THIS WEEK
Thanksgiving week will be busy for the University of Mary men's basketball team with a trio of games on the docket. UMary first opens Northern Sun play on Tuesday, November 21, when Northern State University comes to Bismarck, ND. Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 pm at the McDowell Activity Center.
 
UMary then heads to Aberdeen, SD, for the Dakotah Bank Classic hosted by Northern State on November 24-25, in Wachs Arena. The Marauders first face Trinity Bible College a 5:30 pm on Friday, November 24. A busy week wraps up on Saturday November 25, with a matchup against Peru State College at 1 pm.  
 
THE RECORD
The Marauders are 2-1 overall.
 
LAST WEEK
The Marauders had a busy opening weekend. UMary nearly upset #9 Central Oklahoma 55-49 to start the Central Region Challenge. Gerald Gittens led UMary with 16 points and Zyon Smith had 12… The Marauders knocked off host team Northeastern State University 63-61 on a basket at the buzzer by Gittens, who scored 13 points in the game. Smith had 18, Xavier Lewis 15 points and 12 rebounds and Brock Heffner had 13… UMary downed Mayville State 81-72 in overtime to open the Marauders home schedule. Heffner had 25 points and 11 rebounds and Gittens scored 23 points and sent the game to overtime with a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left in regulation.
 
FOLLOW LIVE

• Voice of the Marauders Jesse Rostvedt broadcasts all Marauders home games and Northern Sun contests on Fox Sports 710 and online at https://foxsports710.iheart.com/
• Free video streaming of Marauders home and all Northern Sun games is available at https://nsicnetwork.com/goumary and at www.GoUMary.com/coverage
• Live stats for Saturday's games are available online at www.GoUMary.com/coverage

 
DOUBLING UP
The Marauders already have a pair of players with double doubles this season:

• Xavier Lewis – 15 points, 12 rebounds at Northeastern State (Nov. 11, 2023)
• Brock Heffner – 25 points, 11 rebounds vs. Mayville State (Nov. 15, 2023)

 
CLUTCH
Gerald Gittens has shown a magic touch in a pair of late game situations. The Brooklyn, NY, native in his first season at UMary hit a shot to beat the buzzer in the Marauders 63-61 win at Northeastern State University in the second game of the season… in the Marauders home opener he hit a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 70-70 and force overtime. Gittens hit five straight free throws to seal the 81-72 UMary win.
 
POWER TRIO
The Marauders have three players averaging double figures through three games:

• Gerald Gittens, a transfer from North Central Missouri College leads the way with 17.3 points per game. He is shooting 51.6% from the floor, is 2-for-3 on treys and averages 4.0 rebounds/game.
• Zyon Smith averages 13.3 points per game and 7.0 rebounds. The senior guard leads the team with eight 3-pointers.
• Brock Heffner, a transfer from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, averages 12.7 points per game and 6.7rebounds.

 
BOARD GAMES
The Marauders are +3.7 in rebounding. A big reason is Xavier Lewis, who is averaging a team-best 9.0 rebounds per game. The sophomore forward has snagged at least seven boards in each contest.
 
SMITH NAMED UMARY'S NSIC PLAYER TO WATCH IN 2023-24
A senior guard from Montgomery, AL, Zyon Smith is UMary's NSIC Player to Watch for 2023-24. Smith joined the Marauders last season as a transfer from Highland (KS) Community College. In his first season at UMary he averaged 11.7 points per game. Smith hit a team-best 44 treys and averaged 2.8 rebounds per game. In the Marauders lone exhibition game of the preseason Smith hit four treys and scored a game-high 20 points at NCAA Division I South Dakota State University.
 
MARAUDERS MEMOS

• Senior G Zyon Smith is the lone starter returning for UMary after graduating four starters
• The Marauders return six players who saw action in at least 16 games, including junior F Liam Doherty and sophomores Jeremiah Jones, Gunner Swanson, Ty Rogers and Xavier Lewis.
• Jones averaged 6.7 pg and 5.6 rpg as a key reserve and had two double doubles with a couple more near misses
• Several newcomers will play key roles for the Marauders this season, including a trio of reserves: Junior guard Gerald Gittens (North Central Missouri College), junior forward Rich Ashu (Ellsworth Community College) and sophomore forward Brock Heffner (University of Wisconsin-Green Bay)
• Marauders were picked to finish 13th in the NSIC in the preseason coaches poll

 
YEAR THREE
Head coach Jack Nelson enters year three with the Marauders. In his first season in 2020-21 he led UMary to its best conference record in four years. Nelson directed the Marauders to their first Northern Sun tournament road victory with an 82-70 win at Winona State to send UMary to the quarterfinals and a trip to the Sanford Pentagon. During the regular season the Marauders defeated #6 University of Minnesota Duluth 75-71, the highest ranked NCAA team UMary has beaten at home. Nelson recruited and coached Kai Huntsberry, the 2021-22 NSIC Newcomer of the Year and a 1st team all-conference selection who broke the NSIC tournament record for 3s in a game with eight.
 
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