THIS WEEK
Following four straight doubleheader weekends, the University of Mary men's basketball schedule undergoes a different look the next two weeks with midweek and weekend games both at home and on the road.
 
This week UMary starts on the road at Bemidji State University on Thursday, January 30. Tip off is 5:30 pm between the Marauders and the Beavers at the BSU Gymnasium in Bemidji, MN.
 
The Marauders then return home to host the University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles on Saturday, February 1. Game time is 3:30 pm at the McDowell Activity Center.
 
UMary then hosts St. Cloud State University on Wednesday, February 5, before heading to MSU Moorhead on Saturday, February 8.
 
FOLLOW LIVE
Links to live video and stats are available at www.GoUMary.com/coverage.
 
ROUND 2
Having played the other 14 teams in the Northern Sun once each, the Marauders now play eight teams a second time to close out the 2024-25 regular season. UMary's game Thursday at Bemidji State University is the first time the Marauders have faced a previous NSIC opponent this season.
 
JONES BREAKS UMARY NCAA SINGLE SEASON STEALS RECORD
Jeremiah Jones broke the Marauders NCAA single season record for steals against Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday, January 25. The sophomore guard has pilfered the ball from UMary opponents 59 this season through 23 games. Marquelis Edwards owned the former mark with 57 in the 2015-16 season. Jones, who also broke the school's NCAA single game steals record earlier this season eight at Sioux Falls, leads the Northern Sun with 2.6 steals per game and is 13^th in NCAA Division II. He is 2^nd in NCAA Division II in total steals.  
 
THE RECORDS
The Marauders are 4-19 overall and 2-12 (14^th place) in the Northern Sun… The Beavers are 7-14 overall and 4-11 in the NSIC (12^th)… The Golden Eagles are 4-16 overall and 3-11 in the NSIC (13^th).
 
AFTER THE ACTION
Marauders fans should make plans to stop at Buffalo Wild Wings following all home men's basketball contests. With two convenient Bismarck locations and great food and drink specials, it's easy to see why Buffalo Wild Winds is the preferred post-game hangout of Marauders Basketball! 
 
LAST TIME OUT
Back home for the first time after two weekends on the road, UMary lost the weekend opener 70-52 to Minnesota Duluth. Jeremiah Jones had 12 points, four steals and a pair of blocks for the Marauders. Ty Rogers added 10 points… UMary pushed #RV Concordia-St. Paul to the brink on Saturday before falling 71-65. Jones made three steals to break UMary's single season record in the contest. He also scored 16 points. Rogers led the Marauders with 18 points and Xavier Lewis made 7-of-10 shots in the way to 16 points.
 
HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. BEAVERS
UMary leads the series with BSU 19-18… 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 in 2022-23 and took the lone game last season… UMary has won six out of its last 11 games in Bemidji… seven of the last 11 games were played in Bemidji (both games in the COVID19 season of 2020-21)… BSU has won the last four meetings in Bismarck. The Marauders last home win was January 26, 2019, when Matthew Kreklow scored 27 points and Dennis Austin III had 17 points and 10 rebounds in an 83-66 UMary victory… The Marauders last win in the series was 55-53 at BSU on Feb. 5, 2022. Lucas Mayer scored the winning basket on a putback of an offensive rebound with two seconds left in the game… LAST MEETING BSU defeated UMary 72-70 in Bismarck on December 21, 2024. Ty Rogers led UMary with 19 points. Jeremiah Jones 3-pointer to win the game at the buzzer rimmed out for UMary. Daxton Daley led BSU with 20 points and 10 rebounds.  
 
HISTORY LESSON – MARAUDERS v. GOLDEN EAGLES
Since joining the Northern Sun for the 2006-07 season, the Marauders are 26-10 against the Golden Eagles… UMary is 16-3 at home and 10-7 away versus UMC… The Marauders are 18-7 in the last 23 outings against the Golden Eagles… UMary has won four straight and 6-of-7. LAST MEETING The visiting Marauders earned an 86-75 win at UMC on December 14, 2024. Kevin McGaskey led the way for UMary with 18 points. Jeremiah Jones had a double double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Ty Rogers added 15 points. Reid Grant led UMC with 15 points.
 
STOP THIEF
Jeremiah Jones ranks 2^nd in total steals (59) and 13^th in steals/game (2.6) in NCAA Division II. He leads the Northern Sun in both categories… UMary is 5^th in the NSIC with 7.1 steals/game.
 
SHARING THE LOAD
Three Marauders average at least 10.0 points/game this season:

• Jeremiah Jones leads UMary in scoring at 11.8 ppg. The sophomore guard, who missed last season due to injury, also leads the team in rebounding (5.9 rpg) and steals (59) and is 2^nd in blocks (14) and assists (52). Jones has reached double figures in scoring 14 times with a season-high 23 against Valley City State… He leads the NSIC in steals (2.6/game), is 20^th in rebounds (5.9/game), 22^nd in assists (2.3/game) and 23^rd in blocks (0.6).
•  Kevin McGaskey, in his first season at UMary as a graduate transfer from Prairie View A&M, is scoring 10.8 ppg and leads the squad in assists (71). Twelve times he has scored ten or more points with a season-best 22 points at Sioux Falls. McGaskey is making a team-high 81.5% of his free throws.
• Junior forward Ty Rogers averages 10.7 ppg. He is making 45% of his shots overall and a team-best 39% on treys. Rogers also is pulling down 3.7 rpg.

 
DOUBLING DOWN
Jeremiah Jones produced the first UMary double double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the Marauders 86-75 win at Minnesota Crookston. The sophomore guard now has three career double doubles after positing two his freshman season in 2022-23.
 
DEBUTS
Eight Marauders made their UMary debuts this season. Kevin McGaskey has started 22 games at guard. Cayden Redfield, Ty Johnson and Tamerrein Henderson have played key minutes off the bench. Transfer Daniel Hong, redshirt freshman Alex Dvorak, and freshmen Wylee Delorme and Matija Otasevic also have seen their first action in the Blue & Orange this year.  
 
BLOCK PARTY
Rich Ashu led the Marauders in blocks last season with 1.0 per game. He again leads UMary in blocks this season with 16 rejections in 23 games (.7/game) and ranks 19^th in the NSIC. The senior forward has also been efficient shooting the ball, making 49% of his shots this season.
 
HIGH EFFICIENCY
Ty Rogers is converting an impressive amount of his shots. The junior forward is connecting on 45% of his field goal attempts overall and 39% on treys through 23 games. Rogers has reached double figures in scoring 13 times. He scored a career-best 22 points against Black Hills State… Junior forward Xavier Lewis is knocking down a team-leading 56% of his shot attempts as he is scoring 6.6 ppg.  
 
TRIAL BY FIRE
UMary faced an impressive list of opponents this season:

• Seven teams in national polls (#RV MSU Billings, #RV St. Edward's, #RV Alaska-Anchorage, #7 MSU Moorhead, #13 Minot State, #22 Southwest Minnesota State, 3Rv Concordia-St. Paul)
• Eight teams who won at least 20 games last season (#RV MSU Billings, #RV St. Edward's, #RV Alaska-Anchorage, Central Oklahoma, #7 MSU Moorhead, #13 Minot State, Minnesota State, Minnesota Duluth)
• Five teams who made the 2024 NCAA tournament (MSU Billings, Alaska-Anchorage, MSU Moorhead, national champion Minnesota State University, Minnesota Duluth)

 
JONES BREAKS UMARY SINGLE GAME NCAA RECORD FOR STEALS
Jeremiah Jones recorded eight steals for the Marauders at Sioux Falls on January 17 to break UMary's NCAA record. Jones, the Northern Sun leader in steals, broke the old mark of seven set by Cameron Lee in the Marauders 63-49 win at Augustana on December 4, 2009… The eight steals are the 3^rd-most in NCAA D2 this season and the most by a player in the Northern Sun.
 
PRECIOUS COMMODITY
The Marauders committed just two turnovers against Winona State on January 4. It's the fewest turnovers committed by UMary in a single game during the program's NCAA era (beginning with the 2006-07 season), matching the Marauders total of two on February 23, 2008, in a 72-50 loss to #4 Northern State at the MAC. 
 
MCGASKEY NSIC PLAYER TO WATCH
 New arrival Kevin McGaskey is the preseason UMary Northern Sun Player to Watch for the Marauders in the 2024-25 season. A graduate transfer from NCAA Division I Prairie View A&M, McGaskey joins the Marauders after competing for two seasons for the Panthers. He played in 24 games in 2023-24, including 13 starts, for SWAC member PVAM. The 6-0 point guard averaged 4.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.2 rebounds while making 35 steals and hitting 71.0% of his free throw attempts in 25.5 minutes of play per game. The native of Missouri City, Texas, and graduate of Hightower High School posted season highs of 12 points and six rebounds against Alcorn State.    McGaskey played with former Marauders guard Zyon Smith at Highland Community College in Highland, KS, from 2020-22. 
 
BACK IN THE BLUE & ORANGE
The Marauders have a strong returning. Ten players return from last season, including five who started ten or more games in 2023-24 and a 6^th player returning from injury:  

• Junior forward Xavier Lewis - the Marauders leading returning scorer (6.7 ppg) and rebounder (5.5 rpg) – started 16 out of 27 games
• Sophomore guard Alex Mattes, who started 13 games last season as a true freshman, chipped in 6.2 points per game
• Junior forward Ty Rogers averaged 5.7 ppg and 3.8 rpg while starting 10 games
• Junior guard Gunner Swanson hit 29 treys last season, tops among returners, while starting 18 games
• Senior forward Rich Ashu started 11 games for UMary and led the team in blocks (25 in 26 games)
• Junior guard Marquel Saleek played over 14 minutes per game and averaged 4.3 ppg and delivered 30 assists while starting one out of 27games
• Sophomore guard Nick Harrell averaged over 11 minutes per game in 19 outings while senior forward Liam Dougherty was limited to eight games by injury
• Guard Jeremiah Jones was a key reserve as a freshman in 2022-23 before missing all of last season due to injury. Jones averaged 6.7 ppg and 5.7 rpg while playing 24.2 minutes per game, the fourth most on the team. He led the team in steals (29) and was second in assists (64).
• Redshirt freshman guard Alex Dvorak looks to make his UMary debut this season.

 
FRESH FACES
The Marauders have added eight new faces for the 2024-25 season:

• Graduate transfer guard Kevin McGaskey joins the Marauders from NCAA Division I Prairie View A&M
• Other transfers include junior guard Daniel Hong (North Dakota), junior guard Ty Johnson (Highland (IL) CC), and junior guard/forward Cayden Redfield (United Tribes)
• Incoming freshmen are guard Wylee Delorme (Devils Lake, ND), Tamarrein Henderson (West Salem, WI), guard Ryan Larson (Jamestown, ND) and forward Matija Otasevic (Herceg Novi, Montenegro).

 
JONES NAMED TO TIPOFF CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Seeing his first action since February 2023 after missing all of the 2023-24 season due to injury, Jeremiah Jones returned to the court for the Marauders in impressive fashion. After averaging 12.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while adding eight assists and sight steals in three games, Jones was named to the 2024 D2CCA Tipoff Classic at the Trailhead all-tournament team. Jones opened with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting – including a 2-for-3 effort on treys – while grabbing four rebounds and making three steals against host team MSU Billings. Jones hit three treys and scored 11 points against St. Edwards, adding seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. The sophomore guard finished the weekend with eight points, ten rebounds and three steals in a 73-72 win over Alaska Anchorage. He grabbed a key offensive rebound and was fouled trying to shoot with 1.7 seconds left in a tie game. After sinking the winning free throw, he protected the victory by knocking away a long inbound pass from the Seawolves. 
 
STAFF ADDITIONS
Marauders head coach Jack Nelson has several new faces on the bench alongside him this season. Bryan Forbes joins UMary as the lead assistant men's coach after serving as the head assistant coach at Briar Cliff the last five seasons following two years as the graduate assist at East Tennessee State University. Also joining the staff this season are DJ Sanchez, Nate Symens and former UMary player Zyon Smith.
 
YEAR FOUR
Head coach Jack Nelson enters year four with the Marauders. In his first season in 2020-21, the native of Dillon, CO, 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. Prior to joining the Marauders Nelson was an assistant coach at the University of Sioux Falls (2018-21) and Minot State University (2012-16) in the Northern Sun and the head coach at Central Wyoming College (2016-18) for two seasons in between… In his first three seasons at UMary, Nelson has had scholar-athletes earn NSIC Newcomer of the Year honors (1), NSIC Player of the Week accolades (1), All-NSIC 1^st team recognition (1) and NSIC All-Academic Team honors (13).  
 
#marauders#