NCAA SERIES: Wilmington trails the NCAA series, 25-13, all coming as members of the Ohio Athletic Conference, and have lost five straight to the Blue Streaks. John Carroll recorded the 87-79 win earlier this season.
THE LAST MEETING: John Carroll ended the first half on a 13-3 run to lead the Blue Streaks past the Wilmington College men's basketball team, 87-79, on January 14 in Ohio Athletic Conference action at the DeCarlo Center.
The Fightin' Quakers scored nine of the game's first 11 points, but JCU responded with 11 straight to reclaim the lead. The team fought back and forth, and following a three-pointer by sophomore Andrew Russell Wilmington trailed by just five points with five minutes remaining in the first half.
But the aforementioned offensive hiatus enabled the Blue Streak to build a comfortable halftime advantage.
Nathan Scott finished with 17 points and five rebounds in his first start of the season, while Russell chipped in with 14 points and a season-high eight boards.
MEET THE BLUE STREAKS: John Carroll runs a unique system, subbing five players at a time nearly every three minutes. Thanks to the rotation, no JCU player is averaging more than 23 minutes per game and 11 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game.
After struggling early in the season, the Blue Streaks have won 12 of their last 14 games. The runs includes splitting the season series with Marietta and a loss to Ohio Northern.
They come into the game trailing league leaders Marietta and Ohio Northern by just one game in the Ohio Athletic Conference standings.
Senior David Linane leads the first group, and the team, with 14.4 points per game and 4.1 assists, while classmate Simon Kucharewicz added 12.7 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds. His 65 percent conversion rate from the field ranks second in the OAC.
Junior John Cirillo is the primary scoring option in the second group with 12.2 points with senior Doug Caputo offering inside assistance with 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds.
GIVE ME MOORE: Freshman Kameron Moore has given the Wilmington frontcourt a tremendous boost since transferring in over break. He is averaging 9.1 points in his 10 games, but he starting to show his potential as he gets comfortable with his surroundings. Moore has scored at least nine points in six of the last seven games.
DOUBLE FIGURES: Wilmington enters the game with four players averaging more than 10 points. Junior Christian Jones leads the way with 12.3 points with sophomore Nathan Scott dropping in 11.3 points.
Freshman Noah Chatman is third with 10.7 points and sophomore Andrew Russell is fourth with 10.3 points.
EFFICIENT FROSH: Freshman Noah Chatman currently leads the Ohio Athletic Conference, making 65.5 percent of his attempts. Earlier this season, he set a Wilmington NCAA-era record with 14 made field goals. Chatman just missed the NCAA rankings eligibility of 5.0 FG made, converting 4.9 field goals.
WE ROLL DEEP: Wilmington's rotation features 11 players that are averaging at least 10 minutes per game, and only one player - junior Christian Jones - averaging more than 25.
MIA: Junior Nathan Scott missed Wednesday's game with an injury. There is no word on his availability for today's contest.
