WILMINGTON – When the Wilmington College men's basketball team kicks off its Ohio Athletic Conference slate Thursday, it will be a contest of contrasting styles. While the Quakers want to get up and the down the court, while Muskingum wants to drain the life out of the shot clock.

Despite the philosophical difference, the teams are scoring at nearly the same clip with WC scoring 70.7 points and the Muskies 70.0. The difference in their outcomes lay on the defensive end. Muskingum is last in defensive scoring, allowing 80.8 points per game. WC is yielding just 71.0 points per contest.

The Fightin' Quakers will be looking for its first true road victory, while Muskingum is still hunting for their first win of the season. The Muskies were picked to finish last by the OAC coaches in the league's preseason poll.

Thursday's game marks Wilmington's sixth straight game away from Hermann Court, but head coach K.C. Hunt doesn't believe it's wearing on his team as they embark on the beginning of league play.

"I don't think we're road weary, we are road tested," he said. "The OAC brings a new season, a different set of challenges. We want to be the first team to win the OAC regular season."

One of the biggest aspects the Fighin' Quakers must correct is the inability to control the boards. They have been outrebounded in four of their five games. Fortunately, they were able to pull out victories in two of those contests.

Even with Wilmington's difficulties on the glass, WC is ranked fifth in the OAC in rebounding margin. The Muskies enter Thursday's game ninth at -1.6

"We are not a great rebounding team right now," said Hunt. "It is definitely an area of concern. We have played good enough defense (to mask it)."

Senior Brandon Candella (West Chester, OH/Lakota West) and junior Malcolm Heard II (Wilmington, OH/Wilmington) are leading the team with 14.8 and 14.4 points, respectively. They are also the top two rebounders for WC with Heard leading with 7.0 and Candella second at 4.2.

Junior Dave Brown is leading the Muskies and the league in scoring with 20.6 points. He is 11-of-27 from beyond the arc, and his 11 three-pointers are more than half of the team's total. Junior Clay Owings is the other Muskie in double figures with 13.2 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds.