BISMARCK, ND- The University of Mary women's basketball team kicks off their Northern Sun conference schedule by welcoming Northern State University to the McDowell Activity Center on Tuesday, November 21, at 7:30 pm.
 
FOLLOW LIVE
Links to watch live and follow stats are available at www.goumary.com/coverage.
 
THE RECORD
The Marauders are 2-4 to kick off the 2023-24 season after dropping their home opener to Black Hills State University.
 
OPPO RESEARCH
The Wolves are 3-1 to open the season. Sophomore center Madelyn Bragg leads NSU is scoring with 21.5 and rebounding (6.8). Senior guard Rianna Fillipi leads the team in assists, dishing out 17 dimes over the four games.
 
LAST TIME THEY MEET
UMary went 1-1 against NSU last season, with the Marauders defeating the Wolves in Aberdeen, SD, 70-57. NSU evened the series, however, when they defeated UMary 63-62 in Bismarck, ND. Megan Zander averaged 23 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists against the Wolves over the two games.
 
LAST WEEK
The Marauders lost their home opener to the Yellow Jackets in heartbreaking fashion 58-56. Mariah McKeever scored 21 points in her Marauders home debut, finishing 5-of-5 on treys. She also had five rebounds and four steals. Lexie Schneider added 17 points and Megan Zander had 11.
 
MARAUDERS MEMOS

• Lexie Schneider moved into 19^th place all-time on the Marauders scoring charts with 1,084. She is eight points behind Ali Collins (1,092). Schneider has led the Marauders in scoring five times and is averaging 21.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game to lead UMary. She has cracked 20 points four times. Schneider makes 53.8% of her shots from the floor and 89.6% of her free throws.
• Megan Zander had a strong start to the season and averages 11.3 ppg. The senior grabs 5.5 rebounds/game and has made 14-of-18 free throws. She is second of the team with 13 assists.
• Mariah McKeever made an immediate impact on the Marauders, scoring 12 points in a win over #19 Angelo State in the season opener. The senior guard posted 21 points and hit 5-of-6 treys against Black Hills State. For the year she averages 11.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game… McKeever is shooting 45.1% from the field and 57.1% (12-of-21) from behind the arc. She is 11-of-14 at the line and delivers 3.2 assists/game.
• Nine Marauders average at least 12 minutes per game
• The Marauders are outrebounding their opponents 39.2 to 34.2 per game
• Four players made their Marauders debut in Billings: Sr. G Mariah McKeever, Jr. G Ashton Kinnebrew, Fr, G Bergan Kinnebrew and Fr. G Chloe Pfau.

 
 
SCHNEIEDER NAMED 1^ST NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK OF 2023-24 SEASON
An impressive start out of the gate earned University of Mary forward Lexie Schneider the first Northern Sun Women's Basketball Player of the Week honor awarded for the 2023-24 season. After missing last year to injury, Schneider has led the Marauders in scoring in each of their first five games. At the Central Region Classic last weekend, the senior from Appleton, WI, averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds as the Marauders went 1-1. She had 18 points and 15 rebounds in a 75-73 overtime win against the University of Central Oklahoma. Schnieder followed with 26 points and nine rebounds in a narrow 74-66 loss to Classic host Northeastern State University. Schneider opened the season with 23 points in an 81-67 win over #19 Angelo State at the D2SSA Women's Basketball Tip Off. She eclipsed 1,000 career points in game two against #16 MSU Billings while scoring 23 points. In a game three loss to #24 Texas Woman's she scored 20 points. Over the course of the first five games of the season Schneider has scored 20 or more points four times. She averages 22.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 53.7% from the floor and 88.4% at the free throw line. The 2021-22 All-Northern Sun performer has now captured NSIC Player of the Week honors three times in her career.
 
1,000 POINTS FOR SCHNEIDER, ZANDER
Two Marauders went over 1,000 points in their collegiate careers opening weekend… Lexi Schneider cracked 1,000 career points in the second game of the season. In her fifth season playing for the Marauders the All-Northern Sun forward has scored 1,023 in 102 games, an average of 10.2 ppg. Schneider is the 22nd UMary player to reach quadruple digits for their career… Megan Zander cracked 1,000 points in the season opener. The Mandan native scored 383 points at the University of North Dakota over two seasons before transferring to UMary. In her third season with the Marauders, Zander has scored 636 points in 48 games at UMary.
 
LAST YEAR
The Marauders finished the 2022-23 season 14-13 overall and 12-10 in the NSIC (3rd NSIC North, 6th overall)… The Marauders won an opening game in the NSIC tournament for a second straight season to advance to the conference quarterfinals.
 
MARAUDERS PROJECTED TO PLACE THIRD IN NSIC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
A veteran University of Mary squad is picked to finish third overall in the 2023-24 Northern Sun Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll. Featuring a lineup that includes a trio of All-NSIC performers and five players who have started in the league, the Marauders earned 162 points in the coaches' poll. Minnesota State earned all but one first place ballot and accumulated 196 points in the poll. Defending league champion Minnesota Duluth was second with 165 points, just ahead of UMary in the 15-team league.
 
ZANDER NAMED MARAUDERS PLAYER TO WATCH IN 2023-24
All-conference guard Megan Zander is the Marauders NSIC Player to Watch. Zander earned 2022-23 1st team All-NSIC honors after leading the Marauders in scoring at 14.7 ppg in her second season at UMary. The senior from Mandan, ND, hauled down 5.4 rebounds, connected for 37 treys and shot 87.8% at the free throw line. She reached double digits in points in 22 games, scored 20+ points five times and had a pair of double doubles.
 
SCHNEIDER BACK TO CENTER ATTACK
After missing last year with an injury, 2022 All-NSIC center Lexie Schneider returns to the court. In 2021-22 Schneider averaged a team-leading 14.2 points per game and shot 54% from the floor. She also had seven double doubles and averaged 8.3 rebounds per game. The 2-time NSIC North Player of the Week led the league in shooting, was second in rebounding and 12th in scoring.
 
WELCOME ABOARD, MATEY
Mariah McKeever joins the Marauders as a graduate transfer after the guard earned NSIC 2nd team honors last season at MSU Moorhead. She averaged 15.5 ppg and 6.8 rpg in 2022-23.
 
WELCOME BACK

• A 2-year starter at guard, Ryleigh Wacha is back for her junior season. Wacha averaged 8.7 ppg and 4.8 rpg and was second in assists with 59 last year.
• Addison Rozell started at forward last season. The junior averaged 8.6 ppg and 5.5 rpg while leading the squad with 21 blocks.
• Junior Moriku Hakim was a key reserve last season in the post. She averaged 9.0 ppg and 4.8 rpg and shot a stellar 54.5% from the field.
• Zoe Velde returns for her junior year at guard. She played all 27 games last year, including a handful of starts. She averaged 2.7 ppg and 2.8 RPG and was 3rd in steals (28) and 4th in assists (61).
• Additional returners include senior G Cadee Ryckman, junior G Ellie Hasz and C Cassie Erickson

 
NEW
 In addition to Mariah McKeever, other newcomers include junior G Ashton Kinnebrew and freshmen G Chloe Pfau, G Bergan Kinnebrew, G Anna Lenzen, G Emily Jaenke and C Allison Undlin.
 
NSIC CHANGEUP
With the departure of Upper Iowa University, the NSIC is now a 15-team league. The NSIC regular season championship will be based on the 22-game schedule. Each team will play eight teams twice and another six teams once. An NSIC Champion will be awarded to the team with the highest win percentage in the 22 games played. The 12-team NSIC Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championships are set to take place March 2-5 at the Sanford Health Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD. The top four seeds will receive a first-round bye. First round games will be played on campus on Wednesday, February 28.
 
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