WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's basketball team heads to Marietta College for the 2021 Great Lakes Invitational this weekend.
The Schedule: Wilmington will face LaRoche College (Pennsylvania) at 1 p.m. on Friday (the Invitational's first game) followed by Hendrix College (Arkansas) at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The Teams: Wilmington, LaRoche and Hendrix. The Fightin' Quakers are in search of their first win of the 2021-22 season after falling 86-65 to Olivet College at home on Monday evening. The Redhawks are also winless and most recently fell to Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) member Baldwin Wallace University 85-69 on Monday. The Warriors, on the other hand, are 3-0 having most recently defeated Austin 94-76 on Sunday.
The Coaches: K.C. Hunt is in his 15th 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. Hermie Carmichael, a 1999 LaRoche alumnus and one of the best men's basketball players in program history, is in his 11th season as head coach. The Redhawks have won the last three AMCC regular season titles. Thad McCracken, also an assistant director of athletics at Hendrix is also in his 11th season coaching the Warriors.
The Players: Through two games this season, Wilmington has relied on the duo of Jeffery Mansfield and Bilal Sow offensively scoring both 18.0 points per game and accounting for nearly half of the team's scoring. Mansfield, a two-time First Team All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) selection, is one of three Quakers (joined by Collmann Aaron and Obed Achirem) to grab at least five rebounds per game while also leading the team in assists at three per contest. A trio of Redhawks – Joe Pipilo, Devon Darrell and Desmond Ross – score in double figures while Seth Stanley (18.0 points per game) and Carl Fitch (8.0 rebounds per game) lead the Warriors.
Tale of the Tape: Points per game – Wilmington 62.5, LaRoche 83.3, Hendrix 80.0; opponents' points per game – Wilmington 75.5, LaRoche 91.0, Hendrix 65.7; field goal percentage – Wilmington 36.1, LaRoche 47.0, Hendrix 44.4; three-point percentage – Wilmington 21.3, LaRoche 42.2, Hendrix 27.8; free throw percentage – Wilmington 64.3, LaRoche 71.2, Hendrix 59.5; rebounds per game – Wilmington 29.5, LaRoche 30.7, Hendrix 44.3; assist-to-turnover ratio – Wilmington 1.00, LaRoche, 0.75, Hendrix 1.50.
Recent History: This will be the first meeting for Wilmington with LaRoche and Hendrix since the Fightin' Quakers became NCAA Division III members in the early 1990s.
COVID-19 Precautions: Facial coverings and social distancing are required for spectators. Additionally, signage will be throughout Hermann Court for designated seating areas.
Coverage: Live statistics and live video of both games will be available – visit the links 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".
Up Next: Wilmington heads to Wittenberg University for an 8 p.m. contest on Nov. 30.
