The Wilmington College men's basketball team hits the road again Wednesday, traveling to Otterbein for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
Otterbein (3-12 overall, 2-6 OAC) is possibly one of the youngest teams in the country with 17 freshmen or sophomores on the 19-man roster. The Cardinals have one junior and one senior.
"They are a dangerous basketball team with some good young players," said Wilmington head coach K.C. Hunt. "Anytime you go on the road in this league you better be ready to play."
Wilmington has struggled in true road games this season, winning just once in six tries. The Fightin' Quakers lone road win came on January 10th at Mount Union.
Freshman Matt Hughes leads the team with 11.5 points per game and 5.8 rebounds. He makes a team-high 55.2 percent (48-of-87) of his shots.
Reigning OAC Freshman of the Year, Jake Phillis, has picked up where he left off last season. He is second on the team with 11.3 points per game, and is converting 36.1 percent of his three pointers. Sophomore Bryan Mackenzie is adding 9.0 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Cardinals.
"Their two big kids have a presence down low, and Phillis is a legit topline OAC guard," said Hunt. "They are physical and really rebound the ball well; two things that have given us problems this season."
Wilmington senior Jonathan Bibbs (Dayton, OH/Chaminade Julienne) is coming off back-to-back 25-point efforts to raise his scoring average to 12.2 points per game. He has provided the Fightin' Quakers with an inside presence to go along with perimeter threats R.J. Leppert (Liberty Township, OH/Lakota East), Dwight Johnson (Dayton, OH/Jefferson) and Christian Jones (Hamilton, OH/Hamilton).
The trio is averaging 34.1 points per game, and Leppert in the only player in the league ranked in the top 10 in all offensive categories. Jones is second in the league in three-point percentage, making 58.3 percent.