After a week of finals to end the semester, the Mount Union men's basketball squad will return to the court when it hosts Wilmington at 3 pm on Saturday at the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex. The Purple Raiders (3-5, 0-3) are still looking to capture their first Ohio Athletic Conference win on the season while the Quakers (4-4, 3-0) sit in sole possession of first place in the conference.
Admission to the game is $5 for adults and $3 for students. No pre-sale tickets will be available with all tickets being sold at the door on the day of the game.
LIVE STATS will be available online.
Mount Union is currently on a four-game skid after beginning the season 3-1 under first-year head coach Mike Fuline. The Raiders, who are 1-3 at home, have been plagued by injuries early in the season. At least one starter has been missing in three games so far and the status of two is unknown for Saturday.
The Raiders average 69.5 points per game and are led by senior forward Jimmy Wood (Wintersville/Indian Creek). At 19.0 points per game, Wood is the OAC's leading scorer this season and is only 27 points from reaching 1,000 for his career. Wood also leads the Raiders in rebounding (6.0), three-pointers (18), and free throw percentage (.821) while shooting over .500 from the field.
Freshman guard Nate Jacubec (Struthers/Struthers) is second on the team in scoring at 10.3 points per game. He is also second in assists (20) and third in three-pointers (12) and free throw percentage (.778). Sophomore guard T.J. Gillespie (Toledo/St. John's) returned to the starting lineup a week ago after missing two games with an injury and is averaging 8.2 points per game. Senior Matt Wier (New Castle, Pa./Mohawk) has provided an interior presence with 7.8 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game. Junior guard Justen Little (Galion/Galion) has started the past five games and leads the OAC with an incredible nine-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio.
Junior forward Tom Berlekamp (North Royalton/Holy Name) and freshman forward Stevie Griffin (Canton/Massillon Jackson) were sidelined with injuries against Capital. Berlekamp started the first seven games of the season and is second on the team in rebounding (5.7). Griffin is third on the team in scoring, contributing 8.6 points per game off the bench. He is shooting a team-best .448 from behind the three-point line and is second with 13 three-pointers on the season.
Forward Matt Kiger (Williamstown, W. Va./Williamstown) has provided a spark off the bench for the Raiders so far this season. The junior is providing 5.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting a team-best .731 (19/26) from the field. Freshman Clayton Patton (Bolivar/Tuscarawas Valley) scored a career-high 11 points against Capital and could see more minutes if Berlekamp and Griffin do not play.
Wilmington's season has been just the opposite of Mount Union's. After dropping four of their first five games, the Quakers have won three straight games and are the only unbeaten team remaining in conference play. They defeated Baldwin-Wallace, 59-56, in their most recent game last Saturday.
The Quakers are scoring 68.1 points per game while allowing opponents to score 70.2 points per game on the season. Despite being one of the conference's biggest teams with five players listed at 6-6 or taller, the Quakers are being outrebounded by 1.2 rebounds per contest.
The talented trio of senior guards Antonio Bowman and Tyler White and sophomore forward Malcolm Heard II lead the way for the Quakers. A pre-season All-American by D3Hoops.com, Bowman's production has dropped from a season ago when he averaged 16.0 points per game in 27.0 minutes per game as a starter. The senior is averaging 11.7 points per game in just 22.4 minutes per game and has only started three times this season.
White is averaging 10.9 points per game, which is far below his averages from a season ago, when he finished second in the conference in scoring (18.6). He is third on the team in rebounding (4.1) and ranks first in free throw percentage among players with at least 10 attempts on the season (.714).
Heard II is among the most improved players in the OAC. The sophomore has more than doubled his scoring from his freshman year and is tied for fourth in the conference (16.5). He is the conference leader in field goal percentage (.690) and is third in blocked shots per game (2.0) while also leading Wilmington on the boards (5.4).
Coaches
Mike Fuline (Kent State '98) is in his first season at Mount Union after a successful career at the high school level that included winning the 2010 OHSAA Division I State Championship at Massillon Jackson. Fuline has the Purple Raiders off to a 3-5 start and is in search of his first OAC win.
K.C. Hunt (Ohio State '95) is 68-48 in his fifth season at Wilmington, where he has been on the staff since the 2004-05 season. During the 2009-10 season Hunt guided the Quakers to school-record 22 wins and its first OAC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance. The Quakers advanced to the second round, losing to No. 10 Eastern Mennonite. Prior to his arrival at Wilmington, Hunt had coaching stints at St. Lawrence University as well as Dublin Coffman and Perry high schools. Hunt played collegiately at Wichita State.
The Series
This is the 23rd meeting between the schools since Wilmington joined the OAC in 2000. Mount Union holds a 14-8 lead in the series after sweeping the Quakers last season.
Last Meeting
Mount Union never trailed in a 69-67 win at home on February 5th. The Raiders opened the game with an early 21-6 lead, but the Quakers cut the deficit to just four points at halftime. The game got as close as a single point with 1:01 remaining, but a three-pointer by Dave Pellerite extended the lead to four with just 30 seconds on the clock. Up by two with six seconds left, the Raiders missed a pair of free throws and Wilmington got one final look for the win, but Antonio Bowman's three-pointer was off the mark.
Pellerite and Jimmy Wood paced Mount Union with 18 points apiece. Ben Hodkinson scored 14 points, including four three-pointers and Matt Kiger added 11 points. Matt Wier was the only non-starter to score with five points.
Bowman scored a game-high 20 points to lead Wilmington. Malcolm Heard III (14), Taylor Wellman (12), and Ethan Fite (12) also scored in double-figures for the Quakers.
Projected Mount Union Starters
- #20 Nate Jacubec, 5-11, Fr., G – 10.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg
- #4 Jimmy Wood, 6-6, Sr., F – 19.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 18 3FG
- #31 Matt Wier, 6-7, Sr., C – 7.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg
- #12 T.J. Gillespie, 5-11, So., G – 8.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg
- #3 Justen Little, 5-11, Jr., G – 2.0 ppg, 3.4 apg
Projected Wilmington Starters
- #22 Tyler White, 6-3, Sr., G – 10.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg
- #20 Malcolm Heard II, 6-5, So., F – 16.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.0 bpg, .690 FG%
- #34 Ben Vonderhaar, 6-7, So., C – 2.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg
- #11 Klarke Ransome, 6-1, So., G – 4.4 ppg
- #10 Dwight Johnson, 6-0, Fr., G – 4.4 ppg
Mount Union Player Notes
Jordan Albert - So., G, Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair
- Averaging 2.5 ppg in 10.3 mpg off the bench
- Career-high 7 points at Waynesburg (11/26/11)
- Transferred from Division II Pitt-Johnstown
Tom Berlekamp - Jr., F, North Royalton/Holy Name
- Averaging 2.6 ppg and 5.7 rpg
- Career-high in points (7), rebounds (14), and assists (4) 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
- Averaging 2.7 mpg off the bench
- 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
- Averaging 8.2 ppg
- Missed 2 games earlier in the season due to an injury
- 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 (8.6) and second in 3-pointers (13) in 7 games off the bench
- Coaches vs. Cancer Tip-Off Tournament MVP
- Career-high 22 points and 6 three-pointers off the bench at Geneva (11/19/11)
- Career-high 8 rebounds and 4 assists vs. Westminster (11/22/11)
- Played for Coach Fuline and won 2010 OHSAA Division I state title at Massillon Jackson High School
Nate Jacubec - Fr., G, Struthers/Struthers
- Second on team in scoring (10.3) and assists (20)
- Has scored in double-figures four times
- Career-high 17 points vs. Westminster (11/22/11) and vs. John Carroll (12/10/11)
- Career-high 3 three-pointers vs. Grove City (11/18/11)
- Career-high 6 rebounds at Waynesburg (11/26/11)
- Career-high 5 assists vs. Hiram (11/15/11)
Matt Kiger - Jr., F, Williamstown, W.Va./Williamstown
- Averaging 5.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, and leads the team in FG% (.731) off the bench
- Season-high 11 points at Geneva (11/19/11) and vs. Otterbein (12/3/11)
- Season-high 6 rebounds at Waynesburg (11/26/11)
- 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
- Has started the past 5 games at point guard
- Leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (9:1)
- Leads team with 27 assists on the season
- Career-high 5 points vs. Westminster (11/22/11)
- Career-high 5 rebounds at Geneva (11/19/11)
- Career-high 7 assists vs. Otterbein (12/3/11)
Clayton Patton - Fr., G, Bolivar/Tuscarawas Valley
- Averaging 4.2 ppg in 7.6 mpg off the bench
- Career-high 11 points at Capital (12/10/11)
Colton Troyer - Jr., F, Millersburg/Berlin Hiland
- Averaing 5.8 minutes off the bench
- Transferred from Hesston College (Kan.)
Matt Wier - Sr., F, New Castle, Pa./Mohawk
- Averaging 7.8 ppg and 4.8 rpg
- 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
Keith Williams - Jr., G, Louisville, Ky./Brown
- Averaging 4.0 ppg off the bench
- Career-high 13 points to go with 4 steals and 3 assists in season debut vs. Westminster (11/22/11)
Jimmy Wood - Sr., F, Wintersville/Indian Creek
- Has scored 973 career points
- Leads the conference in scoring (19.0)
- Leads the team in rebounding (6.0), 3-pointers (18), and free throw shooting (.821)
- Recorded second career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds vs. Westminster (11/22/11)
- Season-high 29 points vs. Hiram (11/15/11)
- Season -high 10 rebounds vs. Westminster (11/22/11)
- Career-high 30 points at Wilmington (1/30/10)
- Career-high 12 rebounds at John Carroll (2/22/11)
- Father, Jim, played basketball at Georgia Tech
