WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College women's basketball team opens the 2023 calendar year with a three-game homestand, beginning with Capital University on Wednesday, January 4. Tip-off from Fred Raizk Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington and Capital. The Quakers bring an 8-3 overall record and a 2-2 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) mark into the contest having most recently defeated the University of Mount Union 65-46 on the road on Saturday. The Comets mirror WC in both overall and conference marks. The last time Capital took the court, it lost 57-41 at Ohio Northern University on Dec. 17, 2022.
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. Camille McPherson, a Moravian College alumna who served as Capital's interim head coach for 16 games of the 2021-22 campaign, was named the program's permanent head coach on March 16, 2022.
The Players: Fifth-year senior Kennedy Lewis leads Wilmington in scoring (13.0 PPG), rebounding (5.6 RPG) and assists (3.5 APG) and is coming off a 17-point performance in WC's win at Mount Union. A trio of Quakers - Jada Pohlen, Marisa Seiler and Zahrya Bailey - score over seven points per contest with Seiler joining Lewis in grabbing over five rebounds per game. Bri O'Connor, a transfer from Tiffin University, leads Capital in scoring at 15.5 points per game while Laney Murphy, the reigning OAC Freshman of the Year, scores 14.4 points per contest. Samaree Perkins leads the Comets in rebounding at 8.5 boards per contest.
Tale of the Tape: Points per game – Wilmington 61.2, Capital 61.8; opponents' points per game – Wilmington 55.4, Capital 54.5; field goal percentage – Wilmington 35.4, Capital 36.8; three-point percentage – Wilmington 24.8, Capital 21.4; free throw percentage – Wilmington 79.3, Capital 66.3; rebounding margin – Wilmington +2.3, Capital -0.1; assist-to-turnover ratio – Wilmington 0.69, Capital 0.60.
Recent History: Wilmington is 24-31 against Capital since becoming an NCAA Division III member in the early 1990s. In last year's series, the road team won both regular season meetings, but the Quakers ended the Comets' season with a 61-50 triumph in an OAC Tournament quarterfinal at Hermann Court. More information can be viewed by visiting the link above.
Tickets: Hometown Ticketing will be used for the game. Fans are encouraged to purchase digital tickets prior to game time at the pink 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: Game two of the homestand will feature a contest against Marietta College on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday, following the men's contest with the Pioneers.
