THIS WEEK
A pair of midweek games for the University of Mary men's basketball team tips off at home with a visit from St. Cloud State University. The Northern Sun contest between the Marauders and the Huskies is set for 4 pm at the McDowell Activity Center (please note earlier game time).
 
UMary then hits the road for a visit to Bemidji State University on Thursday, December 14. The Marauders-Beavers game time is 5:30 pm at the BSU Gymnasium in Bemidji, MN.  
 
AROUND THE CORNER
The Marauders will play their 3^rd game in seven days when UMary hosts Valley City State University in a non-conference contest at 5:30 pm om Monday, December 18 at the MAC.
 
MAKE-A-WISH GAME SET FOR DECEMBER 12
The University of Mary Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has designated the Marauders December 12 basketball doubleheader as the annual Make-A-Wish game. Make-A-Wish North Dakota grants wishes to local children who have a critical illness and UMary SAAC members will be asking for support of the Make-A-Wish program throughout the night to assist the more than 17 children in Bismarck-Mandan alone waiting for their wish to come true.
 
SPECIAL OLYMPICS NIGHT SLATED FOR DECEMBER 18
The Marauders celebrate North Dakota's Special Olympic athletes on Monday, December 18, when UMary hosts Valley City State in a non-conference basketball doubleheader. UMary fans will have the opportunity to interact with local Special Olympians, learn more about the program and watch an exhibition game during halftime.
 
THE RECORD
The Marauders are 5-4 overall and 1-3 in the Northern Sun… The Huskies are 4-4 and 1-3… the Bevers are 6-4 and 2-2.
 
LAST WEEK
The Marauders earned their first NSIC win of the season, downing visiting Minnesota Crookston 70-65. UMary trailed by 18 in the first half before rallying. Brock Heffner led the way with 17 points and nine rebounds. Xavier Lewis had a double double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Zyon Smith added 15 points and Gerald Gittens had 10… UMary dropped an 88-65 loss at Minot State. Gittens led the way with 19 points and Heffner added 12.   
 
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 trio of players with double doubles this season:

• Xavier Lewis – 15 points, 12 rebounds at Northeastern State (Nov. 11, 2023)
• Xavier Lewis – 12 points, 13 rebounds vs. Minnesota Crookston (Dec. 8, 2023)
• Brock Heffner – 25 points, 11 rebounds vs. Mayville State (Nov. 15, 2023)
• Ty Rogers – 13 points and 11 rebounds vs. Trinity Bible College (Nov. 24, 2023)

 
POWER TRIO
The Marauders have three players averaging double figures through three games:

• Gerald Gittens, a transfer from North Central Missouri College, leads the Marauders in scoring with 14.1 points per game. He is shooting 47.7% from the floor, 52.4% on treys and averages 4.4 rebounds/game. He also leads UMary in assists with 3.0 per game.
• Zyon Smith averages 12.4 points per game with 5.1 rebounds/game. The senior guard leads the team with 20 3-pointers and is making 40% of his trey attempts.
• Brock Heffner, a transfer from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, averages 11.9 points per game and 5.6 rebounds. The sophomore forward is shooting 46.8% from the floor and has nine blocks.

 
HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. HUSKIES
UMary is 13-20 all-time against St. Cloud State… The Marauders are 10-6 at home, 3-12 at SCSU and 0-2 on neutral ground… UMary has won three straight at the MAC over SCSU and 4-of-5… UMary's first NCAA win came at SCSU 86-77 on 11.18.06… UMary's first signature NCAA win was a 77-48 home victory over #8 SCSU on 12.16.07… The Marauders and the Huskies have split their last four season series… LAST MEETING SCSU downed visiting UMary 80-70 on February 11, 2023. Kam Warrens led UMary with 18 points. Zyon Smith added 16.
 
HISTORY LESSON – MARAUDERS v. BEAVERS
UMary leads the series with BSU 19-16… The series began in 1971 with a 92-87 home win for the Marauders… The two teams played twice in the 1987 season with each school winning at home… Since becoming a member of the NSIC, UMary captured the first five meetings before BSU broke through with a home win in the 2009-10 season… After six straight losses to the Beavers, the Marauders swept the season series in 2014-15 and 2015-16… The two teams split the next six season series until BSU swept both games last year… UMary has won six out of its last 10 games in Bemidji… six of the last nine games were played in Bemidji (both games in the COVID19 season of 2020-21) | LAST MEETING A shorthanded Marauders squad dropped a 90-71 decision to visiting Bemidji State on February 4, 2023. Ty Rogers scored 15 points and Deven Franks 13 for UMary. John Sutherland led BSU with 26 points.
 
BOARD GAMES
The Marauders are +3.9 rebounds per game over the opposition to rank 6^th in the Northern Sun. Sophomore forward Xavier Lewis is a big key to the Marauders advantage. The Lynwood, IL, native averages 7.8 rebounds/game to lead UMary. He is 6^th in the NSIC. Additionally Brock Heffner (5.6 rpg) ranks 22^nd in the NSIC.
 
GET THAT OUTTA HERE
Rich Ashu, Brock Heffner and Xavier Lewis are making things difficult for Marauders opponents to score with 9 blocks each this season. All three rank in the Top 10 of the NSIC… raging 1.6 blocks/game to rank 2^nd in the NSIC. Heffner at 1.1 blocks/game ranks 5^th. Overall the UMary defense is swatting away 3.67 shots/game to rank 4^th in the NSIC.
 
PICKING POCKETS
The Marauders average 6.56 steals/game to rank 3^rd in the Northern Sun.  
 
FOR THREE!
Zyon Smith is having a strong season behind the arc. The senior guard is knocking down 2.2 treys/game and shooting a stellar 40%. Gerald Gittens has been tremendous, making 11-of-21 for a 52.4% 3-point shooting percentage. Freshman Alex Mattes is also knocking down a high percentage, making 11-of-23 (47.8%) from downtown.    
 
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.
 
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.
• 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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