THIS WEEK
For the first time this season, the University of Mary men's basketball team plays a pair of weekend Northern Sun games on back-to-back days when the Marauders visit St. Cloud State University and the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Marauders open the weekend against the Huskies on Friday, Dec. 10. Tip off is set for 5:30 pm at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, MN. The Marauders then face the Bulldogs on Saturday, Dec. 11, in Duluth, MN. Game time is 3:30 pm at Romano Gymnasium.  
 
THE RECORDS
UMary enters the week 3-5 overall and 2-1 in the Northern Sun… St. Cloud State is 4-5/1-2… Minnesota Duluth is 9-0/3-0.
 
LAST WEEK
The Marauders split a pair of Northern Sun games… UMary opened the week with a Thursday night 80-79 home win over MSU Moorhead. Overcoming a 10-point first half deficit, the Marauders built a 10-point advantage in the second half. A 10-0 run by the Dragons tied the game at 75-75. Kai Huntsberry broke the tie with a jumper from the free throw line with26 seconds left. UMary closed out the win on a pair of Kam Warrens free throws and a Jacob Jackson free throw in the closing seconds. Huntsberry led all players with 18 points and eight assists. Warrens had a double double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Jackson had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Gertautas Urbonavicius added 12 points… The Marauders then dropped an 82-49 decision at Northern State. Josh Sipes hit three treys and led UMary with 11 points.
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Only two of the Marauders first 10 games are scheduled for the McDowell Activity Center. The Marauders lost a scheduled home game when Yellowstone Christian College cancelled the Centurions visit to the MAC.
 
DOUBLE DOWN
Both Kam Warrens and Jacob Jackson posted double doubles in the Marauders win over MSU Moorhead. Warrens had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Jackson added 11 points and 10 rebounds… Warrens now owns three double doubles (12 points and 12 rebounds at Central Oklahoma and 10 points and 11 rebounds against the Comets)… Jackson has a pair of double doubles after posting 12 points and 10 rebounds at Minot State.  
 
BENCH PLAY
The Marauders bench has played a major role in UMary's two NSIC wins. UMary's reserves outscored the Minot State bench 43-26 in a 78-74 road win. Josh Sipes (14 points), Jacob Jackson (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Regan Tollefson (10 points) keyed a UMary rally… UMary had a 23-17 edge in bench scoring in an 80-79 home win over MSUM. Jackson had another double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.  
 
SPARK
Providing instant offense in a reserve role, Jacob Jackson has come off the bench to score eight or more points in six of eight games and has reached double digits four times. He had double doubles against both Minot State and MSU Moorhead. He scored a season-high 14 points in a win over Sioux Falls… For the season Jackson is averaging 8.8 points/game and 4.6 rebounds/game to rank third on the team in scoring and fourth in rebounds.
 
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Kai Huntsberry has had an immediate impact on the Marauders in his first year at UMary. The fifth leading scorer in the NSIC had a run of five straight games with at least 22 points scored and six with 18 or more. The guard from New Orleans, LA, averages 18.8 points. 5.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game and is shooting 46.4% from the field and 89.2% at the line. The team leader in scoring, assists and steals, he ranks 3^rd in the NSIC in free throw percentage, 5^th in points and assist, 11^th in steals and 24^th in rebounding and shooting percentage.
 
IMMEDIATE IMPACT 2
A transfer from NCAA Division I University of North Dakota, Gertautas Urbonavicius has given he Marauders a hot scoring hand inside and out. The junior forward from Vilnius, Lithuania, has hit double digits for points in four of eight games, including a high of 21 against the Bronchos. For the season Urbonavicius is second on team in scoring (9.9 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.8 rpg).
 
BOARD PLAY
Kam Warrens has been a force for the Marauders on the boards. The junior wing has hauled down double digit rebounds three times. He leads UMary and is 17^th in the NSIC with 6.8 rebounds/game.
 
LIVING AT THE LINE
The Marauders are once again outscoring the opposition at the free throw line, making more free throws on the season (116) than their opponents have attempted (114). UMary is 2^nd in the NSIC in free throw percentage at 77.3% (116-of-150) while the Marauders opponents are just 76-of-114 (66.7%). The Marauders have more makes and attempts than their opponents in each of the last five games.
 
BOARD PLAY
UMary has outrebounded five of eight opponents this season. The Marauders are 5^th among NSIC teams with a rebounding margin of +4.9 rebounds/game.
 
I KNOW YOU
Marauders new head coach Jack Nelson picked up his first two UMary coaching wins against a pair of schools at which he had been an assistant coach. Nelson picked up his first win at Minot State, where he was an assistant coach from 2012-16. His second win came against Sioux Falls, where Nelson coached the previous three years in his second stint with the Cougars.
 
HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. HUSKIES
UMary is 11-18 all-time against St. Cloud State… The Marauders are 8-6 at home, 3-10 at SCSU and 0-2 on neutral ground… UMary's first NCAA win came at SCSU 86-77 on 11.18.06… UMary's first signature NCAA win was a 77-48 home victory over #8 SCSU on 12.16.07… The Marauders and he Huskies split a pair of games last season at the MAC.
 
HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. BULLDOGS
UMary trails Minnesota Duluth 10-15 in the all-time series… The Marauders first victory over the Bulldogs was an 80-77 overtime win on 1.16.09… The Marauders and the Bulldogs split two games last season in Duluth, MN, after the previous three seasons resulted in sweeps. UMD won both games in 2017-18 and 2019-20 and UMary claimed the sweep in 2018-19 in a pair of memorable games. UMary defeated UMD 73-70 at home in overtime on Dec. 8, 2018, when Dennis Austin III hit a 3-pointer with .7 seconds left in the extra session. UMary rallied from an 8-point deficit with six minutes left in regulation. Jaylan White hit five treys and scored a career-high 29 points. Matthew Kreklow made all ten of his free throws and scored 18 points. Austin finished with ten points. Sean Burns had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Brandon Myer had 15 and 17… In another wild ballgame at UMD on Jan. 11, 2019, the Marauders closed the season series with a triple overtime 100-98 road victory on a Jaylan White basket with under two seconds remaining on the clock. White scored 12 of his 25 points in the overtime sessions. Connor Hellebust added 21 and Tom Kubank 18. Brandon Myer had 31 points and 11 rebounds for UMD.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW YOUR MARAUDERS LIVE ONLINE

• Links to live streaming video, game stats and radio streams are available at www.GoUMary.com/coverage
• Live video also streamed at www.NSICNetwork.com/goumary
• Fox Sports 710 AM radio broadcasts available online at https://foxsports710.iheart.com/

 
MARAUDERS HOME BASKETBALL GAMES AIRING LIVE ON FOX SPORTS 710
All University of Mary men's and women's basketball home and Northern Sun games air live on Fox Sports 710 AM. Voice of the Marauders Jesse Rostvedt calls all the action this season from the McDowell Activity Center.
 
THE BORTKE COURT MAC ATTACK
The Marauders once again found success on Bortke Court in the McDowell Activity Center. 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:   8-  6
2017-18:   2-11
2018-19:   9-  5
2019-20:   8-7
2020-21:   2-6
2021-22:   1-1
 
The Marauders once won 27 straight home games for Coach Bortke at the MAC (February 19, 1976 thru November 11, 1978).
 
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