Gertautas Urbonavicius shooting a jump shot

Men's Basketball 2/22/2022 12:27:00 PM Brian Larson, Sports Information

UMary men's basketball opens NSIC tournament against WSU

THIS WEEK

The University of Mary tips off postseason play on Wednesday, Feb. 23, at Winona State University in the opening round of the NSIC/Sanford Heath Men's Basketball Tournament. Game time between the Marauders and the Warriors is 6 pm at the McCown Gymnasium in Winona, MN.

The winner between the Marauders and the Warriors advance to the NSIC/Sanford Health quarterfinals on Saturday, February 26, against the University of Minnesota Duluth, the top seed in the NSIC North. Tip off is 11 am at The Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD… The NSIC tournament champion earns a berth in the NCAA championships.

The Marauders opening round playoff game at Winona State will air live on KFYR 550 AM. Join Voice of the Marauders Jesse Rostvedt at 5:30 pm for the pregame show.

Links to live streaming video, game stats and radio streams are available at www.GoUMary.com/coverage

UMary is 10-16 overall and 9-12 in the Northern Sun. The Marauders finished 11^th overall in the NSIC and earned the 5^th seed in the NSIC North Division… Winona State is 15-10 overall and 11-9 in the NSIC. The Warriors claimed 7^th overall in the NSIC standings and are the 4^th seed in the NSIC South.

The 2022 NSIC/Sanford Health men's basketball tournament opens Wednesday, February 23, with four games on campus sites. The top two seeds from both the North and South Divisions are joined by the four opening-round victors for the quarterfinals on Saturday and Sunday, February 26-27. The semifinals are Monday, February 28, with the championship game set for Tuesday, March 1. The NSIC tournament champion earns an automatic berth to the NCAA championships. The NSIC tournament quarterfinals, semifinals and championship games are held at the Sanford Health Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD.

The Marauders three-game win streak was snapped with a 79-65 loss at MSU Moorhead. UMary held a 31-28 lead at intermission and built an 11-point advantage in the second half before the Dragons made their move. Kai Huntsberry was 4-of-6 on treys and scored a team-best 20 points. Davids Atelbauers added 11 and Kam Warrens scored 10… the Marauders 4-game home win streak was snapped with a 78-70 loss to Northern State. Atelbauers hit three treys and scored a career-high 20 on Senior Day. Gertautas Urbonavicius added 18 and Huntsberry 12.

The Marauders honored senior Davids Atelbauers prior to the Northern State game and it was a start of a big day for the native of Ogre, Latvia. The civil engineering student paced the Marauders with a season-high 20 points in the UMary 78-70 loss to the Wolves.

The Marauders are 1-22 all-time against the Warriors… WSU is 13-0 at home against UMary, including 3-0 in the NSIC tournament… The Marauders lost the first seven games of the series before winning 87-85 in overtime at home on 1.3.10 behind 29 points from Anthony Moody. The All-American hit 5-of-6 3-point attempts and captured NSIC Player of the Week honors for his efforts… The Warriors have won 15 straight games over the Marauders… LAST MEETING | The Marauders dropped an 89-78 decision at Winona State on January 28, 2022. Trailing by as many as 15 points, UMary used a 41-19 run to take a 63-56 lead. Even at 72-72,the Warriors used a 17-6 run the last 5 minutes to pull away. The Marauders held a 32-17 edge on the boards and made 11-of-22 treys. Kai Huntsberry led UMary with 25 points on four treys. Jacob Jackson added 17 points. Alec Rosner led WSU with 36 points.

The Marauders are 3-11 in the NSIC tournament… The first win was a 70-65 1st round home victory over MSU Moorhead on March 2, 2011. Anthony Moody scored 25 points with eight rebounds and seven assists. Eric Erdmann added 17 points and Jordan Wilhelm 12... Mary has faced Winona State three times in the NSIC tournament, more than any other team.

MARAUDERS NSIC PLAYOFF HISTORY (3-11)

March 1, 2008 at Winona State (1st round) L 50-77

March 3, 2010 at Winona State (1st round) L 57-76

March 2, 2011 MSU Moorhead (1st round) W 70-65

March 5, 2011 vs. St. Cloud State (semi-finals) L 59-65

Feb. 27, 2013 at Winona State (1st round) L 64-77

Feb. 27, 2014 at Southwest Minn. State (1st round) L 65-82

Feb. 21, 2015 at Concordia-St. Paul (1st round) L 65-78

Feb. 24, 2016 Concordia-St. Paul (1st round) W 76-72

Feb. 27, 2016 vs. Minnesota State (quarterfinals) W 96-91 OT

Feb. 29, 2016 vs. MSU Moorhead (semifinals) L 65-89

Feb. 22, 2017 at Minnesota State (1st round) L 78-87

Feb. 21, 2018 at Southwest Minnesota State (1st round) L 73-78

Feb. 27, 2019 at Wayne State College (1st round) L 62-84

Feb. 26, 2020 at Upper Iowa (1^st round) L 64-80

March 12, 2011 vs. Metro State (at Mankato, MN) L 73-78

The Marauders have started to find the range from behind the arc. Over the last eight games UMary is 77-of-191 (40%). For the year the Marauders are shooting 35.8% on treys… Three times in the last eight games UMary shot over 50%, a figure reached just one in the first 18 games… four of the six times UMary knocked down 10 or more treys this season have come during this recent run.

Davids Atelbauers started eight straight games and reached double figures in points seven times. Over the last four games, he scored 13 against #6 Minnesota Duluth and hit the game-winning 3-pointer, posted 15 points in a win over St. Cloud State while making 5-of-6 treys, scored 11 against MSU and finished the regular season with 20 against Northern State… In his last 12 games, including ten, the senior from Ogre, Latvia, is averaging 9.5 points/game. In his last eight games – all starts - the guard is averaging 11.6 ppg while hitting 20-of-39 trey attempts.

Kai Huntsberry has had an immediate impact on the Marauders in his first year at UMary. An NSIC Player of the Week, Huntsberry is currently 6^th in scoring in the NSIC (18.3 ppg) and is among the league leaders in several categories… He has scored 22 or more points in 11 of 22 games… The transfer from San Diego City College has led the Marauders in scoring in 16 of 24 games this season… he has scored 22 or more points 11 times and 18 or more 16 times… The point guard from New Orleans, LA, averages 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game and is shooting 48.2% from the field, 38.9% on 3s and 82% at the line. The team leader in scoring and assists, he ranks 5^th in the NSIC in assists, 6^th in scoring, 9^th in free throw percentage, 12^th in shooting percentage and 13^th in treys/game (2.0).

A transfer from NCAA Division I University of North Dakota, Gertautas Urbonavicius has given the Marauders a hot scoring hand inside and out. The junior forward from Vilnius, Lithuania, has hit for double digits 13 times in 24 games, including a high of 21 against the Bronchos. For the season Urbonavicius is 2^nd on the team in scoring (10.3 ppg) and 4^th in rebounding (4.4 rpg). He is making 48% of his shots overall – including 43% behind the arc – and converts 76% of his free throws.

Kam Warrens and Jacob Jackson have combined for seven double doubles this season… Warrens has four double doubles (12 points/12 rebounds at Central Oklahoma, 10/11 vs Mayville State, 18/10 v MSU Moorhead, 10/12 at SMSU) and Jackson owns three (12/10 at Minot State, 11/10 vs. MSU Moorhead, 17/10 vs. #23 Augie)… Lucas Mayer hauled down 14 rebounds and added 12 points against the Huskies for UMary's 8^th double double of the year.

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 four times. His 6.3 rebounds/game leads UMary and is 19^th in the NSIC. Warrens is also averaging 8.7 points/game and 7^th on the squad in made 3-pointers (18).

Since Lucas Mayer joined the starting lineup ten games ago after returning from injury, the Marauders have outrebounded the opposition six times. Mayer is averaging 6.6 boards/game during this run, including 14 in a win over the Huskies. That total is the most by a Marauders player since two-time All-NSIC forward Bryan Jefferson had 15 against MSU Moorhead in January 2017. For the season Mayer is averaging 7.4 points and 5.8 rebounds [er game and shooting 60% from the floor.

Jacob Jackson has provided a spark on offense and defense in his first season at UMary… After coming off the bench for the first 11 games, he made five straight starts… Over the course of 21 games he has posted eight or more points 15 times and reached double digits ten times… He has three double doubles, in a 78-74 win at Minot State (12 points and 10 rebounds), an 80-79 home win over MSU Moorhead (11 and 10) and against #23 Augie (17 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… scored a career-high 17 against #23 Augie… The junior guard from Sacramento, CA, averages 9.0 points/game and 5.3 rebounds/game. He is third on the team in scoring and rebounds.

The Marauders outpace the opposition in scoring at the free throw line. UMary is 7^th in the NSIC in free throw percentage at 75.3% (272-of-361) while the Marauders opponents are 12^th (270-of-368/73.4%).

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.

A quartet 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 49% from the floor and is 4th on the team in made treys (19). Sipes – who made his first start of the season in a 65-60 win over Minnesota Crookston and scored 10 points - averages 4.2 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 14 games and averages 3.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game… Lucas Mayer is back from injury and returned to the starting lineup to hit game-winning shots against both the Golden Bears and the Beavers. He has started the last ten games and averages 7.7 ppg and 6.0 rpg while shooting 57.9%… All four played for former UMary men's basketball player Darin Mattern (and Treyton's father) at Century.

Twice this season Lucas Mayer has scored the game-winning basketball for the Marauders in the closing seconds. Against Concordia-St. Paul Mayer put back an offensive rebound with 4.9 seconds left in a 68-66 win. On the road at Bemidji State and trailing 53-52, Mayer snared the rebound off an errant Marauders 3-point attempt and scored on a putback with 2.1 seconds remaining. Fouled while scoring, Mayer hit the free throw to complete a 3-point play in a 55-53 UMary win.

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