THIS WEEK
Looking to keep their momentum going in conference action, the University of Mary women's basketball team welcomes St. Cloud State University to McDowell Activity Center in Bismarck, ND, at 6 pm on Tuesday, December 12.
 
UMary then travels to Bemidji, MN, to take on Bemidji State University on Thursday, December 14, at 7:30 pm.
 
AROUND THE CORNER
The Marauders welcomes two non-conference opponents to the MAC. On Saturday, December 16, UMary hosts Dickinson State University at 4 pm. The Marauders then wrap up their fourth game in seven days against Valley City State University on Monday, December 18, at 7:30 pm.
 
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.
 
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

 
THE RECORD
The Marauders have won three straight games and are 5-5 overall and 3-1 in the Northern Sun.
 
STAT LEADERS

• Lexie Schneider leads UMary and the NSIC in scoring, averaging 20.6 ppg. She also leads the team and conference in rebounding with 9.1 rpg. Schneider is shooting 52% from the field and 89% from the free-throw line. Schneider ranks 4^th in the NSIC in field goal percentage, second in free-throw percentage, 24^th in assists per game, 18^th in blocks per game and 18^th in minutes per game.
• Mariah McKeever leads the team in assists with 24. McKeever is shooting a team-best 58% from behind the arc while scoring 13.2 ppg. McKeever ranks 13^th in the NSIC in scoring, second in 3-pointers made per game, 5^th in free-throw percentage, 18^th in assists per game and 13^th in assists per game.
• Megan Zander is averaging 10.3 ppg and is second on the team in rebounding (5.1 rpg). Zander ranks 21^st in the NSIC in rebounding, 10^th in 3-pointers made per game and 22^nd in minutes per game.
• Addison Rozell leads UMary in blocks (16). She ranks 6^th in the conference in blocks per game.

 
OPPO RESEARCH – HUSKIES
The Huskies (5-3, 2-2 NSIC) are led by sophomore guard Jada Eggebrecht, who leads the team in scoring with 13.4 ppg. Eggebrecht is shooting 45% from the field, 39% from three and 93% from the charity stripe. Sophomore forward Ashley Sawicki leads SCSU in rebounding (7.1 rpg) and blocks (14). Senior guard Morgan Draheim leads the Huskies in assists (23) and is averaging 10.1 ppg.
 
LAST TIME THEY MEET
UMary fell to SCSU 57-45 the last time the two teams met. The Marauders are 2-8 in their last ten games against the Huskies.
 
OPPO RESEARCH – BEAVERS
BSU (3-8 overall, 1-2 NSIC) is led by sophomore forward Alyssa Hill. Hill leads the Beavers in scoring with 15.4 ppg and rebounds with five rebounds per game. She is shooting 54% from the field and ranks seventh in the NSIC in scoring average. Freshman guard Alayna Suprenand leads the team in assists (26) and is averaging 7.1 ppg.
 
LAST TIME THEY MET
The Marauders swept the 2022-23 season series with the Beavers. The Marauders won 84-52 when they met in Bemidji last season. Megan Zander dropped 21 points and Moriku Hakim had 14 points and six rebounds off the bench.
 
LAST WEEK
UMary won their last two conference games, giving the Marauders a three-game winning streak.  UMary defeated The University of Minnesota Crookston 70-54. Lexie Schneider scored 26 points and had 15 rebounds. Schneider scored 18 of her game-high 26 points in a decisive third period that allowed the Marauders to pull away from the Golden Eagles. A stellar first half by Bergan Kinnebrew and a strong defensive effort led the Marauders to a 23-21 lead at the half. The freshman guard scored 13 of her career-high 15 points to carry the UMary offense. The Marauders blocked seven shots in the first half alone with Addison Rozell rejecting three on her own.
 
UMary then went on the road and took down in-state rivals Minot State University 75-67. Mariah McKeever cracked 1,000 points in her NCAA collegiate career in the Marauders victory as the senior dropped 20 points on the Beavers. Schneider scored 17 points on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting effort from the charity stripe. Ryleigh Wacha grabbed a season-high ten rebounds and scored nine points. Megan Zander scored 10 points and dropped three assists. Addison Rozell added eight points, shooting 2-of-3 from three.
 
1K MILESTONE FOR MCKEEVER
Maraiah McKeever became the 3^rd UMary women's basketball player to crack 1,000 career points when she reached the milestone in the Marauders win at Minot State University. After scoring 875 points in four years at MSU Moorhead, McKeever has scored 132 in ten games this season at UMary. Lexie Schneider and Megan Zander reached 1,000 career points earlier this season.  
 
THE CLIMB
Senior forward Lexie Schneider is leaving her mark on the Marauders program. The native of Appleton, WI, has scored 1,163 points to rank 19th all-time in scoring at UMary. The All-NSIC performer passed Nicole Meier (1,129) last week. Next on the list is Renae Amundson (1,180 points in 1986-90)… Schneider is 7th in rebounds with 730. She passed Shaunna Knife (645) and Lauren Rotunda (683) earlier this season and is bearing down on Dawn Schaeffer (738 in 1979-83)… Schneider is currently 7th in steals in the NCAA era with 102. McKenzie Foster with 103 is next on the list… She currently ranks 8^th in blocks with 53.
 
CHASING HISTORY
Head coach Rick Neumann looks to pass Fred Fridley for second all-time in program wins. Neumann currently sits at 166 wins, while Fridley amassed 170 wins during his UMary tenure. Roger Haug is the all-time leader in wins with 234. Neumann has the most NSIC wins in school history, with 120.
 
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.
 
SCHNEIEDER NAMED 1ST 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.
 
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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