THIS WEEK
For the first time this season the University of Mary men's basketball team will play in front of their home fans. The Marauders play three games at the McDowel Activity Center during Thanksgiving week, including the home opener against Highway 83 rival Minot State University on Tuesday, Nov. 25, and two games in the Dakota Challenge against South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State University on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 28-29.
 

• Tuesday, Nov. 25 | UMary vs. Minot State University, 7:30 pm, McDowell Activity Center
• Friday, Nov. 28 | UMary vs. South Dakota Mines, 5 pm, McDowell Activity Center
• Saturday, Nov. 29 | UMary vs. Black Hills State University, 5 pm, McDowell Activity Center

 
FOLLOW LIVE
Links to live stats and video are available at www.goumary.com/coverage
 
UMARY HOSTS DAKOTA CHALLENGE ON THANKSGIVING WEEKEND
The University of Mary is hosting Minot State University, South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State University in the Dakota Challenge Battle for the Border Thanksgiving Weekend. The border battle matchups feature Northern Sun members UMary and Minot State facing RMAC schools Black Hills State and SD Mines on Friday and Saturday, November 28-29.
 
Tickets are available online at www.UMaryTickets.com. Follow live stats and webcast at www.GoUMary.com/coverage
 
Visit www.GoUMary.com/DakotaChallenge for more information.
 
DAKOTA CHALLENGE SCHEDULE
Friday, November 28
2 pm Minot State vs. Black Hills State
5 pm UMary vs. South Dakota Mines
 
Saturday, November 29
2 pm South Dakota Mines vs. Minot State
5 pm UMary vs. Black Hills State
 
THE RECORDS
UMary is 0-3 this season. The Marauders finished the 2024-25 season 5-26 overall and 3-19 in the NSIC… Minot State University is 3-1 overall. The Beavers finished last season 26-10, advancing to the NSIC tournament championship game and qualifying for the NCAA Division II tournament… South Dakota Mines is 1-4 this season. The Hardrockers finished last year 4-24 overall and 4-16 in the RMAC… Black Hills State is 3-1. The Yellow Jackets went 18-12 last year and 13-7 in the RMAC, advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament.
 
OPPO RESEARCH
Minot State is under the direction of a familiar face. Former UMary head coach Randall Herbst, who led the Marauders to the 2011 NCAA tournament, took over the Beavers program in the off season. Through the first three games of the season Darik Dissette leads Minot State in scoring (17.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.8 rpg). Deuce Benjamin is scoring 17.5 ppg and Sean De Kovachich is at 17.0 ppg… South Dakota Mines is led in scoring by Jason Lee (15.2 ppg). Ryan Sweeney checks in at 13.0 ppg and Gray Thompson at 11.2 with 6.2 rebounds/game. Guido Wanschelbaum is averaging 8.3 points and a team-best 9.7 rebounds per game. South Dakota Mines was picked 15th in the RMAC Preseason Poll… Ranked #17 in the nation, Black Hills State is the preseason favorite to win the RMAC. The Yellow Jackets return three all-conference players from a year ago, as Cam Lowe was named First Team All-RMAC and RMAC Freshman of the Year, while Jaeton Hackley and Tristan Hurdle were named Honorable Mention All-RMAC. Overall BHSU returns seven players who started a game. Four of their top five scorers and ten players. Myles Johnson leads the team in scoring at 16.0 ppg.
 
HIGHWAY 83 HISTORY LESSON – MARAUDERS VS. BEAVERS
The two schools are located 118 miles apart on North Dakota Highway 83… Both schools are located on the west side of the highway… In a series that stretches back to the 1972-73 season – just the third year of Marauders basketball – the University of Mary and Minot State University have played 84 times with the Beavers holding a slight 44-40 series lead… over the last 19 games, the Marauders have nine wins to ten for the Beavers… In NSIC games the Marauders are 9-15 against the Beavers... Tuesday's game is the third straight in the series to be played in Bismarck | LAST MEETING Visiting Minot State defeated UMary 89-62 on December 11, 2024. Xavier Lewis led UMary with 12 points. Jalen Cook had 22 for MSU.  
 
HISTORY LESSONS – UMARY VS. SDM + BHSU
UMary is 17-8 against South Dakota Mines with a record of 8-4 at home and 9-4. Former DAC10 foes, the Marauders have won the last three meetings and 7-of-8. In their last meeting, the Marauders downed the Hardrockers 68-60 in Rapid City, SD, at the 2024 Dakota Challenge on November 30. UMary converted al five free throws in the final 45 seconds of the game to secure the win. Ty Rogers scored 17 points for UMary and Kevin McGaskey added 16… UMary and Black Hills State, another former DAC10 foe, have split the previous eight games between the Marauders and the Yellow Jackets. The last meeting was at the 2024 Dakota Challenge in Rapid City on November 29. BHSU won 90-68. Ty Rogers led UMary with 22 points and Kevin McGaskey added 16. Jaeton Hackley led BHSU with 21 points. Prior to 2024, the two teams hadn't met since December 13, 2007, with the Marauders earning an 89-78 win as Geoff West scored 17 points, Eric Erdmann 16 and Zach Dosch 13.
 
LAST WEEK
A 3-pointer in the closing seconds denied UMary a road win as Chadron State College edged the Marauders 83-82. The game featured 12 ties and 16 lead changes, with the final lead change coming with nine seconds remaining when Zach Smith hit a trey for the Eagles. It was his only basket of the game. Six players scored in double digits for the Marauders and all ten players who saw action for UMary produced at least one basket. Kelton Coleman, Rejla Nagulic and Tshawn Bois all contributed 13 points in the game. Jackson Ware and Tamarrein Henderson scored 11 each and Andre Austin added 10.
 
BALANCE
Through three games, eight Marauders are averaging at least 5.3 points per game. Kelton Coleman leads the way with 14.3 ppg.
 
MINUTES
Ten Marauders average at least 15 minutes per game, with no one averaging over 22.3 minutes/game. Just as in scoring, Kelton Coleman paces the squad with 67 minutes played in three games. Tamarrein Henderson is right behind with 66 minutes and Relja Nagulic has played 64.
 
COLEMAN TAKES THE LEAD
Kelton Coleman, a junior from Fort Worth, TX, has led UMary in scoring twice and is the only player to reach double figures in all three games. In his first year at UMary after playing at Augustana last season, the guard posted 18 points in the season opener against Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He averages 14.3 ppg and 6.3 rebounds/game, both team-highs. He has gone to the free throw line 23 times, 12 more times than anyone else on the team. Coleman's six steals also leads the team.
 
AUSTIN DISPLAYING HIS POWERS
Freshman Andre Austin is off to a strong start. The Bismarck, ND, native is second on the team in scoring at 8.0 points/game. The guard has hit 8-of-11 of his field goal attempts, including all three try attempts. He scored 14 points in his first college game against Northwestern Oklahoma State University and added ten points at Chadron State. Austin graduated from Bismarck High School, where he played for Jordan Wilhelm, a four-year starter for the Marauders from 2007-11 and a member of UMary's 2011 NCAA tournament team.
 
BOARD GAMES
Cayden Redfield, Relja Nagulic and Kelton Coleman top the Marauders in rebounding with 19 each (6.3 rpg). Redfield leads the squad in offenseive boards with ten.
 
TIGHE SET FOR HOME COACHING DEBUT
Darren Tighe (pronounced TIE) is in his first season at UMary and will make his home debut at the McDowell Activity Center against Minot State University in the season's Northern Sun opener on Tuesday, November 25. It won't be the first time Tighe has coached in the MAC as his Mayville State teams played on Bortke Court twice before (December 4, 2018 and November 16, 2021)… Running the show is not a new experience for Tighe. In ten years as a college head coach Tighe has a record of 169-112. In three seasons at Ridgewater (MN) Community College (2014-17), he led the Warriors to a mark of 48-34 that included a 20-win season to break a 50 year old school record for victories... In five seasons at Mayville (ND) State University (2017-22), the Comets went 92-42, won a league title and advanced to three national tournaments. Twice he earned coach of the year honors. The first season with the Comets, Mayville State went from nine wins the previous year to 18 wins… Tighe coached the previous two years at Dakota (SD) State University. In his first season the Trojans won 17 games and posted their first winning season in eight seasons.
 
ALL IN
Fourteen Marauders played in each of UMary's first two games of the season, including 11 players who made their debuts wearing the Blue & Orange. All 14 scored in at least one of the two games. Cayden Redfield, Tamerrein Henderson and Alex Dvorak played for UMary last season. Seeing their first minutes for the Marauders was Kelton Coleman, Amare Jackson, Andre Austin, Kenny Gonzalez, Relja Nagulic, Tshawn Bois, Noah Thomas, Jackson Ware, Parker Brodina, Ryan Larson and Tyresse Poku Mensah.
 
FAMILIAR FACES
The Marauders return four players from 2024-25. Sr. G Cayden Redfield is the leading returning scorer. Last year in his first season at UMary after transferring from United Tribes, Redfield averaged 4.7 ppg in 21 games. Three times he reached double digits, including 18 points against Minnesota State… Sophomore guard Tamerrein Henderson saw action in 27 games in his first collegiate season. He scored a season-best nine points against Central Oklahoma… Sophomore guard Alex Dvorak saw action in eight games as a redshirt freshman and hit 3-of-4 trey attempts… Ryan Larson is a redshirt freshman guard who did not play last season due to injury.
 
GET TO KNOW 'EM
In addition to new head coach Darren Tighe and new assistant coach Jacob Leier, the Marauders have 12 new players on the roster… Jr. G Kenny Gonzalez is the Marauders Northern Sun Player to Watch this season. He joins the Marauders after two seasons at San Diego City College, where he averaged 12.1 points/game and earned all-conference first team honors… Jr. guard Amare Jackson averaged 16.6 ppg last year at Skagit Valley College and received All-American, All-Region and all-academic honors… Fr. G Andre Austin is a 2-time all-state player from Bismarck, ND, and played for former Marauders player Jordan Wilhelm at Bismarck High School… Jr. G Kelton Coleman played 25 games last season for NSIC rival Augustana… Tshawn Bois is a junior guard from Quebec, Canada, and transferred to UMary from Lamar (CO) Community College after scoring 13.2 ppg last year… Fr. G Tyrese Poku Mensah comes to UMary from London, England… Wyatt Westin is a Fr. G from Shiloh Christian HS in Bismarck, ND… Parker Brodina is a freshman guard from Devils Lake, ND, where he was named the 2025 North Dakota Class A Senior Athlete of the Year… New Zealand native Sini Tuakoi is a junior forward who played at the New Mexico Military Institute last year after a season at Clarendon College… Relja Nagulic, a native of Serbia, is a sophomore forward who played at Coffeyville Community College last season… A native of Australia, Jackson Ware is a junior forward joining the Marauders after playing two seasons at Purdue Northwest… Noah Thomas is a senior guard joining the Marauders from the University of Arkansas at Monticello, where he started 17 games last season after previously playing at Chabot College and Oregon Institute of Technology.
 
MARAUDERS BASKETBALL TICKET INFORMATION
Single game and season tickets are available at www.UMaryTickets.com and via the HomeTown Fan App for iOS and Android mobile devices. Fans who purchase tickets online at www.UMaryTickets.com and on the HomeTown Fan App receive a discount over tickets purchased at the gate.
 
Basketball Ticket Prices – Online

• Adult tickets $10 plus fees
• Seniors and Youth (ages 13-18) $5 plus fees
• Children 12 and under are FREE when accompanied by an adult. Unaccompanied children ticket prices are $5 plus fees

 
Basketball Ticket Prices – At the gate

• Adults tickets $15 cash | $15 + fees with credit card
• Seniors and Youth (aged 13-18) $10 cash | $10 + fees with credit card
• Children 12 and under are FREE when accompanied by an adult. Unaccompanied children ticket prices are $5 cash | $5 + fees with credit card.

 
Note

• Both cash and credit card payments will be accepted at the UMary ticket gate.
• UMary students and faculty and staff with their MCard are admitted FREE. Children ages 12 and younger with an adult are admitted FREE. If children 12 and under unaccompanied by an adult the admission fee is $5 cash | $5 + fees with credit card.

 
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