WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's basketball team opens the New Year by picking up Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play against nationally-ranked Marietta College on Saturday. Tip-off from Hermann Court is slated for 3 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington and Marietta. The Fightin' Quakers enter the game with a 4-6 overall record and 2-1 mark in OAC play having most recently defeated Olivet College 69-67 on the road on Dec. 18, 2019. The Pioneers are 9-1 on the year and 3-0 in conference competition. Marietta most recently split a pair of games at the 2019 Great Lakes Invitational, falling to Salisbury University 88-80 and defeating York College of Pennsylvania 92-86.
The Coaches: K.C. Hunt is in his 13th 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. Jon VanderWal has been Marietta's head coach since 2007. The program's all-time winningest coach, VanderWal has led the Pioneers to seven NCAA Division III Tournaments including each of the last five seasons.
The Players: A trio of Quakers – Jeffery Mansfield, DaeShawn Jackson and Abdul Kanu – all score in double figures including Mansfield's 18.3 points per game that lead the team. DaeShawn Jackson, who scored 16.4 points per game, leads the team in rebounding at 5.1 boards per game. Payton Smith dishes out a team-best 4.2 assists per game. Jason Ellis leads Marietta and is second in the OAC in scoring at 21.7 points per game. Lukas Isaly scores 12.9 points per contest while Caleb Hoying grabs 5.5 rebounds per game.
Tale of the Tape: Points per game – Wilmington 72.5, Marietta 92.0; opponents' points per game – Wilmington 76.3, Marietta 74.0; field goal percentage – Wilmington 43.6, Marietta 47.1; three-point percentage – Wilmington 31.2, Marietta 38.6; free throw percentage – Wilmington 68.5, Marietta 69.5; rebounds per game – Wilmington 29.5, Marietta 44.9; assist-to-turnover ratio – Wilmington 1.05, Marietta 1.05.
Top 25: Marietta checks in at No. 6 in the most recent D3Hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
Recent History: Wilmington is 17-34 against Marietta since the 1988 season. The two teams split last year's series with the home squad winning both matchups. More information on the series history can be viewed by visiting 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 hosts Capital University for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Jan. 7.
