WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's basketball team heads to nationally-ranked Marietta College for an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) contest on Saturday. Tip-off from Ban Johnson Arena is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington and Marietta. The Fightin' Quakers enter the matchup 2-9 overall and in search of their first conference win after falling 59-50 at home to Capital University on Tuesday evening. The Pioneers sit 9-2 on the season and unbeaten in conference competition after dispatching Muskingum University 92-72 on the road on Wednesday.
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. Jon VanderWal has been Marietta's head coach since the 2007 season. The Pioneers have qualified for the last six NCAA Division III men's basketball tournaments.
The Players: Two-time First Team All-OAC selection Jeffery Mansfield leads Wilmington in several categories including scoring (14.5 points), rebounding (6.8 boards) and assists (4.5). Noah Dado grabs 6.3 rebounds per 40 minutes while Dado, Collmann Aaron, Jayden Lewis, Bryce Bird and Anthony Freeman contribute over five points per game. Marietta features a balanced scoring attack as four Pioneers - Jason Ellis, Lukas Isaly, Mason Lydic, and Tim Kreeger - score in double figures. Sahmi Willoughby grabs a team-best 6.8 rebounds per contest.
Tale of the Tape: Points per game – Wilmington 67.2 Marietta 86.4; opponents' points per game – Wilmington 73.1, Marietta 73.4; field goal percentage – Wilmington 38.3, Marietta 48.0; three-point percentage – Wilmington 28.8, Marietta 41.4; free throw percentage – Wilmington 64.2, Marietta 72.8; rebounding margin – Wilmington -3.9, Marietta +1.4; assist-to-turnover ratio – Wilmington 0.96, Marietta 1.70.
Top 25: Marietta checks in at No. 8 in the most recent D3Hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
Recent History: Wilmington is 17-40 against Marietta since the 1988 season. The Pioneers have won all but two matchups in the last decade. 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 hosts Muskingum University next Wednesday.
