HILO, HI – The University of Mary women's basketball team is set to begin the Malika Sports Thanksgiving Tournament in Hilo, Hawaii. The Marauders will play the University of Tampa (4-0) Thanksgiving Day at 4 pm CST, then conclude their stay with a matchup against the University of Hawaii at Hilo (2-1) Friday at 8:30 pm CST.

LAST TIME OUT
UMary (0-1) opened their season last week with a non-conference loss on the road to Black Hills State University (3-1). The Marauders recovered from an early setback of turnovers early in the contest and battled a tough Yellow Jackets team to the end in a 67-77 defeat. Megan Voit had a stellar performance shooting the ball in the season opener, leading with 17 points and making five of eight shots from three-point range.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Among the Marauders returners is sharpshooting guard Megan Voit. The senior guard from Sauk Rapids, MN, was the top 3-point shooter in the NSIC last season as Voit averaged 11.0 points per game and led the NSIC in made treys (2.9/game) and 3-pt field goal percentage (.379). She put her shooting skills on display in the season opener scoring 17 points while making five of eight treys.

Megan Zander enters her second season for the Marauders as an athletic threat capable of scoring inside and out. The senior guard from Mandan, ND, scored 11.3 points per game in her first year with the Marauders after transferring from the University of North Dakota. Zander scored 13 in the season opener against BHSU, where she also grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots.

Addison Rozell returns after playing a key role in the post as a freshman last season. Rozell started her sophomore season off strong last week by scoring 14 points, grabbing eight boards, and two steals.

Ryleigh Wacha was a standout freshman for the Marauders last season as the wing from Fargo, ND, averaged 8.1 ppg, led the team in blocks (24), and was second in rebounding (5.7/game). Wacha scored six points and had a blocked shot against the Yellow Jackets.

NSIC PLAYER TO WATCH
The Marauders will be without two-time all-NSIC forward Lexie Schneider for the early goings of the season due to injury. "It'll take us a little while to find our footing without Lexie, but we definitely have the depth needed to help us," said Marauders head coach Rick Neumann. "That's what these non-conference games are for, finding out about your team." Schneider was picked as the Marauders Player to Watch in the preseason by the Northern Sun as she led the Marauders in 2021-22 by averaging 14.2 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game.

ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
The Marauders Thanksgiving Day opponent is the 4-0 University of Tampa Spartans. The Spartans are led by a strong Senior forward Sydney Kin, who's started her season averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting a remarkable 81.8% from the field. Defensively, she's averaged 10.5 rebounds a game through the first four. The Spartans are coming off a 29-6 season that resulted in a trip to the NCAA DII Tournament.

The Marauders wrap up their stay in Hawaii Friday when they take on the host University of Hawaii at Hilo. The Vulcans are currently 2-1 overall and will play St. Edwards University on Thanksgiving Thursday before facing UMary. Vulcans guard Mandi Kawaha has led the scoring for Hilo thus far by shooting 36.2% from the field for an average of 18.7 points per game and has a team-high 13 assists. The Vulcans are coming off a 14-10 season last year.
 
THE STAFF
Rick Neumann enters his tenth season at the helm of UMary Women's Basketball. Through the years, Neumann has enjoyed many successful years as the Marauders fourth-winningest coach in program history with a career record of 147-133. Neumann joined his alma mater as an assistant coach in 2003, taking over the head coaching role in the 2012-2013 season, and has coached numerous All-Conference and All-American players.

Reigning Summit League Player of the Year Chloe Lamb enters her first season as the Marauders assistant coach. Lamb comes to UMary fresh after capping off a historic career at the University of South Dakota where she earned the 2022 Summit League Tournament MVP as the Coyotes won both Summit regular season and tournament titles. She is a four-time All-Summit League selection, earning 1st team honors in her last two seasons at USD.

Phydel Nwanze enters her first season as a Marauders assistant coach and graduate assistant. She played collegiately at St. Edwards University and earned a BA in kinesiology and exercise science.

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