The Wilmington College men's basketball team returns to Fred Raizk Arena in Hermann Court 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to host the Ohio Northern Polar Bears. ONU came away with the 93-78 win at the ONU Sports Center on January 14.
Sophomore Devon Allen came off the bench to lead the Polar Bears with 18 points, while three other players reached double figures. Senior Isaiah Roux added 17 points, while sophomore Konnor Baker and sophomore Joey Hurless had 15 and 14 points, respectively.
"To their credit, they really just beat us up physically," said Wilmington assistant coach Matt Sylvester. "They were tougher than us, more dialed in and ready to play."
On the season, Baker leads the Polar Bears with 11.4 points and senior Lucas Pennington adds 11.1 points.
Pennington is the team's top shooting threat, launching 108 three-pointers on the season. He is shooting 33.3 percent (36-of-108) from three-point range. The 6-4 forward is pulling down a team-high 4.2 boards per game.
"They are a physical, relentless group," said Sylvester. "They have tough kids all over the place, and they have guys that can really shoot it. They are complete team."
For Wilmington, it's simply a matter of bring consistent energy and effort.
"I think it's been an inconsistent group from a mental standpoint," said Sylvester. "When we are ready to play, ready to compete, we can be really good. But, we have shown when we are not mentally or physically ready to compete at a high level, we are as average as any team can be."
Senior R.J. Leppert (Liberty Township, OH/Lakota East) leads the team in points (13.2), rebounds (6.9), assists (4.1), steals (2.1) and blocks (1.3). He is the only player in the OAC ranked in the top 10 in all five categories.
Senior Jonathan Bibbs (Dayton, OH/Chaminade Julienne) is second on the team with 12.2 points, while senior Dwight Johnson (Dayton, OH/Jefferson) is adding 11.9 points. Freshman Christian Jones (Hamilton, OH/Hamilton) is also averaging double figures with 11.1 points.
Junior transfer Zach McCorkle (Cincinnati, OH/Winton Woods) is second on the team with 4.0 rebounds.