University of Mary women's basketball practices have turned into heated competitions this season.

There are no fist fights or hair-pulling, but the Marauders do get after it.

Post Anna Skala credited her effort last Saturday night to her teammates in preparing her for battle. Skala, a 6-foot-2 senior from Red Lake Falls, Minn., scored 20 points and snagged 16 rebounds in a win against MSU-Billings.

"In practice we have harder people to defend than in games,"Skala said. "It's making us so much better. We know everybody's moves, so you have to do something different. In every practice, it's everyone against everyone."

Skala and the Marauders (4-1) are off on the right track. U-Mary opens up its Northern Sun schedule this weekend on a four-game win streak.

Skala believes the Marauders are more than ready to match up against their NSIC foes.

The Marauders have been led by Skala or Sonny Schulz in scoring in four of their five games. In three games, four players have scored in double figures. Three scored in double digits in one game and two people in another.

"Every night we play it has been different people who step up,"Skala said. "Everybody has shown that they can play. We can rely on a lot of different people."

Men gearing up for NSIC play

The U-Mary men also open up their NSIC schedule this weekend. But coach Juno Pintar wouldn't mind more preparation time.

U-Mary picked up its first win of the season Monday at home over MSU-Billings. The Marauders (1-4) have seen some lineup shifts with a plantar fascia injury to Eric Erdmann's foot.

Pintar is waiting to see how Erdmann responds to treatment before making a decision if he will play on Friday.

"Not having Eric, we have had to change our approach offensively and defensively,"Pintar said. "We have to resort to different sets and different plays. We will go game by game whoever is hot or has the best matchup."

Point guard Geoff West has been a threat from beyond the 3-point stripe. The senior from Lompoc, Calif., has made 16 of 37 attempts from beyond the arc for 30.1 percent. He is averaging a team-high 18.0 points a game.

"Geoff is getting a lot more attention,"Pintar said. "He got chased the whole game at Billings. We keep working with Geoff to stay patient and not to force anything. He can start attacking in different ways."

Sophomore guard Jason West's presence has helped Geoff West Jason's older brother play as a shooting guard.

Jason, who logs about 23 minutes a game, is averaging 8.0 points an outing. He has dished out 18 assists and has committed seven turnovers.

"Jason has done a good job of taking care of the ball and is making solid decisions," Pintar said. "We are looking for him to just keep getting better. We will need him on both ends this year."