THIS WEEK
The University of Mary men's basketball team completes their first round of play against Northern Sun North Division foes when the Marauders take to the road to face Bemidji State University and the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Marauders visit Bemidji, MN, on Thursday, December 18, in a 5:30 pm meeting with the Beavers at the BSU Gymnasium. In their final game before Christmas break the Marauders visit Duluth, MN, to play the Bulldogs at 1:30 pm on Saturday, December 20, in the Romano Gymnasium.
 
FOLLOW LIVE
Links to live stats and video are available at www.goumary.com/coverage
 
THE RECORDS
UMary enters the week with a record of 4-6 overall, 3-2 in the Northern Sun and 3-2 in the NSIC North… Bemidji State is 5-5 overall and 2-3 in the NSIC and NSIC North… Minnesota Duluth is 7-4 overall and 3-2 in the NSIC and NSIC North.
 
OPPO RESEARCH
The Beavers have played just one home conference game this season and two home games overall. Despite a road-heavy schedule BSU is 5-5 overall. BSU leads the NSIC in 3-point field goal percentage (41.9%) and are 4^th in treys made/game (9.6). However the Beavers turnover margin (-5.6/game) is the worst in the NSIC. John Pecarich averages 20.3 PPG and 3.4 treys/game to lead the team. Henry Shannon III is close behind (17.7 ppg) in scoring and leads the team at 6.8 rebounds/game. Shannon leads the NSIC in blocks at 2.3/game… The preseason choice to win the NSIC North, UMD is 3-1 at home with conference home wins over Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston. The two league losses for UMD are by one point each on the road (92-91 in overtime at MSU Moorhead, 71-70 at Jamestown).  The Bulldogs are holding opponents to 69.8 ppg, the second-best figure in the NSIC. Their margin of victory (+5.9) is also second in the league. Kole Hanson (14.2 ppg) and Caleb Siwek (13.9 ppg) lead the Bulldogs in scoring. 
 
 
HISTORY LESSON – UMARY VS. BEMIDJI STATE
The series between the Marauders and the Beavers is tied 19-19… 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… UMary and BSU ahave split the last 12 games played in Bemidji… Eight of the previous 12 games have been played in Bemidji… BSU has won he last five games and seven of the last eight… 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 Despite 20 points from Kevin McGaskey and 16 points and seven steals from Jeremiah Jones, UMary dropped an 88-76 decision at BSU on January 30, 2025.
 
HISTORY LESSON – UMARY VS. MINNESOTA DULUTH
UMary trails Minnesota Duluth 11-22 in the all-time series… The Marauders first victory over the Bulldogs was an 80-77 overtime win on 1.16.09… UMD has won the last six meetings and 10-of-12… UMary last claimed a season sweep in 2018-19 with a pair of memorable games. UMary defeated UMD 73-70 at home in overtime on Dec. 8, 2018, when Dennis Austin III hit a 3-pointer with .7 seconds left in the extra session. UMary rallied from an 8-point deficit with six minutes left in regulation. Jaylan White hit five treys and scored a career-high 29 points. Matthew Kreklow made all ten of his free throws and scored 18 points. Austin finished with ten points. Sean Burns had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Brandon Myer had 15 and 17… In another wild ballgame at UMD on Jan. 11, 2019, the Marauders closed the season series with a triple overtime 100-98 road victory on a Jaylan White basket with under two seconds remaining on the clock. White scored 12 of his 25 points in the overtime sessions. Connor Hellebust added 21 and Tom Kubank 18. Brandon Myer had 31 points and 11 rebounds for UMD… LAST UMARY WIN Davids Atelbauers drained a game-winning three-pointer with 23 seconds left in the contest as the University of Mary overcame a double-digit second half deficit to knock off the nation's 6th-ranked and Northern Sun North Division champion University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs 75-71 on February 11, 2022 for UMary's last win. The Marauders scored the final eight points in the game in the final minute of play, with Atelbauers scoring the last five. The 6th ranked Bulldogs are the highest-ranked NCAA team the Marauders have beaten at the McDowell Activity Center (The previous mark was a 77-48 win over #8 St. Cloud State University on December 16, 2007). Kai Huntsberry had 19 points, Atelbauers 13, Gertautas Urbonavicius 11 and Kam Warrens 10… in the 2022 NSIC quarterfinals Kai Huntsberry tied a Marauders NCAA era scoring mark with 42 points while hitting an NSIC tournament record seven treys in an 84-73 loss to the Bulldogs in the NSIC tournament quarterfinals. Huntsberry also had nine rebounds… LAST MEETING Jeremiah Jones scored 12 points and made fur steals in a 70-52 home loss to UMD on January 24, 2025.
 
LAST WEEK
The Marauders swept a pair of Northern Sun home games… Jackson Ware scored 16 points and Tshawn Bois added 15 as the Marauders downed Minnesota Crookston 79-54. UMary held a 51-41 rebounding edge and limited the Golden Eagles to a 25.7 shooting percentage, including a 3-for-25 effort on treys… UMary then picked up its third NSIC win of the season in a 96-90 win over MSU Moorhead, the defending NSIC tournament champion. The Marauders took a lead in the first half at 16-15 and never trailed again, holding off a late charge by the Dragons. Cayden Redfield scored a team-best 18 points off the bench. Kelton Coleman added 17, Jackson Ware 16 and Andre Austin 15. The victory snapped a 7-game losing streak to the Dragons.
 
TOURNEY TOPPERS
The Marauders have beaten two teams who qualified for the 2025 NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament, downing Minot State 78-73 and MSU Moorhead 96-90. MSU Moorhead was also the NSIC tournament champion.
 
THREE
With the victory over MSU Moorhead, the Marauders equaled their NSIC win total from the 2024-25 conference season with three.  
 
NSIC NORTH ROUNDABOUT
After a couple seasons playing without divisions as a 15-team league, the NSIC is back to having North and South divisions with the addition of Jamestown as the 16^th conference team. UMary has already played five of the NSIC North Teams and will play the remaining two this week (at Bemidji State and Minnesota Duluth). The other NSIC North teams are Minot State, Jamestown, Northern State, MSU Moorhead and Minnesota Crookston. Teams in the North Division play each other twice (home and away) and will play teams in the NSIC South Division once. Crossover games between the North and South divisions begin in January. The second round of NSIC North games begin in February.
 
STOP THIEF
Leading a high-pressure Marauders defense, Kelton Coleman is second in the Northern Sun in steals and is 19^th in NCAA Division II with 2.8 steals/game. As a team the Marauders average 9.3 steals/game to rank 2^nd in the NSIC and 60^th in the nation. UMary is also 2^nd in the NSIC in turnovers forced/game (14.2).
 
SWAT CITY
Jackson Ware is providing a block-shot presence for the Marauders this season. The junior forward is averaging .9 blocks per game, 10^th in the NSIC. He had five blocks in a win over South Dakota Mines.
 
BENCH BOOST
The Marauders bench is scoring 36.6 points/game, the 19^th most ppg in NCAA D2 and the most in the NSIC.
 
FOR THREE!
UMary averages 27.7 3-point attempts/game, the 2^nd-highest total in the NSIC. The Marauders are making 9.1 treys/game to rank 4^th in the conference.
 
BALANCE
Through ten games, ten Marauders are averaging at least 5.4 points per game. Kelton Coleman leads UMary in scoring at 14.3 ppg. Next up is Cayden Redfield (9.6 ppg), Tshan Bois (9.0 ppg), Jacson Ware (8.5 ppg) and Tamarrein Henderson (7.3 ppg). Both Bois and Redfield have done all their damage off the bench. 
 
MINUTES
Ten Marauders average at least 17.5 minutes per game, with no one averaging over 23.9 minutes/game. Freshman Andre Austin has played the most minutes (239), just ahead of Kelton Coleman (232), Tamarrein Henderson (220) and Jackson Ware (219). 
 
COLEMAN TAKES THE LEAD
Kelton Coleman, a junior from Fort Worth, TX, has led UMary in scoring five times in ten games and has reached double figures eight times. In his first year at UMary after playing at Augustana last season, the guard posted a season-best 22 points at Jamestown. He averages 14.3 ppg and 3.6 rebounds/game. He has gone to the free throw line 63 times, 23 more times than anyone else on the team. Coleman also leads UMary with 28 steals.
 
AUSTIN DISPLAYING HIS POWERS
Freshman Andre Austin is off to a strong start. The Bismarck, ND, native leads the team in minutes played (239) and assists (28). The guard averages 6.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. He scored 14 points in his first college game against Northwestern Oklahoma State University and set a season-high with 15 in a win over MSU Moorhead. 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
Aggressive on the offensive boards, the Marauders are 31^st nationally in offensive rebounds (14.3/game). Relja Nagulic leads UMary with 5.8 rebounds per game.
 
FIRST
UMary head coach Darren Tighe earned his first win at the helm of the Marauders in a 78-73 home win over Minot State University to open NSIC play. The Marauders rallied from 20 points down to get the win… Three days later Tighe gained his second win as UMary downed South Dakota Mines. 
 
TIGHE SET FOR HOME COACHING DEBUT
Darren Tighe (pronounced TIE) is in his first season at UMary and earned his first two wins leading the Marauders in the first two home games of the season over Thanksgiving week. Running the show is not a new experience for Tighe. In ten years as a college head coach prior to UMary 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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