THIS WEEK
On the road for the first time in 2022, the University of Mary men's basketball team plays their first conference games of the season against teams from the Northern Sun South division. The trip opens with a visit to the University of Sioux Falls on Friday, Jan. 7. Game time is against the Cougars is 5:30 pm from the Stewart Center in Sioux Falls, SD. The weekend wraps up on Saturday, Jan. 8, at Southwest Minnesota State University at the R/A Facility in Marshall, MN. Tip off between the Marauders and the Mustangs is 3:30 pm.  
 
THE RECORDS
UMary is 5-8 overall and 4-4 in the Northern Sun (t-6^th NSIC / t-3^rd NSIC North)… Sioux Falls is 8-6 and 4-4 (6^th NSIC/4^th NSIC South)… Southwest Minnesota State is 8-5 and 4-4 (t-6^th NSIC/t-4^th NSIC South).
 
SATURDAY'S MARAUDERS-MUSTANGS GAME MOVES TO 550 KFYR
The radio broadcast for the UMary men's and women's basketball doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 8, at Southwest Minnesota State will be broadcast live on KFYR 550 AM. All other games – including the Friday, Jan. 7 game at Sioux Falls – are broadcast on Fox Sports 710, Home of Marauders Basketball, with Voice of the Marauders Jesse Rostvedt calling the action.
 
CROSSOVER
After playing their first eight Northern Sun games against teams in the North division, the Marauders play their first contests against NSIC South teams this weekend on the road against USF and SMSU… Teams play the other seven teams in their division twice and the other eight opposite division foes once.
 
FOUR SCORE
Entering the first weekend of crossover play, nine of the 16 NSIC teams have 4 wins. Eight teams own a .500 record in league play (seven teams at 4-4 and one at 3-3).
 
SWEEP
In the lone game last weekend for the Marauders, UMary completed a season sweep of Hwy 83 rival Minot State University. The Marauders rallied from a 17 point deficit to beat the Beavers on the road 78-74 on Nov. 23. On Sunday UMary held off a late rally to defeat visiting Minot State 80-78… Five Marauders posted double digit points in the game with eight scoring overall. All nine Marauders who played posted assists as UMary shot a season-best 57.1% from the floor… Gertautas Urbonavicius led the Marauders with 17 points, hitting 8-of-12 shots. Kam Warrens had 16 points, making 7-of-11 shots and hitting 2-of-3 behind the arc. He added four rebounds, three assists and three steals without committing a turnover. Jacob Jackson scored 14 points – including the Marauders final six points of the game – and led the team with seven rebounds and three steals. Kai Huntsberry posted 10 points and six assists. Treyton Mattern posted 11 points off the bench, making 4-of-5 shots, and UMary's reserves outscored Minot State's 23-16. Max Cody led the Beavers with 21 points and four assists and Melvin Newbern posted 20 points and nine rebounds… MSU made 51.8% of its shots and was 16-of-20 at the line to an 8-of-13 effort by UMary… Down four points halfway through the second half, the Marauders went on a 17-3 run to build a 74-65 lead with four minutes to play. Urbonavicius had seven points during the UMary run and Mattern four… The Beavers clawed within 79-78 with 1:18 left in the game before the Marauders defense took over. Jackson made a steal to halt one Beavers possession and hauled down a defensive board with five seconds left after Huntsberry forced a baseline miss from Cody. After Jackson made a free throw, UMary forced Minot State to launch a desperation 3 as the horn sounded.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
After playing eight of their first ten games on the road, the Marauders are in the midst of playing seven of nine games at home in the McDowell Activity Center. Following their visit to USF and SMSU, UMary will play four straight at the MAC.  
 
WE GOT FIRST
In a change from previous seasons, the men's game will lead off Northern Sun doubleheaders for half the season with the women's game to follow. After the first game of the season opened with the women playing before the men, the UMary men will play the opening game for 11 straight contests. The teams will flip on January 21 when the women resume playing the opening game of an NSIC doubleheader with the men playing second.
 
TEAM WORK
Nine Marauders played in Sunday's 80-78 victory over Minot State and all played key roles. Five Marauders reached double digit points, eight scored and all nine had an assist.
 
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Kai Huntsberry has had an immediate impact on the Marauders in his first year at UMary. The 7^th leading scorer in the NSIC had a run of five straight games with at least 22 points scored earlier this season and six with 18 or more… The transfer from San Diego City College has led the Marauders in scoring in nine of 13 games this season… he has scored 22 or more points seven times and 18 or more nine times… The point guard from New Orleans, LA, averages 18 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game and is shooting 47.5% from the field and 86% 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 assist, 7^th in scoring, 22^nd in steals and 19^th in shooting percentage.
 
SPARK
Until moving into the starting rotation the last two games, Jacob Jackson started the season providing a spark off the bench… Over the course of 13 games he has posted eight or more points ten times and reached double digits seven times… He had two double doubles, in a 78-74 win at Minot State (12 points and 10 rebounds) and in an 80-79 home win over MSU Moorhead (11 and 10)… Jackson picked up his first start at UMary in the Marauders 65-60 win over Minnesota Crookston, hauling down 13 boards and scoring seven points… He tied his career high with 14 points – including the final six for UMary – in his second start, an 80-78 home win over Minot State… The junior guard from Sacramento, CA, also had 14 points in a win over Sioux Falls… For the season Jackson is averaging 9.5 points/game and 5.2 rebounds/game. He ranks second on the team in scoring and rebounds.
 
IN AND OUT IMPACT
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 for double digits six times in 12 games, including a high of 21 against the Bronchos. For the season Urbonavicius is third on team in scoring (9.2 ppg) and 4^th in rebounding (4.2 rpg). He is making 45.5% of his shots overall – including 40% behind the arc – and makes 77% of his free throws.
 
DOUBLING DOWN
Kam Warrens and Jacob Jackson have combined for five double doubles this season… Warrens has three double doubles (12 points/12 rebounds at Central Oklahoma, 10/11 vs Mayville State, 18/10 v MSU Moorhead) and Jackson owns two (12/10 at Minot State, 11/10 vs. MSU Moorhead). Jackson accomplished the feat both times in a reserve role.
 
BOARD PLAY
Kam Warrens has been a force for the Marauders on the boards and has provided scoring punch for UMary. The junior wing has hauled down double digit rebounds three times. He 6.4 rebounds/game leads UMary and is 17^th in the NSIC. Warrens is also averaging 8.7 points/game and is making 39.4% of his 3s in his second season with the Marauders. Warrens is third on the squad in 3-pointers (13).
 
LIVING LARGE AT THE LINE
The Marauders are once again outscoring the opposition at the free throw line. UMary is 5^th in the NSIC in free throw percentage at 75.8% (150-of-198) while the Marauders opponents are 144-of-196 (73.5%).
 
BOARD PLAY
The Marauders are 9^th among NSIC teams with a rebounding margin of +2.6 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 earned 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… Nelson earned his 5^th win against Minot State to claim a season sweep.  
 
HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. COUGARS
The Cougars lead the series with the Marauders 9-3… USF won the first four games in the series before UMary claimed the next two… The Marauders first win was a 69-65 road win on Dec. 12, 2015… Mary is 1-2 at home, 1-6 at USF and 1-0 in neutral site games… The two former NAIA competitors first met as NCAA and NSIC foes on 2.9.13 with USF gaining a 75-70 home win. The Marauders joined the Northern Sun for the 2006-07 season and the Cougars began NSIC play in 2012-13… The Marauders snapped a 5-game skid against the Cougars with an 83-74 win at the Microtel Thanksgiving Classic in Moorhead, MN, on 11/26/2021. The Marauders outscored the Cougars 55-38 in the second half to claim a non-conference win/ Kai Huntsberry led UMary with 26 points and seven assists. Kade Amundson added 16 points and Treyton Mattern had 11 points and eight rebounds. Jacob Jackson came off he bench to score 14 points.  
 
HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. MUSTANGS
The Marauders trail the Mustangs in the series 15-4… UMary is 2-5 all-time at home in the MAC and 2-9 at SMSU's R/A Facility… The Marauders won the last meeting 75-60 at home on Jan. 1, 2020… The Marauders last win in Marshall, MN, was 91-82 on December 11, 2015, as Bryan Jefferson had 18 points and Marquealis Edwards had 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists ... LAST MEETING Five Marauders scored 12 points each to defeat the Mustangs 75-60 at the McDowell Activity Center on January 18, 2020. Jaylen White, Glen Jordan, Wyatt Carr, Josh Sipes and Kade Amundson all tied for the team scoring lead. White also had 12 assists, two steals and five rebounds. Amundson hit all three of his trey attempts and had six rebounds… Sipes and Amundson are the only two current Marauders who played in the game.
 
CENTURY MARK
A trio of Bismarck Century High School graduates are playing key roles for the Marauders this season. Josh Sipes, the Marauders NSIC Player to Watch this year, is shooting a team-leading 48.1% from the floor and is second on the team in made treys (14). Sipes – who made his first start of the season in a 65-60 win over Minnesota Crookston and scored 10 points - averages 5.5 ppg… Kade Amundson started the first 12 games of the season for UMary at forward and averages 5.0 ppg and 3.4 rebounds per game and is 10-of-12 (83.3%) at the free throw line… Treyton Mattern has started ten games and averages 3.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game… Additionally the Marauders look for Lucas Mayer to rejoin the lineup after he recovers from injury… All four played for former UMary men's basketball player Darrin Mattern (and Treyton's father) at Century.
 
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:   3-2
 
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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