THIS WEEK
The University of Mary closes out 2025 by hosting a cross-town foe before opening 2026 on the road against UMary's most-played rival.
 
UMary hosts Bismarck (ND) State College on New Year's Eve in the first-ever meeting between the two Capitol City schools as four-year programs with BSC jumping to 4-year competition in the NAIA this season. Game time on Wednesday, December 31, is 1 pm at the McDowell Activity Center.
 
As the calendar flips to a new year, the Marauders travel up Highway 83 to face Minot State University on Saturday, January 3. Tip off is 3:30 pm from inside the Minot State Dome in Minot, ND.
 
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 4-8 overall, 3-4 in the Northern Sun and 3-4 in the NSIC North… Bismarck State enters the week 0-11 overall prior to hosting Dakota Wesley Monday. The Mystics are 0-7 in Frontier Conference play… Minot State is 7-6 overall and 4-3 in the NSIC and NSIC North.
 
BACK ON THE SCHEDULE
With Bismarck State College now competing as a 4-year school in the Mystics first season as an NAIA member, UMary has added the Mystics to the regular season schedule for the first time since 1981-82. NCAA rules preclude schools from playing countable games against 2-year programs. Opponents must be four-year degree-granting institutions for team results and player statistics to count in NCAA record books.   
 
OPPO RESEARCH
Bismarck State College is in its first season competing as a 4-year institution, competing as a member of the NAIA and in the Frontier Conference. Eleven games into the season, the Mystics are looking for their first 4-year win. BSC is led by head coach Kevin Rice, a former professional player familiar to local fans as a player on a Dakota Wizards champion team and head coach at United Tribes Technical College. Houston Davis leads the Mystics in scoring at 20.3 ppg. He is making 53.7% of his 3-point attempts (22-of-41) and shooting 53% overall. Davis also leads the team in rebounding (8.5/game) and makes 84.3% of his free throws. Wesley Avery is averaging 9.8 ppg and Tristin Davis is at 9.4 ppg.
 
Minot State is led by head coach Randall Herbst, who is in his first season at the helm of the Beavers and who helmed the Marauders to the 2011 NCAA tournament. The Beavers, who competed in the 2025 NCAA tournament, are led in scoring by Deuce Benjamin (20.8 ppg). NDSU transfer Darik Dissette averages 14.5 ppg and a team-leading 6.1 rebounds/game. Strong offensively, the Beavers are averaging 79.5 ppg while shooting 47.9% from the field.
 
HISTORY LESSON – UMARY VS. BISMARCK STATE
UMary's ties to Bismarck State goes back to the Marauders first season of basketball in 1970-71. Twice that first season UMary faced then-Bismarck Junior College with BJC winning both games. Then-Mary College earned its first win over BJC the next season. The last regular season meeting between the two programs appears to be a 91-78 Mary win over BJC in the McDowell Activity Center… UMary leads the series 14-8 (7-1 at UMary, 5-3 at BSC, 2-4 at Civic Center) played between 1970-82.  
 
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 85 times with the Beavers holding a slight 44-41 series lead… The two teams have split their last 20 games… In NSIC games the Marauders are 10-15 against the Beavers... | LAST MEETING UMary overcame a 20-point 2^nd half deficit to defeat Minot State 78-73 to open NSIC play on November 26, 2025. The win is the first Marauders victory for new head coach Darren Tighe. MSU Led 53-33 before a 27-7 UMary run tied the game. Kelton Coleman gave the Marauders the lead for good at 67-66 on a putback of his own missed shot. Coleman led UMary with 16 points. Noah Thomas had 15 points and Cayden Redfield added 12. Carson Yale led MSU with 20 points.
 
LAST WEEK
The Marauders dropped a pair of NSIC North road games just before Christmas break… UMary hit 15 treys in an 89-77 loss at Bemidji State. BSU hit eight treys but outscored UMary 44-22 in the paint. Cayden Redfield led UMary with 12 points. Kelton Coleman and Andre Austin both had 11… Amare Jackson made all four of his trey attempts and scored 13 points in an 80-65 loss at Minnesota Duluth, the preseason choice to win the NSIC North. Tshawn Bois just missed a double double with 11 points and nine rebounds.   
 
NSIC NORTH ROUND TWO
The Marauders open the second round of play against teams from the NSIC North when UMary visits Minot State on Saturday. UMary tipped off the Northern Sun season by hosting the Beavers… All seven conference games have been against teams from the NSIC North Division… Following the Minot State game to open 2026, the Marauders will play eight straight games against the NSIC South teams starting January 9-10 when Minnesota State and St. Cloud State visit the McDowell Activity Center... With a return of the NSIC to 16 teams this season with the addition of the University of Jamestown, teams in the North Division play each other twice (home and away) and will play teams in the NSIC South Division once. The second round of NSIC North games begin in February.
 
NEAR AND FAR
The Marauders 2025-26 roster features two players from Bismarck, ND, and five from North Dakota: Andre Austin (Bismarck), Wyatt Westin (Bismarck), Alex Dvorak (Dickinson), Parker Brodina (Devils Lake) and Ryan Larson (Jamestown)… UMary also features five international scholar-athletes: Tyresse Poku Mensah (London, England), Tshawn Bois (Quebec, Canada), Sini Tuakoi (Auckland, New Zealand), Relja Nagulic (Subotica, Serbia) and Jackson Ware (Northern Rivers, NSW, Australia).
 
STOP THIEF
Leading a high-pressure Marauders defense, Kelton Coleman is second in the Northern Sun in steals and is 31^st in NCAA Division II with 2.4 steals/game. As a team the Marauders average 8.8 steals/game to rank 2^nd in the NSIC. UMary is also 2^nd in the NSIC in turnovers forced/game (13.8).
 
SWAT CITY
Jackson Ware is providing a block-shot presence for the Marauders this season. The junior forward is averaging .8 blocks per game, 14^th in the NSIC. He had five blocks in a win over South Dakota Mines.
 
BENCH BOOST
The Marauders bench is scoring 37.4 points/game, the 14^th most ppg in NCAA D2 and the most in the NSIC.
 
FOR THREE!
UMary is leading the NSIC in treys made/game at 9.8. That total ranks 37^th nationally… UMary averages 28.8 3-point attempts/game, the 2^nd-highest total in the NSIC and 34^th nationally… The Marauders have reached double digits for treys in three straight games and 4-of-5… UMary hist a season-high 15 at Bemidji State.
 
BALANCE
Through 12 games, ten Marauders are averaging at least 5.4 points per game. Kelton Coleman leads UMary in scoring at 13.5 ppg. Next up is Cayden Redfield (9.4 ppg), Tshawn Bois (8.9 ppg) and Jackson Ware (8.1 ppg). Tamarrein Henderson, Andre Austin, Amare Jackson and Relja Nagulic all check in at 6.6 ppg. Bois, Redfield and Jackson are primarily doing their damage off the bench. 
 
MINUTES
Ten Marauders average at least 17.3 minutes per game, with no one averaging over 24.4 minutes/game. Freshman Andre Austin has played the most minutes (293), just ahead of Kelton Coleman (276), Tamarrein Henderson (252) and Jackson Ware (263). 
 
COLEMAN TAKES THE LEAD
Kelton Coleman, a junior from Fort Worth, TX, has led UMary in scoring five times in 12 games and has reached double figures nine 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 14.5 ppg and 3.3 rebounds/game. He has gone to the free throw line 71 times, 26 more times than anyone else on the team. Coleman also leads UMary with 29 steals.
 
AUSTIN DISPLAYING HIS POWERS
Freshman Andre Austin is off to a strong start. The Bismarck, ND, native leads the team in minutes played (293) and assists (33). The guard averages 6.6 points and 2.8 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 46^th nationally in offensive rebounds (13.5/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. 
 
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. 
 
DARREN TIGHE TAKES MARAUDERS HELM
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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