THIS WEEK
The University of Mary men's basketball team closes out 2016 with a pair of road games against Northern Sun North Division foes on Dec. 30-31. The Marauders visit the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Friday, Dec. 30. Game time at Romano Gym is 8 pm. The Marauders celebrate New Year's Eve against the St. Cloud State University Huskies at 6 pm in Halenbeck Hall.   

THE RECORD
The Marauders are 5-7 overall and 3-3 against Northern Sun foes. Mary is seventh overall in the NSIC and fourth in the NSIC North.

LAST TIME OUT
In their last game before the Christmas break, Mary suffered an 82-75 loss at Minot State.

FAST BREAKS
Mary is in the midst of a three-game road trip, the longest of the season. The Marauders also opened the season with three straight away games.
The Marauders have lost consecutive games for the first time since opening the year with three straight losses on the road.
Milestones: Bryan Jefferson went over 1000 career points and Damonta Henry exceeded 900 career points at Minot State
Mary has five wins in their last eight games
Mary is one of just seven teams with a .500 or better record in NSIC play
Home fans won't see the Marauders back at the MAC until Jan. 6-7 against Northern State and MSU Moorhead
In their first six conference games the Marauders have faced the two teams ranked nationally in the NSIC in the D2SIDA poll (#25 MSU Moorhead and #16 Augie) and three of the six teams with winning conference records (Augie, MSUM, Northern State).

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH HEADLINES
The Bulldogs are 1-9 overall and 1-4 in the NSIC
UMD is in the midst of a 5-game home stand
This season UMD is 1-4 at home, 0-3 away and 0-2 in neutral site games
The Bulldogs have lost four straight games, including home contests against St. Cloud State (63-58) and Wisconsin-Parkside (85-76) just before the Christmas break
Head coach Matt Bowen is in fifth season at UMD and is 52-71 with the Bulldogs. Previously he was the Bemidji State head coach and won an NSIC championship in his sixth and final season.
Six players average at least 7 points per game, led by Luke Harris at 10.9 PPG
The Bulldogs are 5th in the NSIC in scoring defense (75.2 PPG) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (.428) but last in the conference in scoring offense (69.5 PPG) and shooting percentage (.416).
While struggling from the floor, UMD is fifth in free throw shooting (.742)
HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. BULLDOGS
Mary trails Minnesota Duluth 6-9 in the all-time series
The Marauders first victory over the Bulldogs was an 80-77 overtime win on 1.16.09
The two teams have split their season series the last two years with the home team winning each time
The last Mary win at UMD was 82-72 on Jan. 29, 2011
Last game at UMD: The Bulldogs defeated the Marauders 100-74 on Jan. 23, 2016. Marquealis Edwards led UM with 17 points. Pierre Newton and Taylor Lavery both had 26 for UMD.
LAST MEETING: The Marauders held off the Bulldogs 68-67 at the MAC on Feb. 19, 2016, to clinch a home playoff game for Mary. UMD missed a shot and two tip-in attempts at the buzzer. Bryan Jefferson led UM with 16 points. Pierre Newton has 24 for UMD.  


S    T. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY HUSKIES HEADLINES
The Huskies are 8-6 overall and 4-1 in the NSIC to sit second in the NSIC North and 5th overall in the conference
SCSU is in the midst of a three-game home stand
Following a 63-58 win over UMD and a 99-77 victory over Jamestown just prior to the Christmas break, the Huskies have won two straight and five out of six
SCSU is 5-2 at home, 3-1 away and 0-3 in neutral site games
Over the last three seasons the Huskies are 25-12 at Halenbeck Hall
The Huskies have scored 90 or more points in six of their last ten games - all wins. SCSU is 6th in the NSIC in scoring at 81.4 PPG and eighth in scoring defense (76.3 PPG).
Just 12th in the NSIC in shooting percentage (.459), the Huskies are tops in offensive rebounds and rebounding margin (+8.6) and assists (17.6/game)
So. G Gage Davis has one of the most diverse games in the NSIC. He is third in scoring (19.5 PPG), tops in rebounding (8.7/game) and ninth in assists (3.6/game).
Sr. G Scottie Stone combines with Davis to give SCSU the top 1-2 scoring punch in the NSIC. Stone is 7th in scoing at 17.8 PPG. He is the NSIC leader in free throw percentage (.953) and 3rd in treys/game (3.4).   

HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. HUSKIES
Mary is 8-11 all-time against St. Cloud State
The Marauders are 5-3 at home, 3-6 at SCSU and 0-2 on neutral ground
Mary's first NCAA win came at SCSU 86-77 on 11.18.06
Mary's first signature NCAA win was a 77-48 home victory over #8 SCSU on 12.16.07
After splitting the season series two straight years, SCSU swept the series last season.
Last UM win at SCSU: Marauders won 87-82 on Feb. 21, 2015, as six Mary players scored in double figures.
LAST MEETING: SCSU defeated UM 80-73 in the MAC on Feb. 20, 2016. Bryan Jefferson led Mary with 18 points. Gage Davis and Scottie Stone both hit three treys and scored 25 each for SCSU. Davis also had 11 rebounds.


LISTEN LIVE
University of Mary fans can listen to all Marauders conference games live on Fox Sports 710 as Rick Anthony, the Voice of the Marauders, brings you all the game action. You can also listen live online at www.foxsports710.com. Click the "Listen Live" link to stream the game in real time.

REWIND
On a milestone night for Bryan Jefferson and Damonta Henry, the Marauders dropped an 82-75 decision at Minot State, halting Mary's three-game win streak over the Beavers and allowing MSU to split the season series. Jefferson scored 21 points and went over 1,000 career points. Henry had 25 points and crosses the 900 career point barrier. Isaac Lindquist added 13 points for the Marauders. Led by Russ Davis, who made 8-of-10 3-pointers and scored 25 points, the Beavers shot 50 percent from the floow while limiting the Marauders to 44.3 percent and held a 44-29 edge in rebounding. MSU grabbed a lead midway through the first half and didn't relinquish the advantage.  

1,000
Sr. forward Bryan Jefferson became the 17th Mary player to crack 1,000 career points when he posted 21 at Minot State on Dec. 17, 2016. The All-NSIC standout is the first Marauders player to register 1,000 points since Anthony Moody and Jordan Wilhelm both hit quadruple digits in the 2010-11 season and is just the fourth Mary player to accomplish this feat in the school's NCAA era. The Aurora, IL, native now has 1,003 points wearing the Orange & Blue. Scott Kleinjan is the Marauders all-time scoring leader with 2,268.

400
In addition to his scoring prowess, Bryan Jefferson also cracked the all-time rebounding chart at Mary, becoming one of just 18 Marauders with at least 400 career rebounds. The senior forward is currently 10th with 479 lifetime boards. The Marauders all-time leader is Roger Klemisch     with 782 (    1971-75).

ROAD TO 1,000
Joining Bryan Jefferson on the road to 1,000 points in senior guard Damonta Henry. Currently Henry has 914 career points with 16 regular season games to go. He is the 25th Marauders ballplayer to exceed 900 career points and is 21st all-time in scoring at Mary.

OH HENRY
Damonta Henry fell a point short of his career-high when he scored 25 points at Minot State. He hit two treys, made 9-of-16 shots and had three steals. it was the thhird time this season he has scored over 20 points in a game. The Marauders primary deep threat this season, Damonta Henry is 12th in the NSIC at 2.3 treys per game and is 28-of-78 overall behind the arc this season. The senior guard is averaging 14.6 points per game, second on the Marauders and 17th in the league.

STOP THIEF
The Marauders are second in the NSIC lead in steals with 7.0 per game.  A true team effort, Pat Thomas leads Mary and is fourth in the NSIC at 1.4 steals/game and 17 on the season. Right behind with 12 steals are Bryan Jefferson and Damonta Henry. Rickey Suggs and Luke Scott both have 11 and Trevor Zacher has 10.

TURNOVERS
Feeding off its penchant to steal the ball from its opponents, Mary leads the NSIC in turnover margin. The Marauders are +5 per game, committing 10.6 turnovers/game while forcing 15.6. After suffering a -2 in turnover margin in the season opener, the Marauders turned the ball over fewer times than their opponents in eight straight games, including a +3 mark against NCAA Division I and Big Ten member Nebraska. For the season the Marauders have held the turnover edge in nine games with one draw while opponents have held the edge twice.  

BENCH BONUS
Outscored the first three games of the season, the Marauders bench has outscored the opposing bench in six of the last nine games, including a 24-12 edge at Northern State, a 38-18 advantage against Peru State and a 27-16 lead over Wayne State, all Mary wins. Rickey Suggs is scoring 8.7 PPG off the bench - 4th on the team - and Luke Scott checks in at 4.6 PPG.

HELPING HAND
Senior guard Pat Thomas is 3rd in the NSIC in assists per game at 4.3. He missed the Marauders NCAA-era school single game assist record by one as his passes directly led to 10 baskets for Mary against Yellowstone Christian. Thomas also added 10 points against the Centurions for the first Marauders double double of the season. After redshirting last season following his transfer to Mary from Lake Region State, Thomas is also averaging a team-high 1.4 steals/game. The native of South Australia also has found his scoring touch, posting 13 or more points in three of his last four games with a career-high 17 against Wayne State. His season average is at 8.3 PPG. Efficient in finding quality shots, Thomas is shooting 48.4 percent from the field and makes 71 percent of his free throws. He is also averaging 4.1 rebounds.

PRESIDENTIAL
Senior all-NSIC forward Bryan Jefferson gained his first double double of the season with 16 points and 14 rebounds at MSU Moorhead. His game the next night in a win at Northern State may have been better. Jefferson scored 17 points with six rebounds, five assists, two blocks, two steals and a 7-of-9 effort at the free throw line. In just 18 minutes of play against Wayne State he made 9-of-12 shots and scored 19 points. Three Jefferson has missed double doubles by a single rebound, twice against Minot State and once at Southwest Baptist. The multi-talented player is 13th in the NSIC in scoring (15.6 PPG) and 6th in rebounds (6.7/game).

INSTANT IMPACT
Continuing to come off the bench to provide the Marauders an immediate boost, Rickey Suggs exceeded double digits in points in seven of 12 games this season, including four of the last six. He also has a steal in all but four games. On the season Suggs is fourth on the team in scoring at 8.7 PPG. He is also averaging 3.9 rebounds/game and 1.0 steals/game while shooting 50.6 percent from the field.