BISMARCK, ND – After an arduous road weekend, the University of Mary Women's basketball team (13-10, 12-8 NSIC) prepares for their final regular season games when they host Northern State (15-11, 10-10 NSIC) Thursday night at 7:30, then head to MSU Moorhead for a 5:30 tip-off Saturday night. 

The Marauders can still claim a first-round bye to the NSIC quarterfinals at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD, should they sweep this week's games and St. Cloud State loses both of theirs. Otherwise, they will return home to the MAC on Wednesday, February 22 to host a first-round Northern Sun playoff game. 

GAME DAY SPONSOR
McQuade Distributing will serve as Thursday's game-day sponsor. Fans are welcome to pick up complimentary tickets to each game at their Bismarck location. 
•    1150 Industrial Dr, Bismarck, ND 58501

LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend the Marauders traveled Northeast in hopes to turn the tides from their previous matchups against the #12 University of Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State. The Marauders began the road trip with a visit to the NSIC champion University of Minnesota Duluth (22-3, 19-1 NSIC) Friday night. The Bulldogs got off to a strong start and took a 72-52 victory over the Marauders. 

The Marauders then traveled to St. Cloud, but despite their efforts, fell to the Huskies 57-45. The win gives the Huskies a one-game edge on the Marauders for second place in the NSIC North standings and a first-round postseason bye as it currently stands. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Megan Zander still tops the Marauders scoring heading into the week with 13.7 points per game. Zander is also among the top free throw shooters in the Northern Sun, averaging 84.6% from the charity stripe. 

Megan Voit had some substantial contributions to the Marauder's efforts last weekend. Putting up 7 points against UMD and hitting three treys for the team-high nine points against St. Cloud, Voit sits at no. 3 in the Northern Sun for treys per game, with an average of 2.4 per game. 

Addison Rozell has been an integral part of the Marauders post this season, starting all but one game averaging 8.8 points per game, and holds the team-high for rebounds per game (5.5) and blocks per game (0.9). 

Ryleigh Wacha continues to be a versatile player both defensively and offensively. The sophomore guard from Fargo, ND put up 8 points against UMD with four rebounds. Wacha averages 9.1 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game. 

Moriku Hakim continues to be a presence in the paint and led the Marauders with 8 points, two rebounds and two steals against UMD. Hakim remains in the no. 13 ranked for her free throw percentage with a 64.0% from the line. 

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Ahead of Thursday night's game, the Marauders are 8-2 inside the McDowell Activity Center this season and have won their past six games at home.

OPPONENT BREAKDOWN – WOLVES
Northern State University enters this week's matchup with an overall record of 15-11 and 10-10 in the Northern Sun, putting them fourth in the North just behind UMary. The Wolves come off a hot weekend on the road with two defining wins against Bemidji State University (62-54) and the University of Minnesota Crookston (75-60). 

NSU remains in the top 10 offenses in the NSIC with 62.2 points per game and holds a strong position defensively at no. 3 in the Northern Sun with 61.8 points per game. UMary trails just behind the Wolves defensively with the no. 4 position having allowed just one more point against.

NSU is led by Kailee Oliverson, the no. 13 scorer in the Northern Sun with an average of 15.1 points per game. Oliverson also holds the no. 7 spot in rebounding with an average of 7.7 per game as well as the no. 2 spot for free throw percentage with 86.2% from the line. Northern's Laurie Rogers sits strong at the top of the NSIC for blocks with an average of 2.4 per game. Teammate Kailee Oliverson trails behind in the no. 3 spot with 1.2 blocks per game. 

Northern State holds the upper hand over UMary with a historical record of 37-19 since 1980. Earlier this season, the Marauders secured a win on the road 70-57 win over the Wolves on December 1, 2022. Megan Zander put up 18 points in December's win, while Megan Voit shot for 14 and Ryleigh Wacha and Addison Rozell both added 11. 

OPPONENT BREAKDOWN - DRAGONS
Minnesota State University Moorhead enters the weekend currently at 13-11 overall and 10-10 in the Northern Sun. The Dragons pulled off two close wins last weekend with a 75-65 victory over Minnesota Crookston on February 10 and a 68-60 overtime win over Bemidji State. 

MSU Moorhead ranks 9th in the NSIC in scoring (64.4 points per game) and complements with a tough defense that ranks 4th in the conference allowing only an averager of 61.4 points per game. 

Peyton Boom is a strong forward for the Dragons, second on the team with 14.9 points per game and fourth in the conference in rebounding with 8.2 rebounds per game. Mariah McKeever and Natalie Jens are also solid scorers for the Dragons with 15.4 and 13.6 points per game respectively. 

Historically, the Dragons are 17-10 versus the Marauders since 2009. UMary holds the most previous win from earlier this season, pulling out an 83-75 victory in the MAC. Megan Zander led with 23 points while Zoe Velde added a career-high of 16. 

THE STAFF
Rick Neumann enters his tenth season at the helm of UMary Women's Basketball. Through the years, Neumann has enjoyed many successful years as the Marauders fourth-winningest coach in program history with a career record of 160-143. Neumann joined his alma mater as an assistant coach in 2003, taking over the head coaching role in the 2012-2013 season, and has coached numerous All-Conference and All-American players.

Reigning Summit League Player of the Year Chloe Lamb enters her first season as the Marauders assistant coach. Lamb comes to UMary fresh after capping off a historic career at the University of South Dakota where she earned the 2022 Summit League Tournament MVP as the Coyotes won both Summit regular season and tournament titles. She is a four-time All-Summit League selection, earning 1st team honors in her last two seasons at USD.

Phydel Nwanze enters her first season as a Marauders assistant coach and graduate assistant. She played collegiately at St. Edwards University and earned a BA in kinesiology and exercise science.

DIAL INTO 710 AM FOX SPORTS
Listen to "Voice of the Marauders" Jesse Rostvedt call all Marauders Northern Sun games and select conference contests on 710 AM Fox Sports.
 
LIVE STATS AND WEBCASTS
Links to radio broadcasts, web streams, and live stats are found at goumary.com/coverage. 

TICKETS
Complimentary tickets at McQuade's Bismarck location are first come first serve until all have been claimed. Otherwise, tickets can be purchased at umarytickets.com. 
•    Adults | $10 + fees online and $15 (CASH ONLY) at the gate
•    Seniors (65+) and youth 13-18 | $5 + fees online and $10 (CASH ONLY) at the gate
•    Children 12 and under accompanied by an adult | Free
•    Children 12 and under with no adult present| $5
•    UMary students and faculty and staff with their MCard and youth 12 and younger are admitted free
 
Please note that ticket sales at the gate are CASH ONLY purchases. Fans receive a discounted rate on tickets when purchased online at www.umarytickets.com than at the gate. Fans are also able to purchase tickets using credit and debit cards when ordering online while sales at the ticket booth are cash only.
 
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