WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's basketball team opens the New Year with an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) contest against defending champions John Carroll University on Saturday, Jan. 5. Tip-off from Hermann Court is slated for 3 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington and John Carroll (JCU). The Fightin' Quakers are 6-5 on the season and 2-3 in the OAC having most recently splitting a pair of games against nationally-ranked opponents. Wilmington defeated then-No. 21 Wabash College 83-80 and fell to then-No. 11 Wittenberg University 74-52 at Wittenberg's Kiwanis Holiday Classic on Dec. 28-29. The Blue Streaks are 6-6 on the year and also 2-3 in conference play. JCU most recently defeated Frostburg State University 105-70 on Dec. 30.
The Coaches: K.C. Hunt is in his 12th season as head coach of Wilmington's men's basketball program. Hunt, who has coached two All-Americans and seven of the school's 1,000-point scorers, led the Quakers to OAC Tournament titles in 2010 and 2014. He garnered Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year honors for guiding Wilmington to OAC Tournament title and a win in the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2010. Pete Moran, class of 2008 and son of former JCU Head Coach Mike, is in his second season leading the Blue Streaks. JCU won a share of the OAC regular season title and the OAC Tournament in his first season.
The Players: DaeShawn Jackson and Kevin Lewis both score over 15 points per game to lead Wilmington offensively while Will Patrick also scores in double figures. Lewis, who has scored in double figures in all but two games this season, leads the Quakers in the rebounding department averaging 6.2 boards per contest. Payton Smith and Jackson dish out over two assists per game while Lewis steals over 2.5 passes per contest. The JCU duo of Jimmy Berger and Jackson Sartain both score over 16 points per game while Greg Parella, Sean Flannery and Connor Fitzgerald all put out over nine points per game. Berger and Allen Stokes grab 5.3 boards per game.
Tale of the Tape: Points per game - Wilmington 75.1, JCU 80.8; opponents points per game - Wilmington 76.5, JCU 82.5; field goal percentage - Wilmington 39.5, JCU 39.7; three point percentage - Wilmington 33.9, JCU 34.1; free throw percentage - Wilmington 68.5, JCU 69.7; rebounds per game - Wilmington 35.9, JCU 41.7; assist-to-turnover ratio - Wilmington 0.84, JCU 1.00.
Recent History: Wilmington is 12-28 against JCU since joining the OAC prior to the 2000-01 season. The Quakers' last win over the Blue Streaks came on March 1, 2014, a 69-63 win in the OAC Tournament title game at Hermann Court. More information on the series history can be viewed at the link above.
Social Media: Wilmington athletics is represented on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics), Twitter (@DubCQuakers) and Instagram (@DubCQuakers). Follow all the happenings of Wilmington College on social media by using the hashtag "#WeAreDubC".
Coverage: Live statistics and live video of the game will be available - visit the links above.
Up Next: Wilmington travels to Otterbein University for a 7 p.m. game on Wednesday.
