WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's basketball team travels to Wittenberg University for a non-conference contest in Springfield on Tuesday evening. Tip-off from Pam Evans Smith Arena is scheduled for 8 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington and Wittenberg. The Fightin' Quakers are an even 2-2 on the season after rebound from two home defeats to defeat La Roche College and Hendrix College at the Great Lakes Invitational hosted by Marietta College last weekend. The Tigers are 0-3 overall and also competed in the Great Lakes Invitational, falling to both Hendrix and La Roche in single-digit contests.
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. Matt Croci, a 1994 Wittenberg alumnus, is in his sixth season as the Tigers' head coach. Wittenberg has qualified for the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament the last three times the tournament's been held (wasn't in 2020-21 due to COVID-19 pandemic).
The Players: Through four games this season, a quartet of Quakers – Jeffery Mansfield, Bilal Sow, Collmann Aaron and Jayden Lewis – all average double figures in scoring with Mansfield leading the way at 14.3 points per game. Freshman Obed Achirem grabs over 10 rebounds per contest while Mansfield, who is second on the team in rebounding at six boards per 40 minutes, assists on nearly five Wilmington baskets a game. For Wittenberg, Ridge Young and Landon Martin combine to score over 35 points a game. James Johnson grabs a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game.
Tale of the Tape: Points per game – Wilmington 72.0, Wittenberg 76.7; opponents' points per game – Wilmington 67.5, Wittenberg 81.7; field goal percentage – Wilmington 40.6, Wittenberg 45.6; three-point percentage – Wilmington 35.1, Wittenberg 48.8; free throw percentage – Wilmington 71.4, Wittenberg 75.0; rebounding margin – Wilmington -4.8, Wittenberg -7.0; assist-to-turnover ratio – Wilmington 1.14, Wittenberg 1.30.
Recent History: Wilmington is winless in seven tries against Wittenberg since becoming an NCAA Division III member in the early 1990s. More information on the series history can be viewed by visiting the link above.
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 opens Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play with Baldwin Wallace University on Dec. 4.
