WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College women's basketball team opens its 2022-23 season with a non-conference contest against Mount St. Joseph University on Tuesday. Tip-off from Fred Raizk Arena is slated for 7 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington and Mount St. Joseph (MSJ). The Fightin' Quakers are looking to improve upon an 8-18 record from a season ago that saw the program win an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament team for the second consecutive season. The Lions finished last season 7-15 and did not qualify for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament.
The Coaches: Wilmington is under the direction of third-year Head Coach Janel Blankespoor, who is in her fourth season with the program having been interim coach during the 2020-21 season and the program's top assistant the two years prior. The 2007 Otterbein College alumna spent stints at Mount Union and Earlham College before coming to Wilmington. Maisie Elston is in her first season as MSJ's head coach having spent the previous year as an assistant coach at Indiana University East.
The Players: Kennedy Lewis returns for her fifth year as a starting guard for Wilmington having averaged 10.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists during the 2021-22 campaign. Zahrya Bailey, another senior guard, will look to build up a junior season in which she averaged 9.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest. Kyria Walker and Cassidy Lovett also each averaged over five points per game a season ago. MSJ will need to replace All-American Maddie Haberthy who averaged 21.1 points last season. Chloe Jansen and Anyiah Murphy both return having averaged double-digits in points.
Tale of the Tape (2021-22): Points per game – Wilmington 58.6, MSJ 63.6; opponents' points per game – Wilmington 64.4, MSJ 74.5; field goal percentage – Wilmington 37.3, MSJ 34.8; three-point percentage – Wilmington 26.4, MSJ 27.8; free throw percentage – Wilmington 67.5, MSJ 67.2; rebounding margin – Wilmington -3.6, MSJ -10.1; assist-to-turnover ratio – Wilmington 0.69, MSJ 0.70.
Recent History: Wilmington is 15-6 against MSJ since the 1992 season. The Quakers and Lions faced off to open last season, and WC came away with a 77-49 victory. More information can be viewed by visiting the link above.
Tickets: Wilmington College has partnered with Hometown Ticketing for game tickets, which have moved all digital. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of game time by visiting the link above.
Coverage: Live statistics and live video of the game 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 host the Fred Raizk Memorial Tournament featuring Albion College (Michigan), Grove City College (Pennsylvania) and Ohio Wesleyan University next weekend.
