THIS WEEK
The University of Mary men's basketball team opens their Northern Sun home schedule when the Marauders host the MSU Moorhead Dragons on Thursday, December 2. Tip off is 5:30 pm at the McDowell Activity Center. The Marauders then travel to Aberdeen, SD, for a meeting with Northern State University on Saturday, Dec. 4. Game time is 4 pm from Wachs Arena.
 
THE RECORDS
UMary enters the week 2-4 overall and 1-0 in the Northern Sun… MSU Moorhead is 6-4/1-0… Northern State is 6-3/0-1.
 
LAST WEEK
The Marauders went 2-1 during Thanksgiving week. UMary opened the NSIC schedule with a 78-74 win at Minot State for the Marauders first win of the season, overcoming a 17-point deficit. Kai Huntsberry led the squad with 25 points. He also had nine rebounds and hit all six free throws. The Marauders bench outscored the Beavers 43-26. Josh Sipes hit four treys and scored 14 points. Regan Tollefson had 10 points, Jacob Jackson posted 12 points and ten rebounds… The Marauders followed with an 83-74 win over Sioux Falls at the Microtel Thanksgiving Classic hosted by MSU Moorhead. Huntsberry had 26 points, seven assists, and made all 11 free throws. Kade Amundson added 16 points, Jacob Jackson 14 and Treyton Mattern 11… UMary closed the week with an 86-70 loss to Winona State. Huntsberry had 22 points and Logan Nagorski added 10.
 
HOME AND ROAD
Only three of the Marauders first 11 games are scheduled for the McDowell Activity Center. After playing just their second home game of the season on Thursday against the Dragons, the Marauders play three of their next four on the road. The brief respite is the Tuesday, Dec. 7, home contests against Yellowstone Christian College.
 
BIG WEEK
Kai Huntsberry had a big holiday week for the Marauders, leading UMary to back to back wins over Minot State on the road and Sioux Falls at the Microtel Thanksgiving Classic. He had 25 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks against the Beavers as UMary overcame a 17-point deficit. He scored 26 points with 3 rebounds and 7 assists against the Cougars. He closed the week with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals against Winona State, making 6-of-8 3-pointers. He made all 21 free throws on the week, including 11 against USF. He averaged 24.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.3 apg and 1.3 spg while shooting 51.2% (21-of-41) from the floor, 58.8% (10-of-17) behind the arc and 100% (21-of-21) at the line over three games.
 
BENCH PLAY
The Marauders reserves played a huge role in UMary's comeback victory at Minot State. Down 17, the Marauders rallied for a 78-74 win in the NSIC opener. UMary's bench outscored Minot State's 43-26. Josh Sipes hit four treys and scored 14 points. Jacob Jackson posted 12 points and 10 rebounds. Regan Tollefson had 10 points and scored the go-ahead basket. Treyton Mattern added five points and Liam Dougherty two.
 
SPARK
Jacob Jackson has come off the bench to score in double figures in three of the last four games, including 12 points and 10 rebounds for a double double at Minot State and a season-best 14 points in a win over Sioux Falls. In his first year with the Marauders he is averaging 8.3 ppg and 4.5 rpg.
 
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Kai Huntsberry has had an immediate impact on the Marauders and ranks second in the NSIC in scoring. After scoring eight points in the season opener with five assists against Northeastern State, the transfer from San Diego City College has scored at least 22 points in each of the last five games. The guard from New Orleans, LA, has come just short of two double doubles with nine rebounds against Mayville State and Minot State. For the season Huntsberry is averaging 20.8 points, 6.0 rebounds 4.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game while making 49% of his shots.
 
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 three of six games, including a high of 21 against the Bronchos. For the season Urbonavicius averages 10.8 ppg and 4.8 rebounds per game with a .453 shooting percentage.
 
DOUBLING DOWN
Kam Warrens owns a pair of double doubles this season. The junior wing player had 12 boards and 12 points against the Bronchos and 10 points and 11 rebounds against the Comets. He is averaging 7.8 ppg and 6.8 rpg on the year. Warrens is 16^th in the NSIC in rebounding.
 
LIVING AT THE LINE
The Marauders are once again outscoring the opposition at the free throw line. UMary is 4^th in the NSIC in free throw percentage at 76.3% (87-of-114) while the Marauders opponents are just 67-of-96 (69.8%). The Marauders have more makes and attempts than their opponents in each of the last three games.
 
BOARD PLAY
UMary has outrebounded all three opponents this season. The Marauders are 7^th among NSIC teams with a rebounding margin of +6.7 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. DRAGONS
The Marauders trail the Dragons 22-16 in the all-time series… Since joining the NCAA and NSIC, UMary is 11-20 against MSUM… The Marauder have won four of the last seven games… 5 of the last 7 games were played in Moorhead… The Marauders won the first conference match-up 75-72 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 74-58 at home on Jan. 30, 2010, the first of five straight UMary 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 Marauders snapped a six-game home losing streak to the Dragons last spring, defeating MSU Moorhead 83-63 on Feb. 23, 2019.
 
HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. WOLVES
The Marauders trail the Wolves 32-13 in the all-time series… UMary and NSU split their series in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 before the Wolves swept the series the last three seasons… The Wolves have won the last nine meetings… UMary last defeated Northern State 77-75 on Dec. 3, 2016, in Aberdeen, SD, as Bryan Jefferson scored 17 points and Ricky Suggs added 14 off the bench… The Marauders last home win was a 60-58 victory on Dec. 4, 2015. Marquealis Edwards led UMary with 16 points and four steals.
 
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:   0-1
 
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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