THIS WEEK
A midweek matchup for the University of Mary men's basketball team features the Marauders hosting St. Cloud State University on Wednesday, February 5. Gametime in the Northern Sun game between the Marauders and the Huskies is 5:30 pm in the McDowell Activity Center.
 
The Marauders kick off a 3-game road trip at MSU Moorhead on Saturday, February 8. Tipoff is 3:30 pm against the Dragons at Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse in Moorhead, MN.
 
FOLLOW LIVE
Links to live video and stats are available at www.GoUMary.com/coverage.
 
THE RECORDS
The Marauders are 5-20 overall and 3-13 (14^th place) in the Northern Sun… The Huskies are 14-10 overall and 10-6 in the NSIC (5^th)… The Dragons are 14-8 overall and 9-7 in the NSIC (8^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
The Marauders opened last week with a Thursday night game at Bemidji State, where the Beavers upended UMary 88-76. Kevin McGaskey led UMary with 20 points. Jeremiah Jones just missed his school NCAA steals record by one with seven. He also had 16 points and nine rebounds. Alex Mattes added 15 points and Ty Rogers 11… Back home on Saturday the Marauders edged Minnesota Crookston 70-69, scoring the last four points of the game in the final 21 seconds, all on free throws. Down 69-66, Gunner Swanson hit two free throws with 21 seconds remaining to get within 69-68. Swanson stole the inbound pass and Ty Rogers was fouled with 10.1 seconds remaining. He made the first free throw to tie the game and missed the second. Rogers then grabbed an offensive rebound and was again fouled. He hit the first free throw for a 70-69 lead with 5.9 seconds left for the win. Rogers finished with 17 points, Mettes led UMary with 18 points. Jones added 12 points and five steals. Rich Ashu added 10 points and eight rebounds.
 
HISTORY LESSON - MARAUDERS v. HUSKIES
UMary is 13-23 all-time against St. Cloud State… The Marauders are 10-7 at home, 3-14 at SCSU and 0-2 on neutral ground… UMary has won 3-of-4 at the MAC over SCSU and 4-of-6… UMary's first NCAA win came at SCSU 86-77 on 11.18.06… UMary's first signature NCAA win was a 77-48 home victory over #8 SCSU on 12.16.07… After splitting the season series four straight times, SCSU swept the two games last season and own four straight victories over UMary… LAST MEETING: gunner Swanson and Ty Rogers scored 11 points each in a 66-50 loss at SCSU on dec. 17, 2024.Lucas Morgan had 17 points for the Huskies.
 
HISTORY LESSON – MARAUDERS v. DRAGONS
The Marauders trail the Dragons 28-17 in the all-time series… MSUM owns six straight wins… Since joining the NCAA and NSIC, UMary is 12-25 against MSUM… The Marauder have won five of the last 14 games… 8 of the last 14 games were played in Moorhead… The Marauders won the first conference match-up 75-72 at MSUM on January 16, 2007… The Dragons followed with five straight wins, including an overtime victory, one win by one point and another by two points… The Marauders snapped the Dragons streak 74-58 at home on Jan. 30, 2010, the first of five straight UMary wins that concluded with a 72-51 win over 19th ranked MSUM on Jan. 7, 2012, at the MAC… The Marauders snapped an 8-game losing streak to the Dragons with a 77-73 upset win at 3rd ranked MSUM on January 8, 2016… LAST UMARY WIN The Marauders downed the visiting Dragons 80-79 on 12/2/21. Kai Hunstberry gave the Marauders a 77-75 lead with 26 seconds left and UMary held off MSUM with a pair of free throws by Kam Warrens and one by Jacob Jackson. Huntsberry and Warrens both scored 18 for UMary… LAST MEETING: #7 MSUM downed visiting UMary 74-58 December 7, 2024. Kevin McGaskey led the Marauders with a season-best 21 points. Jacob Jennissen and Jacob Beeninga led MSUM with 18 points each.
 
STOP THIEF
Jeremiah Jones had another big weekend picking the pockets of his opponents, recording seven steals at Bemidji State –one shy of his Marauders record of eight – and five Saturday in a win over Minnesota Crookston. Jones, who also owns the Marauders single season NCAA record for steals, leads the Northern Sun in steals with 2.8 per game. The sophomore guard ranks 2^nd in NCAA Division II in total steals (71) and 7^th in steals/game (2.8) in NCAA Division II... As a team UMary is 4^th in the NSIC with 7.3 steals/game.
 
PRESSURE
The Marauders are forcing opponents into committing 12.9 turnovers per game, the third most in the Northern Sun.
 
SHARING THE LOAD
Three Marauders average at least 10.0 points/game this season:

• Jeremiah Jones leads UMary in scoring at 12.0 ppg. The sophomore guard, who missed last season due to injury, also leads the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and steals (71) and is 2^nd in blocks (14) and assists (59). Jones has reached double figures in scoring 16 times with a season-high 23 against Valley City State… He leads the NSIC in steals (2.8/game), is 18^th in rebounds (6.0/game) and 22^nd in assists (2.4/game).  
•  Kevin McGaskey, in his first season at UMary as a graduate transfer from Prairie View A&M, is scoring 11.2 ppg and leads the squad in assists (72). Thirteen times he has scored ten or more points with a season-best 22 points at Sioux Falls. McGaskey is making a team-high 79.5% of his free throws, 11^th in the NSIC.
• Junior forward Ty Rogers averages 11.0 ppg. He is making 46% of his shots overall and a team-best 40% on treys. Rogers also is pulling down 3.7 rpg.

 
JONES BREAKS UMARY NCAA SINGLE GAME, SEASON STEALS RECORDS

• Jeremiah Jones broke the Marauders NCAA single season record for steals against Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday, January 25. The sophomore guard owns 71 steals this season in 25 games. Marquelis Edwards owned the former mark with 57 in the 2015-16 season.
• Jones broke the school's NCAA single game steals record with eight at Sioux Falls. The old mark was seven 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.

 
STAYING ALIVE
The Marauders are 4^th in the NSIC in offensive rebounds with 10.4.
 
BENCH PLAY
The Marauders are 4^th in the NSIC in bench scoring with 19 points/game.
 
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 17 rejections in 25 games (.7/game) and ranks 20^th in the NSIC. The senior forward has also been efficient shooting the ball, making 50% of his shots this season.
 
HIGH EFFICIENCY
Ty Rogers is converting an impressive amount of his shots. The junior forward is connecting on 46% of his field goal attempts overall and 40% on treys through 25 games. Rogers has reached double figures in scoring 15 times. He scored a career-best 22 points against Black Hills State… Junior forward Xavier Lewis is knocking down a team-leading 54% of his shot attempts as he is scoring 6.0 ppg. 
 
MATTES ON THE MARK
Alex Mattes has found his range from deep. In the last eight games the sophomore guard is 12-for-22 on 3-pointers. In the last two games Mattes was 6-for-10 on treys. He made 3-of-6 treys at Bemidji State on the way to 15 points. Mattes then went 3-for-4 behind the arc and scored a team-leading 18 points in the Marauders win over the Golden Eagles on Saturday.  
 
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, #RV 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)

 
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 eight 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 assistant 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).  
 
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