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MEN'S PREVIEW: Capital

MEN'S PREVIEW: Capital

Wilmington head coach K.C. Hunt didn't mince words when discussing the last time his team faced Capital, a game that resulted in a 90-79 loss on December 3.

"We stunk. We didn't show up to play," said Hunt. "Hopefully we learned our lesson from the first time around. We better play much better than the first time around that is for sure. They are big and physical. It's a tough match-up against a well-coached team."

The Fightin' Quakers hosts Capital 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Fred Raizk Arena in Hermann Court. Wilmington has won five of its last seven games, while the Crusaders just snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 69-65 victory over Ohio Northern Saturday.

In the first game, junior guard Charles English exploded for 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting, and was 12-of-14 from the foul line. It was one of two times he went over 20 points this season. However, he has only reached double figures once in the last four games.

"Charles English is a good, solid player – a double-figure scorer," said Hunt. "He is a slashing guy that gets to the basket. We really didn't play good team defense the first time around, and hopefully, we improved in that area."

Senior forward Andrew Bolka leads the team in scoring (11.1 points) and rebounding (8.6). He had a four-game slump in the middle of the season in which he totaled just 12 points. However, he is averaging 12.3 points since.

Guard A.J. Dixon is second on the team with 10.4 points, and is team's top three-pointer shooter. He is making 37.7 percent of his shots.

"Bolka is capable of getting a double-double every night," said Hunt. "He is a big, physical player, who can score around the basket; has a real interesting game. He is a right-handed guy, who tends to do things with his left hand. A.J. Dixon is capable of getting 25 at any point. He is a really solid guard, and we are going to have to be conscious of all three of those guys. I think we are going to have to do a great job of team defending and rebounding."

Dixon and sophomore Tyrel Jackson are making nearly half of the team's three-point shots, combining to shoot 42-of-113. As a team, Capital has made just 87 three-pointers on 289 attempts (30.1 percent).

"Capital hasn't shot a great percentage from three all year, but they are very capable," said Hunt. "We know they have guys that can shoot the basketball. We just have to make sure we are urgent getting to Dixon. I think (sophomore Curt) Geise is capable of shooting and (freshman Brennan) Czuchran has shot the well. We have to be urgent and ready to guard."

Sophomore Law Williams had his best game of the season in the first meeting, scoring a career-high 23 points. Junior Dwight Johnson and sophomore John Righter recorded 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Senior Jonathan Bibbs is playing much better since the Capital game, and is averaging 15.3 since returning from injury. In his seven starts since returning, Wilmington is 5-2.