THIS WEEK
After nearly a month since they last appeared in the McDowell Activity Center, the University of Mary men's basketball team hosts two of the top three teams in the Northern Sun North Division standings when the Northern State University Wolves and MSU Moorhead Dragons visit on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 6-7, 2017. The Marauders first face the Wolves on Friday, Jan. 6, at 8 pm. The weekend concludes against the Dragons on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 6 pm.

TV TIME - DRAGONS VS. MARAUDERS
The Mary - MSU Moorhead men's and women's basketball doubleheader at the McDowell Activity Center on Saturday, Jan. 7, will be broadcast on West Dakota Fox throughout central and western North Dakota in Bismarck, Minot, Williston and Dickinson. Familiar faces will call the Marauders – Dragons game. 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. Kaleigh Emery, KFYR-TV weekend sports anchor and host of Marauders Weekly, will report from the floor and KFYR-TV sports reporter Clayton Collier provides the color commentary.  

TV TIME PART II - DRAGONS VS. MARAUDERS
In addition to be carried live on WEST DAKOTA FOX, Midco Sports Net will tape delay Saturday's Marauders-Dragons contest. The Jan. 7 clash is the Midco SN Game of the Week and will be aired throughout the region on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 9 pm.

RADIO CHANGE FOR JAN. 7, 14
Marauders fans need to make a slight adjustment to their radios to hear the Mary men's and women's basketball games on Jan. 7 and 14. Instead of the Marauders home on Fox Sports 710, fans must tune to KFYR 550 AM to hear Rick Anthony call the contests.

THE RECORD
The Marauders are 5-9 overall and 3-5 against Northern Sun foes. Mary is tenth overall in the NSIC and fourth in the NSIC North.

LAST TIME OUT
The Marauders closed out 2016 with a pair of road losses, 86-84 at Minnesota Duluth and 88-73 at St. Cloud State.

FAST BREAKS
The Marauders are coming off three straight road games, tying Mary's longest stretch of the year (UM opened the season with three straight away games)
Mary is looking to snap a 4-game losing streak, the team's longest of the year
Milestones: After becoming just the 17th Marauders player to exceed 1,000 points in the second Minot State game, Bryan Jefferson now is just the 7th Mary player to pull down 500 career rebounds
Milestones: Damonta Henry moved into 20th place all-time at Mary with 942 career points
In the midst of a difficult portion of their schedule, the Marauders are in the middle of playing the top three teams in the NSIC North after facing SCSU (1st) last weekend and now hosting Northern State (3rd) and MSU Moorhead (2nd)



NORTHERN STATE UNIVERSITY WOLVES HEADLINES
The Wolves are 9-5 overall and 5-3 in the NSIC
Northern State had a four-game winning streak halted with a 90-85 home loss to Minnesota State
Perfect on the road this season, NSU has won all six of its away games, including three straight against teams from the NSIC North
The only loss for NSU away from Wachs Arena is a neutral court setback to Harding University on the opening weekend of the season
Head coach Paul Sather is 113-75 in his seventh season at Northern State. Including five years at Black Hills State he has a career mark of 207-137.
Second in the NSIC in scoring at 88.1 PPG, the Wolves are last in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 81.5 PPG. Their scoring margin of +6.6 is sixth in the league.
Efficient offensively, NSU is one of just three teams in the NSIC making at least half their shots (50.3 percent) and are fifth in free throw percentage (.754). NSIC also leads the league in 3-point shooting (43.6 percent) and are 3rd in treys/game (9.0).
The Wolves outrebound opponents by +7.9, tops in the NSIC
Mack Arvidson is 4th in the NSIC in scoring (19.1 PPG). He makes an NSIC-leading 4.1 treys/game.
Three other Wolves also average at least 13 points/game: DJ Pollard (14.1 PPG), Ian Smith (13.8 PPG) and Logan Doyle (13.3 PPG)
Doyle is 3rd in the NSIC in rebounds (8.9 RPG) and field goal percentage (59.6) and Pollard is 7th in rebounding (6.6 RPG)

HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. WOLVES
The Marauders trail the Wolves 24-12 in the all-time series
The two teams split last year's meetings with each winning at home, the Marauders winning 60-58 and the Wolves 94-70
Following the Marauders 77-75 road win over the Wolves earlier this season, Mary has won three of the last four games against Northern State  
LAST MEETING The Marauders shot 52 percent from the floor and hit 9-of-12 free throws down the stretch for a 77-75 road win over the Wolves. Bryan Jefferson led UM with 17 points and added six rebounds and five assists. Rickey Suggs added 14 off the bench as the Marauders held a 24-12 edge in points from reserves. Isaac Lindquist added 12 points and Damonta Henry had 11. Mack Arvidson was 6-of-9 on treys and led NSU with 18 points.  





MSU MOORHEAD DRAGONS HEADLINES
The Dragons are 11-3 overall and 4th in the NSIC with a 6-2 conference record
MSU Moorhead sits a half-game back of St. Cloud State in the NSIC North (6-2 to 6-1)
After losing their first road game of the season 91-87 at Southern Nazarene, the Dragons have reeled off six straight wins away from Alex Nemzek Hall
Three of the road wins are against NSIC squads
After playing their last four games at home MSUM now plays four straight on the road
Head coach Chad Walthall is 152-43 in six seasons at MSUM while leading the Dragons to the NCAA tournament three times in the last five seasons. Walthall is 268-121 in his career.
Ayob Ayob twice has earned NSIC North Player of the Week honors this season and Aaron Lein picked the award up once.
Lein leads the team in scoring (17.1 PPG) and is shooting .548 from the field with 4.3 RPG
Ayob averages 16.1 PPG and leads the team in rebounds (5.4) and treys (40)
Tanner Kretchman posts 16.1 PPG and 6.5 assist/game
HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. DRAGONS
The Marauders trail the Dragons 17-12 in the all-time series
Since joining the NCAA and NSIC, Mary is 7-15 against MSUM
The Marauders won the first conference match-up with a 75-72 win at MSUM on January 16, 2007. The Dragons followed with five straight wins, including an overtime victory, one win by one point and another by two points.
The Marauders snapped the Dragons streak with a decisive 74-58 win at home on Jan. 30, 2010, the first of five straight UM wins that concluded with a 72-51 win over 19th ranked MSUM on Jan. 7, 2012, at the MAC
The Marauders snapped an 8-game losing streak to the Dragons with a 77-73 upset win at 3rd ranked MSUM on January 8, 2016
The last Marauders home win against the Dragons was a 72-51 victory on 1.7.12 at the MAC
The Dragons have won four straight at the MAC
LAST MEETING Bryan Jefferson posted a double double for Mary with 16 points and a career-best 14 rebounds but the Marauders shot just 39 percent overall (5-of-20 on treys) in an 82-66 road loss on Dec. 2, 2016. MSU Moorhead shot 55 percent from the floor and hit 8-of-17 treys. Trevor Zacher scored 17 points and was 4-of-8 on treys and Rickey Suggs added 11 points for UM. Aaron Lein led MSUM with 18 points and Matt Anderson added 17.

RUN AND GUN
The top two offenses in the Northern Sun make an appearance at the MAC this weekend. MSU Moorhead posts 89.4 points/game and Northern Sun is right behind at 88.1.

REWIND
In a battle of inside vs. outside, Mary outscored Minnesota Duluth 49-30 in the paint but the Bulldogs had a 10-4 edge in 3-pointers and homestanding UMD defeated the Marauders 86-84. UMD had a 9-0 run in the final two minutes to gain control of the game and made 3-of-4 free throws in the final 19 seconds to claim the game. Damonta Henry led the Marauders with 23 points and Bryan Jefferson added 21. Jake Wilson was 4-of-6 on treys and led the Bulldogs with 24 points... Mary held a halftime lead the next night at St. Cloud State but the Huskies pulled away after intermission in an 88-73 Marauders road loss. After shooting 47 percent in the first half and leading 41-39 at break, the Marauders shot just 30 percent in the second half. Bryan Jefferson had his second double double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Rickey Suggs led UM with a season-high 17 points and Trevor Zacher added 12. Gage Davis had 21 points and eight rebounds for SCSU.

1,000 / 500
Sr. forward Bryan Jefferson joined an exclusive club last weekend. Already with 1,000 points in his career, Jefferson picked up his 500th rebound for the Marauders in the St. Cloud State game. The 17th Marauder with 1,000 points, only seven Mary players have 500 rebounds. Additionally, the Aurora, IL, native is the 5th player in school history to crack both 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. The others are Roger Klemisch (1,465 points and 782 rebounds), Jerome Nichols (1,366 and 707), Rory Entzi (1,870 and 609) and Eric Erdmann (1,642 and 603).
Jefferson is currently 14th all-time with 1,038 points. Just ahead is Anthony Moody with 1,126 points. Scott Kleinjan is the Marauders all-time scoring leader with 2,268.
Jefferson is 7th all-time in rebounding with 500. Next on the list is Dave Hanson (553). Roger Klemisch is the all-time Marauders rebounding leader with 782.

PRESIDENTIAL
Senior all-NSIC forward Bryan Jefferson gained his second double double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds at SCSU
He has just missed double digits in rebounds four times this season, ending with nine
Only the third Mary player to earn All-NSIC 1st team honors, Jefferson is currently 13th in the league in scoring (15.9 PPG) and 6th in rebounds (7.2 RPG)
Jefferson has led the Marauders in scoring four times and rebounding ten times this season

ROAD TO 1,000
Joining Bryan Jefferson on the road to 1,000 points in senior guard Damonta Henry. Currently Henry has 942 career points with 14 regular season games to go. He is the 25th Marauders ballplayer to exceed 900 career points and is 20th all-time in scoring at Mary.

OH HENRY
Damonta Henry posted 23 points against Minnesota Duluth, the fourth time this season he has cracked 20 points
The senior guard has led the Marauders in scoring seven times this season
Henry leads the Marauders in treys (32) and is second in scoring (14.5 PPG). His scoring average is 18th in the NSIC
Excelling at the line this season, he is 13th in the NSIC and tops at Mary in free throw percentage (.829)
Henry is 12th in the NSIC in 3-pointers per game (2.3)


INSTANT IMPACT
After providing a jolt to the Marauders offense and defense all season, senior G/F Rickey Suggs made his first start for the Marauders at St. Cloud State on Saturday. He responded by scoring a team-high 17 points and pulling down seven rebounds. The Woodbury, MN, native also had three assists. After being held scoreless for two straight games, Suggs opened last weekend with 10 points at UMD, making all four of his field goal attempts. He also had a steal in both road games and is tied for second on the club with 13 this season. Suggs is now 3rd on the team with 9.4 PPG, second in rebounds at 4.1/game and the squad leader in field goal percentage (.519).

STOP THIEF
The Marauders are third in the NSIC lead in steals with 6.6 per game.  A true team effort, Pat Thomas leads Mary and is tenth in the NSIC at 1.3 steals/game and 18 on the season. Four Marauders are tied for second on the team in steals with 13: Bryan Jefferson, Damonta Henry, Rickey Suggs and Luke Scott.

TURNOVERS
Feeding off its penchant to steal the ball from its opponents, Mary leads the NSIC in turnover margin. The Marauders are +4.36 per game, committing 10.4 turnovers/game while forcing 14.7. 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 ten games with one draw while opponents have held the edge thrice.  

HELPING HAND
Senior guard Pat Thomas is 3rd in the NSIC in assists per game at 4.0. 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 1.3 steals/game. The native of South Australia also has found his scoring touch, posting 13 or more points in three of his last six games with a career-high 17 against Wayne State. His season average is at 7.8 PPG. Efficient in finding quality shots, Thomas is shooting 47.9 percent from the field and makes 71 percent of his free throws. He is also averaging 4.1 rebounds.

THE BORTKE COURT MAC ATTACK
After struggling at home the last few seasons, Mary is once again finding success at the McDowell Activity Center (MAC). The playing floor was christened Bortke Court in honor of long-time Mary men's basketball coach and athletic director Al Bortke in July 2009. Here is the Marauders NCAA Division II home record:
2006-07:   5-  7
2007-08:   4-  7
2008-09:   7-  5
2009-10: 11-  2
2010-11: 12-  1
2011-12:   3-10
2012-13:   3-  9
2013-14:   6-  7
2014-15:   4-  8
2015-16:   8-  7
2016-17:       4-  2
The Marauders once won 27 straight home games for Coach Bortke
at the MAC (February 19, 1976 thru November 11, 1978).

BENCH BONUS
Outscored the first three games of the season, the Marauders bench has outscored the opposing bench in seven of the last 11 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. Primarily in a reserve role, Rickey Suggs is scoring 9.4 PPG off the bench and Luke Scott checks in at 4.6 PPG.

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.

TURNAROUND
Under head coach Joe Kittell in his inaugural season at the University of Mary, the Marauders improved by ten wins overall (19-12), jumped six slots in the NSIC standings to 6th place overall (12-10), hosted an NSIC playoff game for just the second time in school history and made the NSIC tournament semifinals for just the second time.