ALLIANCE, Ohio—Mount Union's men's basketball seeks its third consecutive win when it hosts Westminster (Pa.) Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex.
The Purple Raiders (2-1), led by first-year head coach Mike Fuline, won a pair of games over the weekend at the Coaches vs. Cancer Tip-Off Tournament in Beaver Falls, Pa. After defeating Grove City (Pa.), 71-64, in overtime Friday night, the Raiders handled host Geneva, 63-47, on Saturday.
Freshman forward Stevie Griffin (Canton/Massillon Jackson) earned Most Valuable Player honors after torching the nets for six three-pointers and 22 points against Geneva. He totaled 28 points, six rebounds, and eight three-pointers for the two games. Senior forward Jimmy Wood (Wintersville/Indian Creek) also earned all-tournament honors after averaging 12 ppg, 7.5 rpg, and 2.0 spg over the weekend.
Wood leads the Raiders in scoring at 17.7 ppg and is tied with junior Tom Berlekamp (North Royalton/Holy Name) for the team lead in rebounding (7.0). Berlekamp is averaging 4.3 ppg and grabbed 14 rebounds Friday night against Grove City. Sophomore guard T.J. Gillespie (Toledo/St. John's) scored a game-high 19 points against Grove City and is second in scoring (11.0) for the season. The starting lineup is rounded out by senior forward Matt Wier (New Castle, Pa./Mohawk) and freshman guard Nate Jacubec (Struthers/Struthers), who average 9.0 ppg and 8.7 ppg respectively.
Mount Union received a huge boost from its bench over the weekend. The Raider reserves, led by Griffin and junior Matt Kiger (Williamstown, W.Va./Williamstown), contributed 49 points over the two games. Griffin has shot 52.9% from beyond the three-point arc on his way to scoring 10.3 ppg while Kiger is averaging 3.7 ppg and 3.0 rpg. Junior Justen Little (Galion/Galion) has also been a contributor in 19 mpg off the bench.
Westminster (1-2) is led by ninth-year head coach Larry Ondako. The Titans are 91-125 since Ondako took over the program and made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2007. This past weekend, they hosted the Buzz Ridl Classic and dropped a pair of games to Ohio Athletic Conference teams. The Titans lost to Otterbein, 94-92, on a buzzer-beater Friday night and then dropped a 82-62 decision to Capital on Saturday.
Junior guard Doug Smith and sophomore guard Anthony Thomas lead Westminster with 13.0 ppg. The duo has also combined to shoot 14-of-34 (.412) from three-point range on the season. Junior forward Adam Carswell leads the team in rebounding (7.3) to go along with 8.7 ppg. Guards Ron Martino and Ben Donlow provide a scoring punch off the bench for the Titans. In their most recent game against Capital, Donlow scored a team-high 15 points.
Last meeting
The Purple Raiders jumped out to a 46-35 halftime lead at Westminster last year. The Titans forced 14 Mount Union turnovers and made ten three-pointers in rallying for a 79-77 victory. Doug Smith scored the final two of his 18 points on a layup with three seconds remaining to win the game for Westminster.
Matt Wier led five Mount Union players in double-figures with 14 points. Jimmy Wood added 10 points for the Raiders. Westminster was led by Anthony Thomas' 21 points, including five three-pointers.
Projected Mount Union Starters
- #35 Tom Berlekamp, 6-5, Jr. F – 4.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.0 apg
- #4 Jimmy Wood, 6-6, Sr., F – 17.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg
- #31 Matt Wier, 6-7, Sr., C – 9.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg
- #20 Nate Jacubec, 5-11, Fr., G – 8.7 ppg, 3.0 apg
- #12 T.J. Gillespie, 5-11, So., G – 11.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.0 apg
Projected Westminster Starters
- #3 Doug Smith, 6-3, Jr., G – 13.0 ppg, 43.5% 3FG
- #32 Matt Shiner, 6-3, Jr., G – 6.7 ppg
- #00 Adam Carswell, 6-5, Jr., F – 8.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg
- #1 Anthony Thomas, 6-0, So., G – 13.0 ppg, 84.6% FT
- #22 Torrell Grier, 5-8, Fr., G – 4.7 ppg, 3.7 apg
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Mount Union Player Notes
Jordan Albert - So., G, Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair
- Averages 2.3 ppg off the bench
- Career-high 5 points vs. Grove City (11/18/11)
- Transferred from Division II Pitt-Johnstown
Tom Berlekamp - Jr., F, North Royalton/Holy Name
- Tied for team lead in rebounds (7.0) and assists (3.0)
- Averages 4.3 ppg
- Career-high in points (7) and rebounds (14) vs. Grove City (11/18/11)
- Career-high 5 steals at Geneva (11/19/11)
- Transferred from Lakeland Community College
Jimmy Darnley - So., F, Canton/GlenOak
- Played in 15 games during 2010-11 season
- Career-high 5 points at Ohio Northern (2/12/11)
- Career-high 4 rebounds vs. Wilmington (2/5/11)
T.J. Gillespie - So., G, Toledo/St. John's
- Second on team in scoring (11.0)
- Season-high 19 points vs. Grove City (11/18/11)
- Career-high 20 points vs. Ohio Northern (1/8/11)
- Career-high 5 assists vs. Otterbein (1/22/11)
Stevie Griffin - Fr., F, Canton/Massillon Jackson
- Third on team in scoring (10.3) and 3-pointers (9)
- Coaches vs. Cancer Tip-Off Tournament MVP
- Career-high 22 points and 6 3's off the bench at Geneva (11/19/11)
- Played for Coach Fuline at Massillon Jackson High School
- Won 2010 OHSAA Division I state title at Jackson
Nate Jacubec - Fr., G, Struthers/Struthers
- Fifth on team in scoring (8.7) and tied for first in assists (3.0)
- Career-high 13 points and 3 3's vs. Grove City (11/18/11)
- Career-high 5 assists vs. Hiram (11/15/11)
Matt Kiger - Jr., F, Williamstown, W.Va./Williamstown
- Averages 3.7 ppg and leads team in FG% (.714)
- Season-high 11 points and 5 rebounds off the bench at Geneva (11/19/11)
- Career-high 20 points at Otterbein (12/4/10) and vs. Waynesburg (12/30/10)
- Career-high 9 rebounds vs. Waynesburg (12/30/10)
Justen Little - Jr., G, Galion/Galion
- Season-high 3 points vs. Grove City (11/18/11)
- Career-high 4 points vs. Ohio Northern (1/8/11) and at Ohio Northern (2/12/11)
- Career-high 5 rebounds at Geneva (11/18/11)
- Career-high 6 assists at Baldwin-Wallace (2/16/11)
Colton Troyer - Jr., F, Millersburg/Berlin Hiland
- Averages 7.3 minutes off the bench
- Transferred from Hesston College (Kan.)
Matt Wier - Sr., F., New Castle, Pa./Mohawk
- Fourth on team in scoring (9.0) and third in rebounding (6.7)
- Season-high 19 points vs. Hiram (11/15/11)
- Career-high 28 points vs. Ohio Northern (12/12/09)
- Career-high 9 rebounds at Hiram (11/15/10), vs. Waynesburg (12/30/10), and vs. Hiram (11/15/11)
- Played one season on a baseball scholarship at West Virginia
Jimmy Wood - Sr., F, Wintersville/Indian Creek
- Leads team in scoring (17.7) and tied for first in rebounding (7.0)
- Needs 126 points to reach 1,000 for his career
- Season-high 29 points vs. Hiram (11/15/11)
- Season -high 9 rebounds vs. Grove City (11/18/11)
- Career-high 30 points at Wilmington (1/30/10)
- Career-high 12 rebounds at John Carroll (2/22/11)
- Dad (Jim) played basketball at Georgia Tech
