* Story by Austin Wampler
WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's basketball team will look to regain momentum after a narrow defeat at Wittenberg University on Tuesday night. The Fightin' Quakers will return home to play Baldwin Wallace University for their Ohio Athletic Conference opener Saturday afternoon. Tip-off from Hermann Court is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington and Baldwin Wallace (BW). The Fightin' Quakers are 2-3 on the season after struggling from the field in their first true road game of the year at Wittenberg. The Yellow Jackets are 4-2 on the season but are coming off two straight losses to Trine University and Heidelberg University. In Baldwin Wallace's OAC opener in Berea, the Yellow Jackets were throttled 92-59.
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. Tom Heil is serving his sixth season as the Yellow Jackets' head coach. During Heil's tenure, he has compiled an 86-60 overall record and a 52-46 record in conference play. In 2018-19, Heil led the Yellow Jackets to an OAC Tournament Title and an NCAA tournament berth.
The Players: Through the first five games of the season, the FQuakers have been led by both Jeffery Mansfield and Bilal Sow on the offensive end. Mansfield averages 14 points per game and leads the team in assists at nearly five per contest, while Sow averages slightly over 13 points per game. Freshman Obed Achirem has excelled the last three games for the Fightin' Quakers and is the conference leader in rebounds per game, grabbing over 11 rebounds per contest. For Baldwin Wallace, Anthony Mazzeo leads all scorers averaging just under 24 points per game as he has already erupted to have two 40-point games on the season. Jake Snyder, Christian Pfeiffer, and Drew Wennes also average double figures scoring for the Yellow Jackets.
Tale of the Tape: Points per game – Wilmington 69.0, Baldwin Wallace 78.0; opponents' points per game – Wilmington 66.8, Baldwin Wallace 74.8; field goal percentage – Wilmington 37.8, Baldwin Wallace 44.5; three-point percentage – Wilmington 30.8, Baldwin Wallace 36.6; free throw percentage – Wilmington 70.0, Baldwin Wallace 63.5; rebounding margin – Wilmington -3.8, Baldwin Wallace 2.2; assist-to-turnover ratio – Wilmington 1.12, Baldwin Wallace 0.85.
Recent History: Wilmington is 20-28 in 48 games against Baldwin Wallace and is 3-7 in the last ten meetings. The two teams split the pair of games in the 2019-20 season, both teams winning on their home court. More information on the series history can be viewed by visiting the link above.
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 will head to Ohio Northern Wednesday night. Tip-off in Ada will be at 7 p.m.
