Mary is 3-4 on the road and 0-1 at neutral site games against SCSU
The two schools have split the last three seasons with the home teams going 4-2
The longest win streak for either team is three
Mary last won at Halenbeck Hall on Feb. 21, 2015, an 82-70 overtime victory. The Marauders scored the only 12 points of overtime. Brittney Dietz scored 29 points and Hannah Larson 15 for UM.
Last meeting: Brittney Dietz scored 25 points and Hannah Larson added 11 in a 73-66 Mary home win over SCSU on Feb. 20, 2016.

Marauders vs. Bulldogs
In another relatively even series, the Marauders are 8-6 against the Bulldogs during Mary's NCAA era
Mary holds a 5-2 edge in home games at the McDowell Activity Center
On the road at Romano Gym, the Marauders are 3-4 against the Bulldogs
Mary is 6-1 in the last seven games against UMD
The Marauders swept last year's season series, winning 54-44 at UMD on Jan. 23, 2016, before winning 81-75 at home on Feb. 19, 2016
In the 55-44 win at UMD, Mary outscored the Bulldogs 19-3 in the fourth quarter. Dani Williams and Hannah Larson both had 15 points for UM and Brittney Dietz added 13.
 Last Meeting: Three Marauders posted at least 21 points as Mary defeated UMD 81-75. Hannah Larson had 23 points and six blocks and Brittney Dielz and Dani Williams both scored 21 points.

Hitting 1,000 With 4:17 left in the second quarter, Hannah Larson scored her 1,000 career point in a Blue & Orange uniform against Minnesota State University Moorhead, Friday, Dec. 2 at the Nemzek Fieldhouse in Mary's 82-59 loss. Larson is ranked 16th in Marauders history for points scored. She has 1,048 career points and is 53 points behind Ali Collins who is in 15th place.

True Freshmen Christal Hearn, Lauren Rotunda and Cassie Askvig, all true freshmen, are making a mark this season. Rotunda has started all 14 games and is second on the team in playing time to Rachel Weir, averaging 29 minutes per night. She is second on the team in 3-pointers (10) and in assists (29)... Cassie Askvig has given the Marauders a spark off the bench, averaging 8.9 points per game this season, which is third on the team... She is shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and grabs 4.2 rebounds/game in just 19 minutes of play/game... Hearn has yet to start a contest for the Marauders but is averaging 14 minutes per game and just under two points a game.

Freshman Force After missing last season due to injury, redshirt freshman Gabbie Bohl has become a force in the middle for the Marauders. The Minot, ND, native averages 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds/game. She is shooting 45.3 percent from the floor and has 11 blocks/game. All those figures rank second among Mary players. She leads the squad with 46 made free throws. Her numbers are even better in league play. In six NSIC games Bohl is averaging 15 PPG and shooting 59.6 percent.

REJECTION: The Marauders have blocked the most shots this season in NCAA Division II with 86. Emporia State is second with 76. In blocks per game, the Marauders lead the Northern Sun with 5.7, seventh in the country. Southern Wesleyan leads the way with 6.5 rejections per game.

Block City: Hannah Larson is averaging 2.7 blocks per game to lead the NSIC. The senior forward is seventh in the country in blocks per game and third in total blocks (41).

Charity Stripe: Mary is getting to the free throw line 58 more times then its opponents. The Marauders have been to the free throw line 10-plus times in every single game this season except one. Mary has had an advantage in free throws taken in ten of 14 games. The Marauders have only made 24 more free throws than the opposition.   

800: Patti Mercer is ranked first all-time at Mary with 1,216 career rebounds. While Hannah Larson won't get close Mercer's mark, she has a shot to become only the fourth player in school history to reach 800 career rebounds. Larson is 4th all-time in rebounding with 746 and has at least 17 games remaining this season.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Hannah Larson has a chance to finish her career in the top ten in four different statistical categories at Mary. The senior forward currently is 16th in scoring and needs 152 points to tie Jessica Slinde for 10th with 1,200. Larson is 13th in assists with 273 and just needs 27 to tie Slinde for 10th in assists. The Bismarck, ND, native is already fourth in career rebounds. Additionally Larson has 213 career blocks, an NCAA-era mark for Mary.

Bringin' It Early: The Marauders are outscoring its opponents 221-180 in the first quarter of games. And coming out of halftime Mary outscores its opponents 224-221.

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