Women's Basketball | 12/8/2016 12:44:00 PM

This Week: After two Northern Sun road losses last weekend, the University of Mary women's basketball team is back in action Friday and Saturday when tw oNSIC teams make an appearance at the McDowell Activity Center. The Marauders host Wayne State College Friday at 6 p.m., and Augustana on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Wildcats are 0-3 in the NSIC and the Vikings are riding a seven-game winning streak and are 3-0 in the NSIC.

Last Time Out: The Marauders were outscored 34-18 in the second half against Northern State and shot 11.1 percent from the three-point line as the Wolves won its second straight, 59-38 Saturday, Dec. 3. Hannah Larson led Mary with 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocks.

Lauren Rotunda was second of the team finishing with nine points, five rebounds and a team-high two steals. Larson and Rotunda finished a combined 8-for-26 as the Marauders shot 26 percent from the field. Mary trailed 25-20 at the half but NSU opened up the third quarter on a 14-4 run and led 39-24 with 3:05 left in the quarter. Two free throws by Rachel Weir and the Marauders trailed 42-29 with 1:05 left in the third quarter, however, that would be the closest Mary would get to catching the Wolves. NSU scored 18 points off 19 Mary turnovers and outscored Mary 26-22 in the paint.

Magic Number - 30 - In the five of the Marauders six wins, the team has recorded 30-plus defensive rebounds. However, in the last two losses Mary hasn't reached 30 defensive rebounds.

About Wayne State College: The Wildcats are 5-3 this season and is coming off a 86-66 loss to Concordia-St. Paul. After winning its first three games of the 2016-17 season, WSC has lost three of its last five games. The Wildcats are led by three student-athletes who are averaging 10-plus points per contest.

Junior forward Paige Ballinger leads the Wildcats with 14.3 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 2.3 blocks per game in 23.9 minutes per game. In NSIC matchups this season, Ballinger is averaging 18.3 points per game. Senior forward Anna Martensen is averaging 12.8 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game and 2.3 steals per game in 24.9 minutes per contest. Junior forward Maggie Schulte is averaging 10.5 points per contest, 5.4 rebounds per game and averages a team-high 28.3 minutes per game.

The Wildcats are outscoring its opponents, 429 to 346 in the first three quarters of the game but are being outscored 174-134 by its opponents in the final quarter.

About Augustana: The Vikings are 8-2 this season and have won its last seven games but they all have been at home inside the Sioux Falls Arena. AU likes to jump out on teams early as the Vikings are outscoring its opponents 196 to 137. Junior guard and the 2015-16 NSIC Defensive Player of the Year, Logan O'Farrell is leading the team with 14.1 points per game this season. She is shooting 39 percent from the field and 26 percent from the three-point line. O'Farrell is also averaging 7.4 rebounds per contest, 3.6 assists per game and 2.2 steals per game.

Senior teammate Sydney Rome is second on the team with 10.3 points per game as she is making a team-high 42 percent from beyond the arc.

The History: Dating back to 2006, the Marauders have lost 14 out of the 18 meetings with the Wildcats. WSC has won the last four meetings with the Mary. The Marauders last win came in 2013 when the Blue & Orange won in Wayne, Neb., 57-54. The Marauders are 3-11 against the Vikings dating back to 2008. Mary won the first two meetings in the NCAA era but AU has had the Marauders number, winning 11 out of the last 12 meet ups. The Vikings have beat Mary by 10-plus points in the last five meetings.

For more information, check out the weekly game notes here.